Where Art Thou?

Every January 1st we begin a new year. The beginning of each year is an opportunity to start fresh, to think, and to reflect. I have been thinking about some of the “firsts” in the Bible. Genesis Chapter 3 contains several of them, including: The First Temptation, by the serpent. He “was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made” (Genesis 3:1). The First Sin, when Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, in Genesis 3:6. God had warned, “Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die” (Genesis 2:16-17). We could spend our time examining The First Temptation and The First Sin, but there is another “first” in Genesis 3 that is worth considering. It is The First Question in Scripture, found in Genesis 3:9: “And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?” Notice that, I. The First Question in Scripture was asked by God. When Adam and Eve sinned, God didn’t react like an exasperated Parent, shouting, “What have you done!” Instead, He called out, “Where are you?” Adam and Eve were created to have fellowship with God. Each day He spent time with them, “in the cool of the day” (Genesis 3:8). God still sought them out, even after their sin broke that fellowship. II. The First Question was asked even though God already knew the answer. Our knowledge is limited. In order to find out how many seeds are in an apple, we have to cut the apple open and count them. But God is omniscient. That means He knows everything—everything actual and potential—past, present, and future. God not only knows how many seeds are in each apple, He knows how many apples are in each seed!  God knew Adam and Eve had sinned. God also knew Adam and Eve were hiding from Him “amongst the trees of the garden” (Genesis 3:8). God even knew exactly where Adam and Eve were hiding. Why then did He ask, “Where art thou?” III. The First Question in Scripture was an opportunity. Adam and Eve’s sin was serious. It offended God, His Holiness, Righteousness, and Purity. Something had to be done about it. God’s question, “Where art thou?”, was an opportunity for Adam and Eve.  • It was an opportunity for them to come clean, to admit their sin to God. • It was an opportunity for them to forsake that sin, to turn away from it. • It was an opportunity for them to return to God, to seek His forgiveness and cleansing. Unfortunately it was an “opportunity lost.” Neither Adam nor Eve took personal responsibility for their sin. They both played the “blame game.” Adam blamed Eve: “The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat” (Genesis 3:12). Eve blamed the serpent: “The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat” (Genesis 3:13).  Thankfully, it was God who sought Adam in Genesis 3:9. It was also God who promised—and provided—the remedy for sin. That remedy was His Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ. He is the One spoken of in Genesis 3:15, who would crush the serpent’s head, even as His own “heel” would be bruised. In the fullness of time Christ came “to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10). Friend, the God who sought Adam in Genesis 3:9 is still seeking and saving the lost. It doesn’t matter who you are, or what you have done. Admit your sin to God, turn from that sin toward God, and sincerely ask Him to save you. Put your trust completely in Jesus Christ, who died for your sins and rose again. He will not turn you away. Here is Christ’s own promise, in John 6:37:  “All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.” Blessings to you! Daniel E. Benton