The first two questions recorded in the Bible take place in paradise, where Adam and Eve lived in the presence of God. He had commissioned them, as his representatives, to care for all of creation, with one prohibition—don’t eat from the good-and-bad knowledge tree.
Then the deceiver tempted Eve to do that very thing, asking, “Did God really say …?” She fell for the half-truth that she would be wise like God, knowing both good and evil. So she and Adam trusted a creature instead of the creator and chose to seek blessings they thought God might be keeping from them.
The deceiver was right about their eyes being opened to evil, like God. But knowing both good and evil turned out to be not-so-good. Instead, Adam and Eve were afraid. They tried to cover their naked bodies and hide from the one who had created them and loved them.
Where Are You?
“Where are you?” God asked.
Adam and Eve were not in their usual spot, waiting to walk with him in the cool of the day. They were no longer in the place God intended for them. And as a result of their rebellion against God, they couldn’t stay with him in the garden. They were exiled into a world cursed with pain and death.
Looking back, we may find it’s easy to say to Adam and Eve, “How could you be so dumb? God gave you paradise and it wasn’t enough? Didn’t you know that God is good and never withholds good from his beloved children? You lived in the presence of Creator God and all his blessings—and still you betrayed his trust!”
Now, before we get too involved in shaming this couple, let’s think about the times we’ve looked for good outside of God. Think of the times we haven’t trusted that God would always bring good to us, as long we stayed within the boundaries he set for our blessings.
Because we have lost our place with God, like Adam and Eve, we also look for “good” in the wrong places. We, too, listen to the created instead of the creator. And we mistake evil for good, time and time again, because evil can be so alluring, and truth can seem so restrictive.
A Sad Tale
The following story, taken from Ann Lander’s advice column, is a sober reminder of the insidiousness of evil and the certainty of truth:
A young girl was trudging along a mountain path, trying to reach her grandmother's house. It was bitter cold, and wind cut like a knife. When she was within sight of her destination, she heard a rustle at her feet. Looking down, she saw a snake. Before she could move, the snake spoke to her. He said, "I'm about to die. It is too cold for me up here, and I am freezing. There is no food in these mountains, and I am starving. Please put me under your coat and take me with you." "No," replied the girl. "If I pick you up, you will bite me, and your bite is poisonous." "No, no," said the snake. "If you help me, you will be my best friend. I will treat you differently." The little girl sat down on a rock for a moment to rest and think things over. She looked at the beautiful markings on the snake and had to admit that it was the most beautiful snake she had ever seen. Suddenly, she said, "I believe you. I will save you. All living things deserve to be treated with kindness." The little girl reached over, put the snake gently under her coat and proceeded toward her grandmother's house. Within a moment, she felt a sharp pain in her side. The snake had bitten her. "How could you do this to me?" She cried, "You promised that you would not bite me if I would protect you from the bitter cold!" The snake hissed, "You knew what I was when you picked me up," and slithered away.
The Way Back
When God asked, “Where are you?” in the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve had to admit they were in hiding. They knew they no longer walked with God.
Their answer to “where are you?” was “separated from God.”
But God so loved the world that he sent his son, Jesus, to give us the way back to the Father’s house, where Jesus is preparing a place for us.
When Jesus first told the disciples about going to the Father’s house, Thomas asked him how to get there. Jesus answered, “You know the way to the place I am going…. I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:4,6).
Because the disciples knew Jesus, he said, they knew the way to the Father’s house.
And until that time comes for us to dwell forever in the Father’s house, Jesus lives within us through his spirit–Jesus, the Truth, gives us his Spirit of Truth.
Jesus has given humankind a second chance to find our place with God. Through Jesus, we can answer “where are you?” with “exactly where I belong.”
SubscribeCheck out this 5-minute video by the BibleProject to see how Jesus defeats the curse and restores the blessing of life to creation:
