You Cant Hide

February 05, 2012

by John Partridge Scripture: Isaiah 40:21-31 Jeremiah 23:23-24 1 Corinthians 9:16-17

In December of 1931, Albert Johnson was accused of tampering with the trap-lines of other trappers in the Mackenzie River delta in the Northwest Territories in Northern Canada. When he was questioned, he fired through the door of his cabin at officers of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and what ensued was a monthlong chase across nearly a hundred miles of wilderness. The actions of Johnson, whose real name was never discovered but who was referred to in the newspapers as the Mad Trapper of Rat River as well as the actions of the Mounties, spread world-wide and was easily one of the biggest news stories of that decade if not that century. The pursuit by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the ultimate confrontation with Johnson, and the shootout that ended his life ultimately were responsible for popularizing the phrase that is often used to describe the Mounties, they always get their man. On October 27, 1985 terrorists hijacked the cruise ship, Achille Lauro, and killed Leon Klinghoffer, an American Jew. Not long after, President Ronald Reagan held a meeting of his national security advisors in order to weigh various options. As the advisors debated between themselves, President Reagan is said to have stopped the debate and simply instructed to his team to Just go get them. A few days later American F-16 fighter jets forced down an Egyptian airliner in Sicily that had been carrying the terrorists, and the murderers were taken into custody. In in a speech commending the soldiers who aided in the capture of the terrorists, President Reagan said: "These young Americans sent a message to terrorists everywhere. . . . You can run but you can't hide." Several weeks ago we spoke of Jonah, a man who heard Gods voice, who listened to Gods command, and then ran the other way. Jonah thought that somehow God was a god only in Israel or that if he could only get far enough away, God could not find him but as the storm rose up and the sea raged, Jonah may well have heard God saying, You can run, but you cant hide. The interesting thing about this story is that Jonah isnt the only one who has tried to escape God, and if we think about it long enough, we might also be guilty of this same sort of thinking. We begin today with a message from God, delivered through the prophet Isaiah, written to the exiles in Babylon, one hundred years before Israel is taken captive by Babylon. (Isaiah 40:21-31)
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Do you not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood since the earth was founded? 22 He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, and its people are like grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens like a canopy, and spreads them out like a tent to live in. 23 He brings princes to naught and reduces the rulers of this world to nothing. 24 No sooner are they planted, no sooner are they sown, no sooner do they take root in the ground, than he blows on them and they wither, and a whirlwind sweeps them away like chaff. 1

To whom will you compare me? Or who is my equal? says the Holy One. 26 Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one and calls forth each of them by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing. Why do you complain, Jacob? Why do you say, Israel, My way is hidden from the LORD; Isaiah begins with a reminder of Gods greatness. The people of the earth are like grasshoppers. He has opened the canopy of space and the heavens. The greatest rulers of the earth are swept away with a breath. God reminds his people that there are no others like him and that it was he who created the universe. And after these reminders, God asks his people why they think that their actions can be hidden from him. Why do you say, Israel, My way is hidden from the LORD The thought in this verse is echoed in Jeremiah 23:23-24 where we hear these words Am I only a God nearby, declares the LORD, and not a God far away? 24 Who can hide in secret places so that I cannot see them? declares the LORD. Do not I fill heaven and earth? declares the LORD. God reminds us in these passages and throughout scripture that we are always under his watchful care. We can run, but we cant hide from God. When we think that we are alone in the dark or when we think we are far away and no one can see, God still sees. Often, when we think in this way, we think of unseen sin. We think of those things that we do that we are ashamed for God, or anyone else, to discover, but sin isnt the only thing that we try to hide from God. In 1 Corinthians 9:16-17, Paul speaks of Gods call upon is life
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For when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, since I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! 17 If I preach voluntarily, I have a reward; if not voluntarily, I am simply discharging the trust committed to me. Pauls experience is much like that of Jonah that we discussed two weeks ago. Gods call upon his life was inescapable, saying, Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! Paul knows that he cant hide his calling from God and he cant run from it either. What God has called Paul to do, he must do regardless of the consequences. Paul knows that God always gets his man. Paul fears God, and what God will do because of his disobedience, more than he fears any trial or tribulation that he may face as a result of doing what God has commanded but this is not the end of our story. Gods message from Isaiah is not intended only to coerce the people of God into being obedient. Gods message is not intended manipulate but to reveal two sides of Gods omnipotence. Yes, God sees everything and yes, that means that God sees what is done in secret. Yes, that means that we can run but we cant hide 2

from God and yes, that means that it is impossible for us to hide from the calling that God has placed upon each of our lives. Yes, it means all these things but it also means something else. In Isaiah, God says, 27 Why do you complain, Jacob? Why do you say, Israel, My way is hidden from the LORD; my cause is disregarded by my God? Not only is God addressing those who run away from him and those who try to hide their secrets from him, but God also addresses those who are fearful and brokenhearted. As Isaiah brings Gods message to a nation that is besieged by their enemy and who will, within the next one hundred years, be defeated and carried off into captivity, he speaks to those who sin and those who are running from God, but also to those who fear that God has forgotten them. The cry of the people is that God does not see their suffering and their misery and Gods reply is,
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Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. 29 He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. 30 Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; 31 but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. God is omniscient (which means he knows everything) and God is omnipresent (which means he is present everywhere) and this is a two-sided coin, a double-edged sword. Yes, God sees us when we try to run and when we try to hide, and so this is a caution to us, but it also a word of encouragement. No matter our troubles, no matter what trials we pass through, no matter how dark the days might seem to us, God never forgets us. We are always under his watchful eye and his loving care.
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Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. Unlike Ronald Reagans warning to terrorists everywhere, when God says, You can run but you can't hide, it is not only a warning. For those who are hurt, or afraid, or worried, or tempted, for those who are facing trials, and for those who feel like God just might have forgotten them, it is good news, very good news indeed.

You have been reading a message presented at Barnesville First United Methodist Church on the date noted at the top of the first page. Rev. John Partridge is the pastor of Barnesville First. Duplication of this message is a part of our Media ministry, if you have received a blessing in this way, we would love to hear from you. Letters and donations in support of the Media ministry or any of our other projects may be sent to Barnesville First UMC at 123 W. Church St., Barnesville, OH 43713. These messages are available to any interested persons regardless of membership. You may subscribe to these messages, in print or electronic formats, by writing to the address noted, or by contacting us at subscribe@barnesvillefirst.com. If you have questions, you can ask them in our discussion forum on Facebook (search for Pastor John Online). These messages can also be found online at http://www.scribd.com/Pastor John Partridge. All Scripture references are from the New International Version unless otherwise noted.