Psalm 83:3 They have taken crafty counsel against thy people, and consulted against thy hidden ones.

While I playfully toyed with the concept of hide and seek yesterday, the concept of God’s hidden ones is not new. We see it here in Psalm 83 even if we have not fully appreciated the concept. The idea in the mind of man is even more ancient.

Genesis 3:8 And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden.

They had the right idea, but like many a hide and seek contestant they didn’t pick the right tree to hide behind. They should have chosen to hide behind the Tree of Life.

The option of hiding behind that tree was quickly removed once Adam and Eve were uncovered, their shame exposed and the consequences applied. The reintroduction of the Tree of Life did not occur until our Savior was hung upon that tree and died for our sins. We literally can hide our sins from God because when He finds us, all He can see is the sacrifice He made that allowed us to hide in Christ.

Are we through with hiding and hidden things? Not quite.

Revelation 2:17 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.

The last hidden thing mystery to be revealed at that time is the name we will be given and its significance. Know this however, the white stone is the stone of acquittal in judgement. That is not a mystery, so the hidden name is the last mystery.

Maybe.

Philippians 3:8-10 Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;

Did you ever play hide and seek as a child? I cannot imagine a childhood without it. We were always trying to find that one place no one would think to look.

In verse 9 Paul begins with the perfect hiding place, to be in Christ. Think about your adversary stalking around looking for you. That old devil could not possibly find you in Christ. What a secure place to hide!

At the end of our earthly hide and seek game we called out “Ollie Ollie Oxen Free” to call out all those who had hidden successfully. Here is the spiritual equivalent of that call.

Ephesians 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:

The fellowship of the mystery, hidden in God, Jesus Christ.

This is no childish game. This is the purest form of sanctification, our separation from sin, from the enemy, and from all the dangers those two things represent.

Sadly and with all the risks involved, our Savior sends us out into the world to find the lost and bring them into the fellowship of that mystery. He doesn’t want us playing this game of hide and seek alone. There is no joy in playing alone.