“Though you soar like the eagle and make your nest among the stars, from there I will bring you down,” declares the Lord. (Obad. 4)
Have you ever known a child that tried to hide the evidence of their crime? Children learn quickly. If they eat a piece of candy they are not supposed to eat, then they will be left with a piece of evidence—the wrapper. If they choose to throw the wrapper in the proper spot—the waste basket—it will be in plain sight of responsible adults who may question where the wrapper came from. The alternative, of course, is to shove the wrapper deep into the cracks of the couch or chair, knowing that it will take days for the wrapper to be discovered.
It is not uncommon for us to think we can pull the same trick on God. Whatever event in our life we think we can hide out of sight, God still sees. Wherever we seek to place ourselves, we cannot hide. In Obadiah, we are reminded that God can reach all corners of the world. There is no place to hide.
When attempting to hide one’s sin from God, we need to be reminded that one day we will be held accountable, just like the day Mom or Dad finds the candy wrapper buried in the furniture. God desires for us not to hide our sins, but to bring them before him in the open. For God’s ultimate desire is for reconciliation, not judgment.
Bring your sins before the Lord and seek reconciliation.
Brian T. Bernius is an ordained minister and professor of Old Testament and Near Eastern Studies at Indiana Wesleyan University.
© 2022 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.
