Did you know that the childhood game known as hide-and-seek dates to the second century BC? According to Encyclopedia Britannica, Greek writer Julius Pollux called the game apodidraskinda, and his rules were identical to ours. Two or more players would conceal themselves, and another player would try to find them.

It almost sounds like Genesis chapter 3, doesn’t it? Except Adam and Eve’s avoidance of God was not for fun. After they ate the forbidden fruit, “the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked” (v. 7). They immediately experienced shame and a severed relationship with God. In a futile attempt to cover their crime, they sewed and put on fig-leaf clothes. When they heard God “walking in the garden,” they hid. The Moody Bible Commentary explains the use of the word walking: It indicates most likely the human form of the Son of God, come to fellowship with His people.

Clearly, Adam and Eve were expecting immediate judgment, but God did not come with rage or retribution. Instead, He called (qara) to them: “Where are you?” It’s that same Hebrew word, but it doesn’t indicate a naming. Nor is God confused about their location. This is a call to conversation. An invitation to revelation—to vulnerability, repentance, and reconciliation. “Where are you?” That is, “Will you show yourself to Me?”—a gentle and merciful call to confession and restoration.

Certainly, the consequences of their sin were coming and would be significant, but they were administered in the context of compassion and care. After God cursed the serpent, He described Eve’s resultant pain in childbirth and Adam’s subsequent struggle with the earth. But then God Himself crafted garments for His children before He sent them out from their first home.

>> When we hide in shame, God is calling to us: “Where are you?” We can be thankful that He still pursues us with mercy. How do you respond?

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