Genesis 3:8-19 “Then the man and his wife heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the breeze of the day, and they hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. So the LORD God called out to the man, “Where are you?”
“I heard Your voice in the garden,” he replied, “and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself.”
“Who told you that you were naked?” asked the LORD God. “Have you eaten of the tree from which I commanded you not to eat?”
And the man answered, “The woman whom You gave me, she gave me fruit from the tree, and I ate it.”
Then the LORD God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?”
“The serpent deceived me,” she replied, “and I ate.”
“Then the man and his wife heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the breeze of the day, and they hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. So the LORD God called out to the man, “Where are you?” Until now, God and Adam had regularly spent time together in the garden, and Adam knew no shame at his nakedness. But now things have changed, and Adam is ashamed of himself. This is the first recorded instance of conviction of sin, but more than that, the cry, “Adam, where are you?” echoes down the centuries. This cry comes from the Father Heart of a God who loves His creation and who longs for closeness and relationship. Does God really need to cry out? Obviously, God is all-knowing and has already witnessed Adam and Eve’s fall from grace. No, God is calling out to Adam for Adam to recognize what he has done. God’s heart is wounded, for Adam has removed himself from God’s presence, even though God is in the Garden.
“What!” you ask. “How can you say that Almighty God can possibly have a wounded heart? Isn’t that an impossibility?” Consider this: God has created us in His Image and has given us emotions. Why can’t God also feel emotions, even though the consequences for Him will be far less than the consequences we suffer? How can we speak about God loving us unless God can feel emotions? If God cannot feel emotions, it would be quite simple to zap Adam and Eve out of existence and start over, but God doesn’t do that. God continues to press Adam so that Adam will confess what he has done because only then can God forgive him.
““I heard Your voice in the garden,” he replied, “and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself.”
“Who told you that you were naked?” asked the LORD God. “Have you eaten of the tree from which I commanded you not to eat?”
And the man answered, “The woman whom You gave me, she gave me fruit from the tree, and I ate it.”
Then the LORD God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?”
“The serpent deceived me,” she replied, “and I ate.”
Hoo-boy! Having been caught out, now Adam and Eve are starting the blame game. Adam was right there and could have refuted the serpent’s lies and stopped Eve, and refused to eat the forbidden fruit; however, Adam wants to blame Eve. Eve wants to blame the serpent for deceiving her; meanwhile, the question for Adam and Eve is “What part of ‘No!’ do you not understand?” God has given clear directions, but this couple are hoping to maneuver their way out of trouble. Whether or not you believe that this account is factual, it’s still intensely human and highly believable.
The problem is that neither Adam nor Eve have stopped to think of the consequences of disobeying God-how they might feel, how God might feel, or what might happen as a result of disobedience. The original sin was a lust for power-“you will be like God.” Only now are this couple realizing just how seriously they have messed up.
One of the TV shows we enjoy is “Border Patrol,” a program featuring Customs and Immigration officials in several different countries. Many countries have strict regulations regarding the importation of fruit, vegetables, meat, and other agricultural products because such items can introduce pests and diseases that can destroy the entire agricultural economy of a country. Incoming plane passengers are given lists of rules written several different languages so that they will be able to report truthfully about the amount of money they are bringing in plus any food items or other potential contraband. Since many of these passengers are seasoned travelers, you might think that they would be fully compliant with all the regulations….and you would be quite wrong! The variety of contraband is only exceeded by the incredible variety of excuses for these items “suddenly” appearing in the travelers’ luggage. One of the most common excuses is “My ________ (mother, mother-in-law, wife, sister, brother, friend, some stranger in the airport) packed my luggage and I didn’t know anything about this item.” But airport customs officials are only concerned about the person bringing in the items. In the end, reporting is the responsibility of the individual carrying the bags, no matter who has packed them.
To sin means to do wrong things that grieve God. How do we know what grieves God and what He approves? God has given us His instructions in the Bible. Psalm 119:9-11 tells us, “How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word. With my whole heart I have sought You; let me not wander from Your commandments! Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You.“
Before disobeying God, Adam and Eve enjoyed one of the most wonderful forms of companionship possible, spending time with God Who loved them completely. There was no misunderstanding or miscommunication. Some of us, if we are blessed, may have friends or relatives whose very presence is an encouragement; however, these people can never love us as completely as God does.
The bad news for the human race is that all of us are sinners who cannot earn our way into heaven, no matter how hard we try. But the good news is that God has made a way for us to have fellowship with Him by sending His Son Jesus Christ to die as a blood sacrifice for our sins. When we accept what Jeuss has done for us, we can have fellowship with God. But there is a price: we must acknowledge that we cannot save ourselves and that we must trust in Jesus’ sacrifice on our behalf.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, we confess that we are sinners and that nothing we do is good enough to pay for our sins. Thank You for sending Jesus to die as a blood sacrifice for our sins. We accept what Jesus has done for us and beg You to forgive us our sins and to help us live lives that are pleasing to You. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
Burunche's Blog 
Leave a comment