Genesis 3:8-13. 8And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” 10And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.” 11He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” 12The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.” 13Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”
As we said, shame will always try to hide. But God will never allow us to stay hidden for long. God’s love and compassion will always expose us. How? With questions. Notice the series of questions that God asks Adam and Eve as he shows up for their daily stroll. Where are you? Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat? What is this that you have done?
God’s questions are never about his need to gain knowledge about the situation, rather they are always his love in forcing us to face ourselves. God’s questions are an invitation to come out of hiding and receive his grace. Consider some of God’s most famous questions in scripture.
- To Hagar—Where are you going? (Gen. 16:8)
- To Jacob—What is your name? (Gen. 32:27)
- To Moses—What is that in your hand? (Ex.4:2)
- To Elijah—What are you doing here? (1 Ki. 19:9)
- To Job—Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundations? (38:4)
- To Jonah—Do you have a right to be angry? (4:4)
Notice that Adam’s answers to God’s questions are an attempt to continue hiding verbally as he turns the blame toward Eve and also toward God himself – The woman YOU gave to be with me. When we find ourselves exposed, one of two things can happen. We can humbly run toward God, seeking his presence (his face) through repentance and faith, or we can alienate ourselves from God and others through prideful rejection of any responsibility for our sin and through defensive blame-shifting toward others, thus staying hidden. Adam chose the latter.
The Apostle Paul reminds us that we are all born into Adam, and like Adam, we will try to hide. We will avoid the face of God out of fear. We will allow our guilt and shame to keep us sewing fig leaf dresses. But God has come once again to the garden. In the person of Jesus Christ, God has walked among us in the cool of the day once more. We have seen the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. Christ has come to us asking questions. Questions that will expose our hearts and draw us humbly back to God our Father. Who do you say that I am? What are you looking for? Do you want to be well? Why are you so afraid? Do you believe this? Do you love me? Do you truly love me?
If your shame has you thinking that you can and should hide from God today, remember that God will always come looking for you to gently draw you out by his questions. The same way he sought Adam and Eve, he is seeking you today. Not to condemn you, but to enjoy you in the cool of the day. In Christ, you can enjoy him too. No more hiding. No more blaming others. Just humbly and honestly opening your heart to hear his voice and see his face. The face of Christ our Savior.
Questions: How can you tell that God has been trying to expose you rather than allowing you to hide? What questions has Jesus been asking you? What answers are you giving?
To Live is Christ 