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Examples of those who tried to hide from God
To hide is to keep something out of sight. The Bible presents several instances where certain individuals tried to hide. Though it is possible to hide from a fellow human being, it is futile to try to hide from God for the eyes of the LORD are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good (Pr 15:3). In this article, we are going to look at instances where certain individuals attempted to keep themselves out of God’s sight. These stories give us deep insight into human nature and the consequences of trying to hide from the divine.
1. Adam and Eve
The story of the disobedience of Adam and Eve is what led to the fall of man and it is a sad story. God made a garden in Eden; there, He put the two first humans he created Adam and Eve. God granted them the right to eat from all the trees in the garden except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. However, the serpent deceived Eve to eat the fruit and she in turn gave some to her husband and he ate it.
Upon eating the fruit, their eyes were opened and they realized that they were naked and they covered themselves with fig leaves. In the evening, when God came into the garden to visit them, Adam and Eve ran to hide from God (Ge 3:8). When God called Adam and requested his whereabouts he admitted that he was trying to hide from God and his reason was that he was afraid to meet God with his nakedness (Ge 3:10). Their act of hiding shows a fundamental human response to guilt and shame. Reference Genesis 3
2. Jonah
The story of Jonah illustrates a different form of hiding – attempting to escape from God’s calling. The word of God came to Jonah that he should go to the great city of Nineveh to preach that God was going to destroy them for their wickedness. If such a message was preached in Nineveh, it would be a warning and an opportunity for the Assyrians to humble themselves and repent from their sins so that God would relent in punishing them. Jonah regarded the Assyrians to be very wicked and worthy of God’s judgment.
For that reason, he did not want to preach to them so that they would not have the opportunity to repent. Jonah tried to flee to Tarshish to avoid delivering the message to the Assyrians of Nineveh. Jonah went to the port of Joppa to board a ship and he admitted and even testified to the sailors of the ship that he was running away from God (Jon 1:10). His attempt to hide from God led to a series of challenging events on the high seas. (Jonah 1:3; Jonah 1:10)
3. The people of the world
In the Book of Revelations, John saw a scroll that had writings on the inside and the outside and it was sealed with seven seals in the right hand of God. Jesus the Lamb of God took the scroll and began breaking its seven seals. John watched as the Lamb broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake. The sun became as dark as black cloth, and the moon became as red as blood. The stars of the sky fell to the earth, the sky was rolled up like a scroll, and all the mountains and islands were moved from their places.
Then everyone—the kings of the earth, the rulers, the generals, the wealthy, the powerful, and every slave and free person—all hid in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains. And they cried to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of the one who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb. For the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to survive?” (Re 6:12-17)
4. The Prophet Elijah’s Hiding Place
Another notable mention is the Prophet Elisha. After Elijah triumphed over the prophets of Baal on Mt. Camel, he had all the 450 prophets of Baal killed. Then Jezebel threatened to take the life of Elijah. Hearing this, Elijah ran away and sought refuge in a cave on Mount Horeb, attempting to hide from the dangers and challenges he faced. However, even in his hiding place, he had an encounter with God. This encounter shows that God can reach you anywhere and it is futile to try to hide or escape His presence. (1 Kings 19:1-18)
Conclusion
Elsewhere in 2 Chronicles, it is written that the eyes of God run to and fro throughout the whole earth (2Ch 16:9). God’s eyes are everywhere and none, whether great or small, can hide from His sight. We can see from the build-up that some people tried to hide from God because of fear; some did it in an attempt to disobey God; and some will do it in an attempt to escape His wrath during the last days. However, in any case, it is futile to try to hide from God since He is everywhere and sees everything.