I have a close friend who has problems, some of them related to issues in his past. Whenever he gets into trouble or does something wrong or foolish, he stops answering my phone calls. He avoids me and hides from me, probably from shame. He does not want to admit to me what he has done. This is foolish. I already know the worst about him and love him anyway. I can’t help him if he won’t talk to me.

So it is with God. When we sin, we try to hide from God. This is very foolish. God knows everything. He knows the worst about us and loves us anyway. After they sinned, Adam and Eve “hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden” (Genesis 3:8). But God went looking for them, and when He found them, He confronted them and interrogated them: “Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?” (Genesis 3:11). He knew what they had done, but He asked them so they would admit it to themselves. He told them off for what they had done and imposed punishment. And then he provided clothes for them (Genesis 3:21) and promised that Eve’s descendant (who we now know is Jesus) would crush the evil one who had led them to sin (Genesis 3:15) and gave them advice about what challenges they would face and what they would need to do (Genesis 3:16-19). God provided both practical and spiritual help.