Genesis 3:8-15 (NLT)
When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man and his wife heard the Lord God walking about in the garden. So they hid from the Lord God among the trees. Then the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?” He replied, “I heard you walking in the garden, so I hid. I was afraid because I was naked.”
“Who told you that you were naked?” the Lord God asked. “Have you eaten from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat?” The man replied, “It was the woman you gave me who gave me the fruit, and I ate it.” Then the Lord God asked the woman, “What have you done?” “The serpent deceived me,” she replied. “That’s why I ate it.”
Then the Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, you are cursed more than all animals, domestic and wild. You will crawl on your belly, groveling in the dust as long as you live. And I will cause hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.”
Explanation:
The first question asked by God in the Bible occurs in this passage when He asks Adam where he is. God didn’t ask because He wasn’t aware of Adam’s location; He already knew. He knew that Adam and Eve had done something that required reconciliation, and He wanted to bring them back. It was the question from a loving Father who was looking for His children. Adam immediately blamed Eve, and Eve blamed the serpent for her sin.
I am the type of person that when I’m putting together a plan for something, I like to make sure I have some backup options in case something goes wrong. I nearly always have a “Plan B” just in case I need it to fall back on. That’s the awesome thing about God. He never needs a backup plan. His “Plan A” is the one that always works. Today’s passage is one that reiterates this very fact.
As humans, we’re good at placing blame on others instead of accepting responsibility for our sin. God finds us in our failure, discouragement, guilt, and loss, and wants to bring us back to Him. When satan convicts us, God is looking to reconcile us. From the very time that Adam and Eve betrayed God, He had a plan to bring them back. His plan from the beginning was to give humanity the chance to be with Him eternally instead of facing death in Hell. God never needed a “Plan B,” because He had already initiated a plan to send Jesus to save us from our sins.
Application:
When God asked “What have you done?” to Eve, do you think it’s because He didn’t know what had transpired with the serpent? Why do you think He asked her that question?
God knew that Adam and Eve would cause humanity to be cursed to death and immediately enacted His reconciliation plan. What steps do you see that God took in this passage toward initiation of His plan?
Devo Plus:
“Sin makes man a coward and an equivocator and a liar; it leads him to seek refuge in half-truths, deceit, evasion and outright lies.” John Lowe
Prayer:
Lord, thank You for having a plan for our lives that allows us to escape eternal death. By bringing us your Son, You allow us to be reconciled. We know that it’s only by Your grace that our sins are forgiven, and nothing we can ever do would be enough to bring us to You without Jesus. Thank You for always having the perfect plan for us and for allowing us to dwell with You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.