It is human nature to cover up, hide, or refuse to
acknowledge when we have messed up or even sinned. It seems that we think that
if we ignore a problem, it will go away. The truth is, this has never worked
and never will. In Genesis 3, Adam and Eve sin by eating of the one tree God
asked them to leave alone (v. 6). At the moment they eat of the tree, “their
eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness” (v. 7). The
next phrase is an interesting one, “so they sewed fig leaves together to cover
themselves” (v. 7). In typical human fashion, they tried to cover up what they
had done.
Just a few verses later we discover how ineffective their
efforts at covering their wrong actually were. We are told that God was walking
in the garden in the cool of the evening. Adam and Eve heard God and they, “hid
from God among the trees” (v. 8). When God asks why they hid, Adam replies, “I
heard you walking in the garden, so I hid. I was afraid because I was naked”
(v. 10). What an interesting confession. They were afraid because they were naked,
yet we were just told they had sown leaves together to cover themselves.
The truth is, we can never effectively cover our sin or its
consequences. Our best bet is to confess what we have done wrong, come to God,
and allow Him to work on our behalf. Once Adam and Eve’s sin is exposed before
the Lord, they were able to accept the consequences of their sin and “God made
clothing from animal skins for Adam and his wife” (v. 21). God was able to
effectively cover what Adam and Eve had done. On their own, they would have
stood exposed for all eternity.
It is easy for us to read the story of Adam and Eve and mock
them for their foolishness. However, how often are we guilty of the same. We
sin, we deny it, and then we try to cover it. This will be no more effective
than it was for Adam and Eve. If you a dealing with something in your life, may
I encourage you to come out in the open and let God cover you. The truth is, He
and He alone can do this effectively.
