JOwen
Puritan Board Junior
From KERUGMA- a blog
"Where art thou?" Gen 3:9
This question speaks more of a condition than a place, does it not? The Lord knew very well where Adam was. There is nothing that escapes his eye, nor can anything be hid from the view of the Omniscient One. The Puritans had a term that encapsulated the idea God’s omniscience: Totus oculus – 'all eye'.
No, this text has more to do with Adams condition than place. Further, we should also recognize that Adam's place was the result of his condition. So it would fit the penetrating question of our Lord – Adam, “where art thou?”
We can assume that just a day before, Adam had been in the open air of the garden waiting for the arrival of his Creator and Friend, looking forward to that long walk in the garden in the “cool of the day”(v.8). What sweet fellowship this must have been, to fellowship with one's Maker in uninterrupted friendship? To walk and talk with the pre-incarnate Son of God (For that is who we have here). It was a theophany, a 'first vision' of Christ, the eternal Son. We see these special instances elsewhere in the OT with Abraham and the three visitors, as well as the the Angel at Peniel, “for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved” (Gen 32:30).
Yet since Adam's fall, there has never been a soul who walked with God perfectly and uprightly. “What about Enoch”, someone will say, “or how about Elijah?” Ah, but these men were sinners just like us, tainted by sin.
No man has ever walked in perfect relationship with God since Adam. However there is a promise that we will one day. 1 John 3:2 says, “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.”
But what of this question in our text? “Adam, where art thou?”.
It is first speaking of a condition.
“Adam, where art thou?” As if to say, “Adam, is this the return I get for all my gifts to thee? The object of my love, the focal point of my earthly affections. The center of my earthly attention? Adam, what has become of you?! Adam where art thou?"
You see dear reader, for Adam to sin he had to utterly turn his back on his Friend. He had to conclude, for one moment that his thoughts were above God’s thoughts, and his ways above God's ways, and delve into “momentary atheism”. You say, how so? Well atheism is not always denying the existence of God (as is commonly expressed). No, atheism can be a simple as denying one of his attributes. And Adam denied God's Truth when the Serpent said, “Hath God said?”
Momentary atheism! To deny the spoken word of God is to ever so briefly question God's authority, His righteousnees, and truth. It is a raising of an autonomous fist in the face of God.
Lost! “Adam where art thou”? As if to say, “Adam, is this my reward for endowing thee with noble faculties of mind?” “Adam where art thou?” You have sinned against knowledge, against righteousness, against truth itself! “Where art thou?”
Adam once knew, in the excellency of his uncorrupted mind the command of the Lord, “Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” Yet he question the authority of God. He believed the lie of Satan, “Yea, hath God said”? And we do this every time we sin. We think our thoughts are better than His, and our ways more pleasing. But friend, a sin against knowledge is an heinous thing. Sins of the will and presumption are more heinous than sins of ignorance.
“Adam where art thou?” As if to say, “Adam, what more could I have given thee to make thee happy?” “Adam, is this the action of a kind and loyal friend?”
It was the first experimental, heart-searching sermon ever preached-“Adam, where art thou?”
To be continued...
"Where art thou?" Gen 3:9
This question speaks more of a condition than a place, does it not? The Lord knew very well where Adam was. There is nothing that escapes his eye, nor can anything be hid from the view of the Omniscient One. The Puritans had a term that encapsulated the idea God’s omniscience: Totus oculus – 'all eye'.
No, this text has more to do with Adams condition than place. Further, we should also recognize that Adam's place was the result of his condition. So it would fit the penetrating question of our Lord – Adam, “where art thou?”
We can assume that just a day before, Adam had been in the open air of the garden waiting for the arrival of his Creator and Friend, looking forward to that long walk in the garden in the “cool of the day”(v.8). What sweet fellowship this must have been, to fellowship with one's Maker in uninterrupted friendship? To walk and talk with the pre-incarnate Son of God (For that is who we have here). It was a theophany, a 'first vision' of Christ, the eternal Son. We see these special instances elsewhere in the OT with Abraham and the three visitors, as well as the the Angel at Peniel, “for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved” (Gen 32:30).
Yet since Adam's fall, there has never been a soul who walked with God perfectly and uprightly. “What about Enoch”, someone will say, “or how about Elijah?” Ah, but these men were sinners just like us, tainted by sin.
No man has ever walked in perfect relationship with God since Adam. However there is a promise that we will one day. 1 John 3:2 says, “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.”
But what of this question in our text? “Adam, where art thou?”.
It is first speaking of a condition.
“Adam, where art thou?” As if to say, “Adam, is this the return I get for all my gifts to thee? The object of my love, the focal point of my earthly affections. The center of my earthly attention? Adam, what has become of you?! Adam where art thou?"
You see dear reader, for Adam to sin he had to utterly turn his back on his Friend. He had to conclude, for one moment that his thoughts were above God’s thoughts, and his ways above God's ways, and delve into “momentary atheism”. You say, how so? Well atheism is not always denying the existence of God (as is commonly expressed). No, atheism can be a simple as denying one of his attributes. And Adam denied God's Truth when the Serpent said, “Hath God said?”
Momentary atheism! To deny the spoken word of God is to ever so briefly question God's authority, His righteousnees, and truth. It is a raising of an autonomous fist in the face of God.
Lost! “Adam where art thou”? As if to say, “Adam, is this my reward for endowing thee with noble faculties of mind?” “Adam where art thou?” You have sinned against knowledge, against righteousness, against truth itself! “Where art thou?”
Adam once knew, in the excellency of his uncorrupted mind the command of the Lord, “Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” Yet he question the authority of God. He believed the lie of Satan, “Yea, hath God said”? And we do this every time we sin. We think our thoughts are better than His, and our ways more pleasing. But friend, a sin against knowledge is an heinous thing. Sins of the will and presumption are more heinous than sins of ignorance.
“Adam where art thou?” As if to say, “Adam, what more could I have given thee to make thee happy?” “Adam, is this the action of a kind and loyal friend?”
It was the first experimental, heart-searching sermon ever preached-“Adam, where art thou?”
To be continued...
