8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden.
9 But the LORD God called to the man, "Where are you?"
10 He answered, "I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid."
11 And he said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?"
12 The man said, "The woman you put here with me--she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it."
13 Then the LORD God said to the woman, "What is this you have done?" The woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate."
Devotional:
Apparently it was not unusual for God to come into the garden and talk with Adam and Eve. But on this day everything is different. Yesterday they enjoyed being close to God. Now they are overwhelmed with shame and fear. They cover themselves and they hide from God. Cowardly Adam tries to blame Eve, and Eve blames the serpent.
Sin has radically changed the relationship between God and his creatures. People no longer turn to God as flowers turn to the sun, but they love "darkness instead of light" (John 3:19). When God reveals himself, people cringe with fear. After the Bible's account of the fall, whenever God came to speak with a person, that person trembled�whether he was Isaiah the prophet (Isa. 6:5) or a shepherd in Bethlehem's field (Luke 2:9). Whenever the glory of the Lord appears, sinners fear for their lives. There is no shelter for our wretchedness when we confront God's blazing holiness.
In their hiding place among the trees, Adam and Eve hear God call, "Where are you?" They are afraid, but God's call is actually the first sign of his grace. God seeks them. They have not been abandoned. From now on, history will be the story of God seeking and calling while people are running and hiding.
"Where are you?" God has not stopped calling. Not yet. If you hear his voice today, do not delay but come.
