In the cool of the day after Adam and Eve had eaten the forbidden fruit planted in the middle of the garden of Eden, God called to the man in Genesis 3: 9-10, “Where are you?” He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.” Rather than apologizing, Adam resorted to a blame game starting from God. Adam committed three grave errors by his blame-game tactics:
He did not genuinely confess
1John 1: 8-9 says, if we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us. In effect, Adam did not qualify for God’s forgiveness; he was destitute of the truth; and he made God a liar. He did not accept not trusting God’s law as perfect contrary to what Psalm 19: 7 says, the law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple.
He soiled God’s perfect image
Deuteronomy 32: 4 says, He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he. To Adam, God erred by giving him Eve when he did not ask for her. Though imperfect as he was, Adam rather judged God as imperfect. 2 Samuel 22: 31; Psalm 18: 30 says, “As for God, his way is perfect: The Lord’s word is flawless; he shields all who take refuge in him. Instead of accepting God’s warning as flawless, and being shielded, he rather blamed God for his errors.
He was ungrateful to God
God found Adam lonely after he was made so God said in Genesis 2: 18, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” After Eve was given to Adam, he said in Genesis 2: 23, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man. Thereafter he married Eve as his wife yet he blamed God for his own weakness. Isaiah 26: 3 says, you will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust you. Adam lost the perfect peace of God; his mind was shifty in gratitude. Why then did God question Adam?
To show he knew where Adam was hiding
God knows all about us. Psalm 38: 9 says, all my longings lie open before you, Lord; my sighing is not hidden from you. Nothing we do or where we go escapes God’s knowledge. Psalm 69: 5 says, you, God, know my folly; my guilt is not hidden from you. God is omniscience which Adam knew. Daniel 2: 22 says, he (God) reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with him.
We, like Adam, must know that nothing is hidden in his light, who is Jesus. Jesus rehashed this fact in Luke 8: 17; 12: 2, for there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open. Darkness cannot hide in the light. Hebrews 4: 13 says, nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account. God is asking us today, where are we?
For Adam to account for his circumstance
God gave Adam the opportunity to personally confess and account for his circumstance. Job 31: 37 says, I would give him account of my every step; I would present it to him as to a ruler. Just as Adam blew his chance, so do we also. God has given us the opportunity to confess our hideouts and circumstances to him so he would redeem us yet we are so obstinate and decline. Romans 14: 12 says, so then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.
Wherever we hide or however we hide from God, we will render accounts for our deeds before God. We must not feel too big than God nor shy to confess because God already knows it all. God expects us to confess in humility so we will be forgiven in faith in Jesus Christ. Failure to confess is a natural barrier to our cordial relationship with God just as Adam lost it. Isaiah 59: 2 says, your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.
To show God’s visits are unannounced
Adam was not expecting God’s visit at the time. He therefore hid behind the trees away from God. He had not prepared his answers and excuses to God for his rebellion. It is written in Matthew 24: 43-44; Luke 12: 39, if the owner of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So, you also must be ready because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him. Are we expectant of God’s coming?
Paul wrote in 1Thessalonians 5: 2, 4, for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. It is also confirmed in 2Peter 3: 10, the day of the Lord will come like a thief. To avert regret, Revelation 3: 3 says, remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; hold it fast, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you. As encouragement, Revelation 16: 15 says… “Look, I come like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake and remains clothed, so as not to go naked and be shamefully exposed. Are we clothed or naked?
To show his unfailing faithfulness and love
Although God knew Adam’s rebellion, God followed him up, just so he would change. Jesus asked in Matthew 18: 12; Luke 15: 4, “What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? Jesus continued in Matthew 18: 14, in the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish. God’s faithfulness and love transcends our rebellion if we are ready to change.
Acknowledging God’s love, Paul wrote in Romans 8: 39, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Because of his nature, Exodus 34: 6 says, “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger. Nahum 1: 3 says, the Lord is slow to anger but great in power; the Lord will not leave the guilty unpunished. Adam abused God’s grace just as we do. So, Paul asked in Romans 6:1, shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? Don’t let God’s grace be in vain. God’s love follows us wherever we go. God is looking for us!
Prayer
Dear Lord Jesus Christ, like Adam, we have also rebelled against your commandments. We accept our errors wholeheartedly without excuses. Wash our sins away and restore us through your blood. Clothe us in your righteousness and cover our nakedness. We pray in your blessed Holy name, Amen!!
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