God's first questions

Genesis 3:8-15 (NIV)

Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden. But the LORD God called to the man, "Where are you?" He answered, "I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid." And he said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?" The man said, "The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it."  Then the LORD God said to the woman, "What is this you have done?" The woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate." So the LORD God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this, "Cursed are you above all the livestock and all the wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life. And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel." 

Why did God ask, Where are you?  Didn’t He know where Adam was?  Of course He did, but He wanted Adam to be truthful to Him.  Have you ever noticed how God asked questions to test His people?  He asked Isaiah and Jeremiah questions like this in Isaiah 6:1-8 and Jeremiah 1:11-13.  How many questions did Jesus ask that are recorded in the gospels?  I counted 82 in Matthew alone; someone else want to count the rest?  The point is that God asks us questions that He expects us to answer.  He is not like Pilate who asked Jesus “What is truth?”, then did not bother to hear an answer.

Note how irrational people behave upon committing sin.  Adam and Eve knew that God was in the garden and He would find them easily.  Yet, the impulse from sin is to hide.  Pastor Scott said it this way:  “When we sin, we are not in our right mind.  We are not coherent and logical.  He thinks he can actually hide behind God.  What Adam should have done when he sinned is RUN TO GOD in repentance.  Instead, He runs from God.” 

I totally agree as I see this in my life that when I commit sin, I am not in my right mind, I am not thinking the right way, I am not allowing God’s Spirit to control me.  That’s the insidious evil of sin. 

Excuses, excuses!  Adam blamed Eve, Eve blamed the serpent.  Neither blamed oneself.  This human trait has been passed on to all generations.  Just by reflecting on this ancient example, can you make a decision right now never to blame someone else, especially your spouse, when you know that you are at fault? 

Genesis 3:15 is the first prophecy in the Bible about Jesus.  It is interesting to realize that God put enmity between the woman, not the man, and Satan.  Jesus was the offspring of Mary and the Holy Spirit, there was no man involved.  Satan in the form of the serpent was condemned to crawl on his belly.  A snake strikes at man’s heel, while man can use his heel to crush the snake.  Jesus crushed the dominion of Satan when He died on the cross for our sins.  Jesus crushing the snake was a memorable scene at the beginning of the movie, “The Passion of the Christ”.  Through His loving sacrifice that that both symbolically and realistically crushed the dominion of sin over God, any sinful person can confess his/her faith in Jesus and what He did, be reconciled with a holy God and escape eternal death. 

Do you recognize your sin nature?  Do you understand God’s provision for enabling you to escape your sin nature?  Are you reconciled with God?  If so, you have peace with Him (Rom 5:1).  If not, you will not have peace in your life and this lack of peace will adversely affect you and those around you (e.g. your spouse and children).  May you have peace, peace that only faith in Jesus provides.  May the peace of God that surpasses all your comprehension, guard your heart and your mind in Christ Jesus (Phil 4:7).