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?” (Genesis 3:8, 9)
The most bizarre question for me when I read this chapter is the first question ever asked in scripture.
How on earth can God ask that question? He is omnipresent. He’s not blind. The garden was His creation. He knew it back to front.
Why ask that question?
Whatever the answer to that question, in the context of the story, we notice that both the man and his wife, make a bid to hide from the Lord.
Ever since it is the natural inclination of man through shame, pride, fear and guilt to be anywhere but the presence of the greater source. Sin does not naturally lead us to confess, it naturally leads us to hide. We avoid the presence of our Creator.
It’s interesting to note that whatever humanity made to cover itself was insufficient. God made something for the couple that would be sufficient to clothe them. Even though humanity sought to hide from the Almighty, God still sought to meet the needs of His creation. Only God can truly cover us when we’ve been exposed.
This can take place when we stop using fear and shame to hide from the presence of a gracious and merciful Creator. It also helps when we acknowledge the need to have the sin covered by what the Creator has provided to cover us.
For His Name’s Sake
Shalom
C. L. J. Dryden
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