8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden at the time of the evening breeze, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 So the Lord God called out to the man and said to him, “Where are you? ”
10 And he said, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid.”
11 Then he asked, “Who told you that you were naked? Did you eat from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from? ”
Genesis 3:8-11
Where are you? (Genesis 3:8-11)
God's first question in all scripture is, "Where are you? (ל֖וֹ אַיֶּֽכָּה). Verse 8 tells us that the man and the woman heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden, and they hid from him. This is a tragic verse. They were made to know God, and now they are hiding from Him. They were made to represent God. Now they terror in the shrubs. The very garden they were made to tend and dwell in has become a hiding place from their creator and sustainer.When God speaks, "Where are you?" he is not questioning where they are; instead, he calls them back to himself. God is omniscient (knows everything) and omnipresent (in all places). His rhetorical question is a form of interrogation that emphasizes the ridiculousness of their hiding. Yet, he calls to them.
God is depicted as a gentle father who is seeking out his own.
This is an invitation back to him. He knows precisely where this couple is, but he desires for them to come to him on their own accord. While it was Adam and Eve who transgressed, it was God who pursued them. While Adam and Eve turned away, God took the first step. We see three things in God's response to Adam and Eve's sin:
- God Initiates.
- God Invites.
- God Acts.
God is still asking, "Where are you?" today. He knows where, but he is beckoning us back to himself. He will not force himself upon us. Instead, he invites us to return home. Not free of consequence but free of judgment. God invites us home.
