By Staff
Several times early on in the Old Testament book of Genesis we see the words, “Then God said.”
God created all that we see and know with the word of His mouth.
He also set down some basic guidelines for His creation by speaking directly to Adam. By chapter three of Genesis, God is asking questions.
God does not need to ask anything; He already knows all the answers. But He asks the questions so we have realization where we are in relation to Him.
Some time after Adam and Eve were placed in the Garden of Eden, they violated God's command. God put the tree of knowledge of good and evil in the middle of the garden (Genesis 3:3) and told them not to eat of it.
This was the one thing forbidden, and they ate of it.
God came to visit at His usual time in the cool of the day (Genesis 3:8). God walked through the garden calling to Adam, “Where are you?” (Genesis 3:9). God knew where they were; they were hiding from Him. He knew what they had done; they were hoping to get away with it. God asked the question for the sake of Adam.
We will never know what might have happened had Adam been open and forthright about his sin and sought mercy from God.
Adam answered, “… I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself” (Genesis 3:10). God's next question was, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree …?” (Genesis 3:11). Adam quickly switched to the blame game and said it was the woman. God then asked Eve, “What is this you have done?”
These three questions are repeated continually in our relationship with God through the Holy Spirit. God wants us to acknowledge our condition before Him, He wants to know who else we have been listening to, and He wants us to realize how serious our disobedience is.
Neither Adam nor Eve adequately answered the questions. They skirted around the truth. You would think if there is anybody you could be honest with, it is God because He already knows everything.
God was not through asking questions. In Genesis, chapter four, Cain and Abel are the players. Cain was jealous of his brother Abel and killed him (Genesis 4:8).
The first question God had for Cain was, “Where is Abel your brother?” (Genesis 4:9). Cain gave the wrong answer. God already knew where Abel was, but He wanted to establish our responsibility for other people.
The next question God asked of Cain was much like the question God asked Eve, “What have you done?” (Genesis 4:10).
These four questions will be asked of us throughout our walk with God.
The walk with God is not necessarily of our choosing. As God came to the garden to seek out Adam, He comes into our lives seeking us out. He is the seeking Savior (Luke 19:10).
So, “Where are we, who have we been listening to other than God, what have we done, and where are our fellow human beings?”
We have a huge advantage over Adam, Eve, and Cain. Jesus Christ has already come and paid our sin debt. God has declared us sinners, but we can run to Jesus Christ, receive Him as Savior, and have our sins covered by His blood which He shed on the cross.
We also have new life because Jesus has risen from the dead. We now have the grace to answer the questions God is still asking. All He wants from us is honest answers.