When I was growing up, I loved playing the game hide-and-seek. I am naturally an introvert, so a game that required being quiet and typically by yourself was right up my alley. I can remember the anticipation of being hidden and then seeing the person who was “it” come into the room near my hiding spot. Would they find me or walk past me? Inevitably, I was found, and the game would be over.
Similar to playing hide-and-seek, how many times in life do I try to hide from God due to sin, wondering and hoping He won’t find me? This is essentially what Moses was doing in Exodus 2. He had killed an Egyptian in an effort to fight for justice for his people, the Israelites. When his sin was found out by Pharaoh, Moses ran to the wilderness.
Moses thought he could run away from the consequences of his actions, but he was inevitably found by God. In the same way, I may often try to run and hide from God, but I am always found. Praise the Lord!
God is one who pursues. He sees everything. There is nowhere we can go that is out of His purview and control. Though we don’t like to be found out when we are in our sin, it is the best news ever that we are always found. Our sin is never left hidden, no matter how we try.
As we look at Moses in Exodus 2, we see our gracious God who pursues.
Sin is Always Discovered
We know little to nothing about what it was specifically like for Moses to grow up in the palace of Pharaoh. But I think we can imagine some of it. He was given the best education, access to the best food, every want and need was met. He was royalty. Yet, all of that changed for Moses in an instant.
Though he was the adopted grandson of Pharaoh, he was still an Israelite by birth. Moses stood up for his people when they were being mistreated, but he let his anger take over to the point of murder.
Moses tried to cover up what he had done by burying the body in the sand, but his actions were known by some of the Israelites. I wonder what would have happened if Moses’ actions had not been found out. Would he have stayed in the royal palace? Would he have continued to fight (maybe literally) for his people?
We don’t know for sure. What we do know is that it was in God’s sovereign plan to use Moses’ sin to get him to a place where God would call him to lead the people of Israel out of slavery in Egypt.
Now, it should be noted that God never causes sin. That is completely out of line of who God is. But, God can and does use all things for His plans and purposes.
When we sin (which is anything we think, say, or do that is not pleasing or honoring to God), we want to run and hide. Most of the time, we feel guilt for what we have done. Look at Adam and Eve in Genesis 3. As soon as they disobeyed God’s command, they hid. But their sin could not be hidden from God. Neither can ours.
Sometimes, we know immediately that we have sinned. Sometimes we don’t. Maybe we’ve grown desensitized to the conviction of the Holy Spirit. Sometimes we have to face consequences for our sins right away. Other times, we don’t see consequences immediately, but they do come eventually.
No matter when we see earthly consequences for our sin, we know that we will all face judgment one day for our sin. It’s never fun for our sin to be found out, but praise be to God that it is. Sin enslaves us, but it doesn’t have to have the last word.
God Comes Near in Our Sin
Moses had to face the consequences of living away from his home, working as a shepherd, and breaking all relationships with his royal family. But God met him in the desert and called Moses to follow Him.
God doesn’t turn a blind eye when we sin, neither does He become so angry that He won’t speak to us or will lash out in anger. Instead, God draws near to sinners. Psalm 51:17 tells us, “O God, a humble and repentant heart you will not reject.”
Coming to God doesn’t mean that the potential consequences of our sins will be eliminated. We may still have to face things like broken trust or relationships with others, privileges to serve, etc. But we know that standing clean before God is more important than living in sin.
God loves us so much that He chose to do something Himself to fix our sin problem, for He knew that there was nothing we could do on our own to fix it. He sent His very Son to face the punishment that we deserve: death.
For those who have trusted in Jesus’ saving work on the cross and His resurrection, the punishment for our sins have been wiped clean. We are free from guilt and shame. This doesn’t give us license to live however we want. As believers, we are indwelled with the Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit who works in our hearts to convict, guide, and change us to become more like Christ.
It is the truth of the gospel that leads us to want to repent and flee from sin. It leads us to turn to God in confession, knowing that we will be met with grace and forgiveness.
No matter where you are today, know that God loves you. He’s not angry at you or out to get you. Yes, He despises sin, but He has made a way for you to be forgiven and free. The question is: Will you turn to Him and seek His forgiveness? It is in repentance that we are met with great grace and mercy. Thank Him that we cannot hide. We will always be found.
