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. But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” (Genesis 3:8-9, ESV)
Recently, we have heard quite a bit about professionals answering reporters’ questions. I’m not sure what all the hubbub is about; perhaps I missed another sarcastic retort.
Professional golfers have historically done everything from dodging the press corps to being curt in their answers to responding with sharp jabs to giving sincere, substantive answers to journalists.
At the Cadillac Championship, after patiently answering a few routine questions, a reporter asked Scottie about LIV’s demise. Scottie sighed in mock disgust and shot back, “I just got off the golf course; I don’t know what you want from me.”
Since then, we have watched commentators skewer Scottie and others over how they handle post-round questions. The opinions range from scathing judgment to “have some mercy.”
Most of these guys, especially Scottie, are gracious to a fault, particularly when walking off the course after a bad round. Of course, even Scottie can have a bad day.
When asked by a reporter about his 65, “What did it feel like would’ve or could’ve been different?” Scottie responded, “That’s just a terrible question. Next question.”
When we arrive at questions surrounding Christianity, there are plenty to go around: the problem of evil, the Trinity, origins, miracles, and judgment, to name a few.
Two things to keep in mind when we approach the questions we have, especially those that seem to have no answers: 1) Christ never says, “don’t bother me with your questions,” and 2) We should maintain a humble disposition when approaching our Maker.
But when it comes to the questions God asks of us, there are no unimportant questions. When the Lord asked Adam, “Where are you?” he was not seeking information for himself. He knew exactly where Adam was—Adam and Eve were “hiding.”
You might argue, “Hold on, here! God asked Adam that question, not me.” True! God did ask Adam that very question, among others, in the early hours of history. But Moses wrote this in such a way that the question is meant to force itself on each of us— “Where are you?”
Like Adam, we hear the Lord walking in the “spirit of the day” (RUACH – pronounced roo-ahk, Hebrew: רוּחַ), probing our conscience with penetrating, unrelenting questions.
He calls to us through these loving yet confrontational questions that force us out of hiding so we will own our status—we are afraid and naked! When pressed, as Adam was, we shift the blame for our disloyalty onto someone or something other than our own sinful rebellion.
At this point in the story, both Adam’s and ours, we are in a boatload of trouble. We can run, but we cannot hide or con the Cosmic Judge; we are entirely at the mercy of the Court. Amazingly, we quickly learn that our Maker is both just and loving, not one or the other, but both. How so?
He announces to them and to us that he will send his “seed” [offspring] to crush the serpent [Satan], and in the process, his seed will suffer a mortal blow [The Cross of Calvary] for the punishment of our betrayal (Genesis 3:15).
Additionally, God substitutes an animal sacrifice and covers Adam and Eve with bloody garments to atone for their sins. In doing so, he prophetically announces that one is coming who will die and clothe those who repent and turn to him in the garments of his perfect righteousness (Genesis 3:21).
Through Jesus, God punishes sin! That’s justice! Through Jesus, God restores repentant sinners! That’s love!
Prayer—Lord! Chase us down and call us out of darkness into your love and mercy.