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In the last post, we looked at Saul’s fearful disobedience. That leads me to the next strategy of fear: irresponsibility. The same fear that tempted us to disobey will also try to convince us to blame the disobedience on another person or on circumstances. In that way, fear attempts to keep us from repenting so that we continue to walk in darkness instead of seeing the light. Fear, then, continues to have its way. And fear’s way is torment.

Let me show you this pattern in the Word. We see it with Adam, Eve and Saul. Let’s begin at the beginning with Adam. Shortly after eating the forbidden fruit, Adam and Eve had new knowledge alright, but it wasn’t the pleasant experience they may have expected. The first revelation they had was that they were naked, and they were ashamed. They sewed fig leaves together and made themselves clothes. Suddenly, they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day. Adam and Eve hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden.

Why did they hide? That’s what God wanted to know. “And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself” (Genesis 3:10).

Adam admitted he was afraid. Why else would you hide? One definition of “hide” is to “seek protection or evade responsibility.” Both made up Adam’s motivation. He knew all too well he had disobeyed his Creator. He knew he blew it. He didn’t want to face the living God because he wasn’t sure what God would do to him. He knew God had the power to give life, and he probably knew God had the power to take it. But Adam’s response to God shows me that Adam and Eve didn’t really know the heart of God. They didn’t really understand His nature or His character. If they really knew Him, they wouldn’t have been so quick to disobey His command, which was for their own good, and then hide in fear.

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