October 9, 2023

Genesis 3: 8-13 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden . . . and they hid from the Lord . . . But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?” . . . And he said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?” . . . Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” (NIV)

Unconfessed sin creates a barrier in our relationship with the Lord.*

When God asks you a question, you better believe that he already knows the answer. So why does he ask Adam and Eve these four questions about their little fruit-eating incident? I believe he wanted to challenge them to do a little self-examination.

• Where are you? Do you really think you can hide from me?
• Who told you that you were naked? You know you have sinned. You can’t pretend ignorance.
• Have you eaten from the tree that I told you not to eat from? You have deliberately, defiantly disobeyed me.
• What is this you have done? Do you realize the consequences of your actions?

When we are guilty of deliberate disobedience, sometimes our conscience convicts us of our sin. Other times, our defiance blinds us to the gravity of our actions. It would be so much better to come out of hiding and face God. He knows what you’ve done. Do you?

The problem . . . is not sinning as such, but denying that we have sinned.*