Read with Me
Genesis 3:8-13 (HCSB)
Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden at the time of the evening breeze, and they hid themselves from the LORD God among the trees of the garden. So the LORD God called out to the man and said to him, “Where are you?”
And he said, “I heard You in the garden and I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid.”
Then He asked, “Who told you that you were naked? Did you eat from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?”
Then the man replied, “The woman You gave to be with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate.”
So the LORD God asked the woman, “What is this you have done?”
And the woman said, “It was the serpent. He deceived me, and I ate.”
Listen with Me
Adam and Eve had sinned by breaking the only rule God had given them thus far. They had eaten the forbidden fruit and, far from becoming wiser or more “God-like” as the serpent had promised, they had merely become guilt-stricken and ashamed. But at the same time, they believed that this shame somehow showed that they had become more spiritually and intellectually advanced. They covered their nakedness, of which they were for the first time painfully aware. And they continued to hang out with a serpent.
It wasn’t long before they heard sounds in the surrounding trees, a breeze causing the rustling sound that often signified God’s presence, although He had actually been there invisibly the whole time, and had seen everything that they had done. Startled instead of reassured by God’s approach, their guilt rose up, causing them to hide themselves.
As God approached, He summoned the man by name and asked him “Where are you?”, giving him an opportunity to come out of hiding and face him. And Adam did come, red faced and unable to look God in the eye, like a toddler caught with his hand in the cookie jar.
When God had appeared to Adam before, his response had always been joy and eagerness. He knew that God had only good things for him, positive blessings that would help him. Now he confessed that his initial response at God’s approach was fear, an emotion that would only be present if he understood that he had transgress God’s command, and that he deserved punishment.
Since God had given only one commandment that Adam could have violated at that point, it wasn’t difficult to name his offense: he had eaten from the tree that God had forbidden him to eat from. Adam didn’t deny the offense. But he did deny culpability. It was his wife’s fault. She had given him the fruit, so he had eaten it. At the same time, Adam tried to shift some of the blame to God: “the woman you gave to be with me…”
God let both these attempts at shifting the blame hang in the air as He turned His attention to the woman. But taking her cue from her husband, she tried to shift the blame for her actions as well: it was all the serpent’s fault. If he had not tempted her, she never would have eaten the fruit, or given any to Adam.
Of course, the serpent, satan, had nowhere he could shift his blame. He had acted willfully and with full knowledge both of what he had done and of the results of his actions. And now that the case had been fully heard, God, as Lawgiver, Judge, and Eyewitness, would pronounce his judgment.
Pray with Me
Father, an important point that is easily forgotten is that even though Your presence was suddenly manifested to the parties in the garden, You had been there the whole time, invisibly seeing not only actions, but also thoughts and motives. Thus, none of the excuses or attempts at blame-shifting were going to be effective. How often today do people sin, choosing to do wrong, even cloaking themselves in darkness, believing that no one will see them. But You are always there, unseen but seeing all, unheard but hearing all, even our inmost thoughts. Help me to always remember that amazing truth, Lord, so that I take care to obey You every moment in thought, word, and deed. Amen.