“But the LORD God called to the man and said to him, ‘Where are you?'” Genesis 3:9
January 3, 2024
God asking a question. We thought He knew everything. Not to worry. God is omniscient. He is not playing hide and seek with Adam. There are four questions God asks Adam and Eve in Genesis 3:9-13. The questions are not asked to elicit information but provoke human self-examination. As one study Bible says, “God accommodates His speech to human limitations.” In essence, the interrogation by God was to make Adam and Eve ask themselves, “What do you love?” “Why do I feel guilty?” Their newly acquired sinful nature had already created a self-centered outlook on reality. Personal guilt, Adam’s, prompted a dodge. Adam wanted to hide from God and cover up his new found shame. Let the human race look on and stand condemned. Sin stands between every human being and God and something has to be done about it. The right questions can expose the core of our sinful being. Why am I anxious? Why am I afraid? “Something happened, and I can’t get it off my mind.” Have I disobeyed God? What “trees” am I hiding behind (Gen. 3:8)? Morbid introspection is not our goal. Instead, because we are Adam’s offspring, we need the searching work of the Holy Spirit and God’s Word (Psa. 139:23-24; Heb. 4:12).
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“O God, I know that you know me through and through. May this coming year not be one where I live in the shallows of thought. Help me to think seriously about you so as to love you more.”