Genesis 3:8-13 And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. ⁹ But the LORD God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” ¹⁰ And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.” ¹¹ He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” ¹² The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.” ¹³ Then the LORD God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

INTRODUCTION

The first two chapters of Genesis describe God’s very good creation of the heavens and the earth. They also describe God’s very good plan for humanity and humanity’s relationship to the rest of creation. Insofar as creation, and especially mankind, conformed to God’s design there would be only goodness and blessing and life and provision and joy. By chapter 3, however, as we began to see last week, mankind had already chosen not to conform to God’s design. Instead, the woman and then the man—the first and only people on earth at the time—chose to defy God’s direct command not to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil upon penalty of death.

Our passage from last week ended not with physical death, however, but this way, “Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.” That’s where we pick up this morning. Where was God? Would he find out about this? And if so what would he think and what would he do? What would become of the newly-clothed, open-eyed, disobedient man and woman? And what would become of the tempting serpent?

Let’s pray now that God would grant us insight into this passage and eager obedience to it.

SIN COMES TO LIGHT

The remainder of Genesis 3 is fairly neatly divided into three sections. The first section, which we’ll look at this morning, helps us to see that God sees all sin (3:8-13). The second, which we’ll look at next week, helps us to see some of the specific, ongoing consequences of sin, and also hints at God’s promised provision for sin (3:14-19). Finally, the third section helps us to see God’s immediate provision for the man and woman in their sin as well as the first of the many consequences for it (3:20-23).

With that, let’s look more closely at the events that took place immediately after the man and woman covered themselves with leaves.

God Sees All Sin (3:8-9)

I didn’t understand the way peek-a-boo really works until relatively recently. That is, I didn’t realize that the brain development of babies/toddlers (I’m not sure when it ends) is such that if they can’t see you then they believe you can’t see them either. I suppose I thought of the game more like patty cake—just something silly that kids can learn quickly—than an exercise in brain science.

On the other hand, I have realized that many people (including myself at times) act just like that when it comes to our sin. We act as if there are certain sins—as long as we engage in them in our minds or in places not seen by anyone else—that God cannot see. The first couple of verses in this passage teach otherwise.

The man and the woman, as far as we know, were alone with the serpent in the garden. Having sinned and clothed themselves, the man and woman tried to hide themselves, apparently hoping that God would not find them out.

8 And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden.

First of all, what a beautiful picture it is that God was walking in the garden in the cool of the day. Grace, that’s where all history is heading for those who love God. Upon the return of Jesus and the ushering in of the new heavens and new earth we will once again be able to walk with God in the garden in the cool of the day. Can we even begin to imagine how sweet that will be? Would you pray that your heart (and mine) would increasingly long for that? If we do and if God sees fit to answer our prayer, so much of sin’s temptation for us would disappear, so much of our fear would dissolve, and so much of our conflict and difficulty would fade to nothing. To know the sweetness of this picture and to know for certain that we will experience it is certainly sin-killing and worship-producing.

Revelation 22:3-4 No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. ⁴ They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.

And yet, far from a sweet, sweet sound, far from what it should have been, for Adam and Eve the sound of God’s approaching was terrifying. Rather than running to God as they were created to do, they hid from him (literally, “from his face”). The tragedy of this is hard to communicate and almost impossible to exaggerate. God made his people to glorify and enjoy him forever, to draw near to him in fellowship and safety and peace, but here the man and woman run from him and seek to find refuge among the trees. Oh the sinfulness of sin!

⁹ But the LORD God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?”

There are two things from this simple sentence, from this simple verse, that we cannot miss. First, God called first to the man; and second, God’s question was not really a question.

That God called first to the man is another indication of the man’s headship—of the fact that by God’s design he was his family’s representative; that he would stand before God on behalf of his family. Even though it was the woman who ate first and then gave it to the man, God went to the man as the head of his family. Both the man and the woman sinned, and both would be judged for their sin (as indicated by God’s questioning of the woman next), but God held the man especially responsible. In fact, God would hold Adam responsible in such a way that he not only represented his family, but all of his children after him (including you and me). The apostle Paul makes this explicit in Romans 5:12 and even more so in 1 Corinthians 15:22.

Romans 5:12 … sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned…

1 Corinthians 15:22 … in Adam all die…

Some do not like this idea because it seems to elevate men above women. And some do not like the idea because it doesn’t seem right for us to be held accountable for another’s sin. To the first group (those who do not like the idea because it seems to elevate men above women) it must simply be said that you’re operating in the wrong economy. In God’s economy (which is the only one that matters) esteem comes from joyfully fulfilling the role for which you were made, not from the role itself. If God designed you to be a rock chair at the bottom of the sea then that is your place of glory and everything and everywhere else, anything and anywhere else, is the place of your shame.

And to the second group (to those who don’t like this idea because it seems wrong to be held responsible for another’s sin) it must simply be said that to have your way is to be cut off from the representative headship of Jesus as well as Adam. If we reject Adam’s representation then we also reject Christ’s.

Romans 5:15-17 But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man’s trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many. ¹⁶ And the free gift is not like the result of that one man’s sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification. ¹⁷ If, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.

Again, the first thing to see is that God called to the man as the head and representative of his family. The second is that God’s question wasn’t really a question. God did not really wonder where the man and woman had gone. He knew at all times precisely where they were—along with every atom in all creation—at all times!

Psalm 139:1-10 O LORD, you have searched me and known me! ² You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. ³ You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. ⁴ Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O LORD, you know it altogether. ⁵ You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me. ⁶ Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it. ⁷ Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? ⁸ If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! ⁹ If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, ¹⁰ even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me.

The simple point here is that we cannot hide from God. There has never been and will never be a single thought, feeling, action, word, or abdication that God is unaware of. We cannot hide anything—good or bad—from the LORD God. He knows your heart and your mind and your body perfectly. The great irony of our stubborn reluctance to confess our sin to God in order that we might be forgiven, is that God already knows them anyway. When we confess our sins to him we are not informing him of their existence, we are simply acknowledging that we know they exist and that we know we need God’s forgiveness for them.

Would you confess your sins today, then? Would you stop foolishly and futilely trying to hide your sins from God? Running or hiding from God is impossible and only prolongs sin and its consequences. The heart of the Christian faith is that no matter who you are or what you’ve done, if you come to God in faith, confessing your sins to him (the very same sins that he already knows even better than you), he will forgive you and heal you and free you in Jesus. God saw the sin of the man and the woman. They could not hide from him. And so it is for you and me.

Sin Cannot Be Comfortable in God’s Presence

The next thing to see from this passage is something we all know full well: God cannot tolerate sin and sin cannot tolerate God. Sin cannot be comfortable in God’s presence.

¹⁰ And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.”

Having called out to the man, the man answered God. He acknowledged his fear, nakedness, and shame—his uncomfortableness on account of his sin. He even acknowledged that he was hiding from God because of these things. Again, here’s the thing: Adam’s response was entirely normal. Sin and God cannot comingle. Because of God’s nature and design, sin cannot be comfortable in God’s presence.

On a practical level this means a couple of things. First, it means that if you have unrepentant sin in your life you should expect to feel uncomfortable. Your conscience is God’s gift to you. Because sin is often invisibly dangerous and deadly (as was the case in the Garden), having our consciences pricked is an amazing gift. It’s like a carbon monoxide detector. The alarm noise is annoying, but it could save your life from a threat that you cannot even see. A pricked conscience is annoying, but it too could save your eternal life from a threat that you often cannot see.

The second thing this means is that if you have unrepentant sin in your life and you don’t feel uncomfortable, then you have an even bigger problem (again, like a broken carbon monoxide detector in a home filling with carbon monoxide). Consider the Apostle Paul’s words to the Romans.

Romans 1:21-25 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. ²² Claiming to be wise, they became fools, ²³ and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles. ²⁴ Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, ²⁵ because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.

There came a time, Paul wrote, after persistent rebellion against God that God removed the consciences of certain people (made futile, darkened, made fools, gave them up). Whether you are a Christian or not, if you do not feel bad when you do evil, you are in a very dangerous place; for sin cannot be comfortable in God’s presence unless God hands you over to your sin. Where there is no awareness/conviction of sin there is no possible way to turn from it and be saved. And that leads to the final point and passage.

When Sin Comes into God’s Presence there Are Only Two Possible Responses

When sin comes into God’s presence there are only two possible responses: repentance or anything else. The man and the woman at first chose the second option: anything else.

¹¹ He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” ¹² The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.” ¹³ Then the LORD God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

Consider carefully the “anything else” of the man and woman’s initial response to their sin. Specifically, I invite you to consider the two key temptations/failures. First they sought to redefine things to get out from under the effects of their sin, and second they sought to pass the blame for their sin. I hope it’s easy for you to see that we have not come very far since; or at least I hope it becomes clear as I point it out in Adam and Eve.

Because they felt uncomfortable in their sin the man and woman first moved to ease the discomfort. And their first attempt to do so was by misusing and seeking to redefine the purpose of things. The misused/redefined the fig leaves. God made them for beauty and food, but Adam and Eve used them instead for clothes. God made the trees for beauty and food, but Adam and eve used them instead for a hiding place. God made Adam to lead and protect, but instead he was passive and irresponsible.

And so it is today. We see this all around us and in us. Oh how hard we try to remake the world in our own image. Oh how hard we try to redefine God’s handiwork to fit the desires of our flesh. If we don’t like the way God made marriage or our role in it, we redefine it to fit our desires (keeping enough to make us feel good, but leaving out enough to get what we want). If we don’t like God’s design for sex, we ignore the parts of it that don’t suit our passions. If we don’t like what our parents tell us to do, we reimaging ourselves as in authority over them, or we try to soften God’s command. If we don’t like God’s Great Commission purpose for our lives, we lose ourselves in kinds of “moral” toil and leisure. And on and on. Since the beginning, instead of seeking to conform our desires to God’s, we have been so easily tempted to try to conform God’s desires to ours; to redefine sin and righteousness to fit our purposes instead of repenting of our rebellion.

The second aspect of the man and woman’s response that I’d like to invite you to carefully consider is that they both sought to shift the blame. Having realized their sin, the man and woman felt bad enough that they hid. But when confronted with their sin the man blamed the woman and then God for giving the woman to him. And the woman blamed the serpent. Both responses had some measure of truth to them, but both also missed the point entirely. They stood condemned to death but were both more interested in hiding from their sin and then passing the blame for their sin than they were in getting the help they needed for it.

Both eventually acknowledged that they did eat from the tree, and God seems to have accepted it, but their roundabout way of getting there and apostle Paul helps us to see that feeling guilty and feeling convicted are not the same.

2 Corinthians 7:9-10 As it is, I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because you were grieved into repenting. For you felt a godly grief, so that you suffered no loss through us. ¹⁰ For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.

And again, how often do we fall into this thousands-of-years-old trap? How often do we blame others for our sin? I’m sorry that I ___, but you ___. The traffic made me so mad this morning. I hit her because she was looking at me funny. I got frustrated and lost my temper because you ___. If my boss weren’t so incompetent I wouldn’t be so stressed. I haven’t had a quiet time in weeks because my kids ___And on and on and on. Instead of humbly acknowledging that our rebellious hearts alone drive us to sin, that nothing outside of ourselves can rob us of our peace or joy or self-control, we blame other people and things (and sometimes even God himself). Insodoing we imitate our first parents in their wrong response to their sin.

From the beginning, as we will see next week, God’s mercy was freely offered and God’s grace was promised. Likewise, from the beginning, both were/are available through simple trust in God. When we sin, because of the cross of Jesus, God offers to forgive us if we simply confess our sin and turn from it with God’s help…no excuses, no redefining, no blaming, just humble, child-like confession and repentance.

Again, would you consider where you might need to do that today? Would you consider where you might be making excuses and new definitions and passing the buck for your sin? And would you consider repenting of that today, confessing it to God and whoever you’ve sinned against, and then walking in the mercy, grace, forgiveness, and freedom that is available only on the other side of that kind of trust in God?

Which was it for the man and woman? Did they merely feel guilty or were they convicted to the point of repentance? We won’t know until next week, but the question stands before you and me today.

CONCLUSION

In this passage God judges his people according to his own righteous standard. He does so, however, with compassion and mercy. No sin is hidden from God and God will not tolerate sin, just as sin will not tolerate God. By God’s design, then, repentance is the only safe response to sin. Let’s learn from this passage how to walk in faith by carefully considering how Adam and Eve failed to do so. More so, let’s learn from this passage to look to Christ, the second Adam, and our only hope.