In the early verses of Genesis 3, we read of the temptation and the sin of Adam and Eve. Adam, having become conscious of the difference between "good and evil," was unable to enjoy his new-found knowledge. His knowledge of sin produced a feeling of guilt, and He attempted to hide himself from God. God said, "Where art thou?" Adam answered, "I heard Thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself." (Genesis 3:10)
Adam made the same mistake that many make. He thought that God was like man. Perhaps Adam could hide from Eve, but he could not hide from God.
- Later, God reminded the Psalmist, "Thou thoughtest that I was altogether such a one as thyself: (but) I will reprove thee, and set (them) in order before thine eyes." (Psalm 50:21) It is not possible to hide from God, for God is not man, nor is he like man.
- The wisdom writer declared, "The eyes of Jehovah are in every place, keeping watch upon the evil and the good." (Proverbs 15:3)
- The Hebrew writer affirmed, "And there is no creature that is not manifest in His sight: but all things are naked and laid open before the eyes of Him with whom we have to do." (Hebrews 4:13)
- Even the Psalmist made it clear that darkness cannot hide us from God--He knows and sees all. "If I say, Surely the darkness shall fall on me, even the night shall be light about me; indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You, but the night shines as the day; the darkness and the light are both alike to You." (Psalm 139:11,12)
Jonah also, like Adam and Eve, had to learn this lesson. In Jonah 1:2-3, we read God's instructions to Jonah: "Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before Me. And we read Jonah's response: "But Jonah rose up to go unto Tarshish from the presence of Jehovah; and he went down to Joppa, and found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of Jehovah."
Jonah had to learn the difficult lesson that God is not man, and we cannot run away from His presence, nor from our responsibility to Him (Jonah 1:15-3:4).
- Again, the Psalmist reminds us, "Whither shall I go from Thy Spirit? Or whither shall I flee from Thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, Thou art there: if I make my bed in Sheol, behold, Thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; even there shall Thy hand lead me, and Thy right hand shall hold me." (Psalm 139:7-10)
Just as many seek to hide from God, others seek to hide from themselves. The question, "Where art thou?" is a question we sometimes need to ask ourselves. Many today do not know where they are spiritually (cf. 2 Corinthians 13:5). The prodigal son did not seek to return home until "he came to himself." (Luke 15:17) It was not particularly the pig pen that caused him to return, but his memories of his father's house. Upon self-examination and reflecting on how far he had fallen, he became aware of where he was.
Peter's preaching in Acts 2 was to help those Jews to understand where they were. He said, "Let all the house of Israel therefore know assuredly, that God hath made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom ye crucified." (Acts 2:36) Not until they understood where they were did they ask, "What shall we do?" In ignorance, we may enjoy "peace, peace when there is no peace." (cf. Jeremiah 6:14), but the reality is that the sinful "are utterly consumed with terrors." (Ps 73:19)
Paul rightly used this to motivate the Corinthians to obedience. "Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men." (2 Corinthians 5:11 KJV) When one obeys the gospel, he has opportunity to be joyful and content. This was true of the eunuch in Acts 8:39 and of the jailor in Acts 16:34.
This same need to ask, "Where art thou?" often exists within local churches. Christ characterized the church at Laodicea as lukewarm (Revelations 3:15-16). He said, "So because thou art lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spew thee out of my mouth." They were nauseating. They thought they needed nothing, but in fact they needed everything.
Consider the importance of asking the question, "Where art thou?" There are only four states in which folks in this life may live.
- We may live in innocence--childhood, unaccountable to God's law--(cf. Romans 7:9).
- We may live dead in sin--accountable to God's law and condemned--(cf. Ephesians 2:1-2).
- We may be alive and well, faithful in Christ, enjoying the promise of everlasting life (cf. 2 Timothy 4:6-8).
- We may be among those who have become unfaithful and are looking toward "certain fearful expectation of judgment, and a fierceness of fire which shall devour the adversaries." (Hebrews 10:27; cf. Acts 8:22-23; 2 Peter 2:20-22). "Where art thou?"
Where we are now determines where we will spend eternity.
Brother Galloway has given us some good food for thought. The Lord's church seems to follow a pattern that requires counting on a small percentage of the membership to help with the Lord's work.
- When the church decides to have a "work day" to clean up around (inside and outside) the building, we can always count on the same people to participate. "Where art thou?" I am reminded of the time when the Lord healed ten lepers, and only ONE came back to thank Him (Luke 17:12-17).
- If the elders of the local church plan to expand the personal teaching program, and they plan for some additional classes in procedures for conducting home Bible classes; when they ask for volunteers who wish to attend the classes, "where art thou?"
- The church needs men and women to teach weekly Bible classes and the Summer Bible School. Qualified men are needed to fill in for the preacher while he is away preaching in gospel meetings; "where art thou?"
- Some of our members have health problems, and we need to prepare food for them. Those who are ill need the encouragement provided by visiting, as do the caregivers who are always at home with those who are ill-"where art thou?"
- We need to make efforts to restore some of our brethren who have fallen away-"where art thou?"
The point is: there are plentiful opportunities to exhibit our understanding that we truly are "our brothers' keepers." Can God count on you to fulfill your God-given duties? Maybe a more important question is: can your brethren count on you? (KMG)