Jan 19
13
Old Testament Reading: Genesis 3:9-13
“But the LORD God called to the man and said to him, ‘Where are you?’ And he said, ‘I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.’ He said, ‘Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?’ The man said, ‘The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.’ 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.’” (Genesis 3:9–13, ESV)
New Testament Reading: 2 Peter 3:1–9
“This is now the second letter that I am writing to you, beloved. In both of them I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder, that you should remember the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles, knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. They will say, ‘Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.’ For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God, and that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished. But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly. But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” (2 Peter 3:1–9, ESV)
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Introduction
I will begin today by asking the question, is there any passage in all of scripture more troubling than the one that we have previously considered – that is, the one that describes to us the original sin of Adam with the three simple words, “and he ate”?
Some who know the scriptures well might reply back saying, there are plenty of other passages that are as troubling as that one, if not more so. Think, for example, of those passages which describe to us the crucifixion of the Christ. Are those passages not more troubling?
And I would admit that on the surface it is more disturbing to think of the way that the Christ was mistreated by sinful man than to think of Adam taking a bite out a piece of fruit from a tree. Put those two scenes side by side in your mind – the brutal and bloody crucifixion of the Christ on the right, and Adam and Eve eating a piece of fruit in paradise on the left. As I said, on the surface it is more disturbing to think of the way that the Christ was mistreated by sinful man than to think of Adam taking a bite out a piece of fruit from a tree.
But I would reply that all of the sins committed throughout the history of the world, including that terrible sin of nailing Christ to the cross, have proceeded from the original sin of Adam. And while I do not wish to minimize the sins committed by men and women after Adam’s fall, I am pointing out that these sins have been committed by men and women who are fallen. In a sense, they are expected. But when Adam sinned he did so as an upright creature. When Adam ate of that forbidden fruit he was not fallen. Instead, he fell. This does not minimize our guilt or our culpability, for when we sin, we sin willingly and from the heart. But the point that I am making is that there is something particularly troublesome about Adam’s rebellion. He was upright, and yet he sinned. I might also point out that Adam knew what it was to commune with God and to enjoy his presence. Fallen man does not experience this by birth. Only through new birth is communion with God regained. Adam knew what it was to walk with God. God was Adam’s God, and Adam was God’s son. And this Adam threw away when he ate of the forbidden tree. This is a most troubling thought.
Brothers and sisters, my objective here is to awaken you to the hideousness of Adam’s original sin and also of ours. I am afraid that we trivialize sin – both Adam’s original sin and ours. Living in a world that is fallen and filled with sin, it is easy to grow accustom to it. Sin is everywhere, and we might begin to think that sin is normal. But the scripture reveal that sin is not normal. It is a terrible distortion. It is an act of rebellion. We also tend to compare ourselves to others and to think that we are relatively good. We categorize our sins – a few we consider to be heinous, but many others we are content to live with. Now, I do agree that some sins are more heinous than others. But the question I am asking is, shouldn’t all sin trouble us deeply? Shouldn’t all of our rebellion against God and our Redeemer strike us as a most terrible and unacceptable thing? All sin, being “any want of conformity unto, or transgression of, the law of God” is heinous.
And so I wonder, were you stuck by the hideousness of Adam’s transgression when you read those words, “and he ate” in Genesis 3:6? Did those words make your heart sick? Were you deeply troubled by the thought that the creature would dare to rebel against God the Creator ion this way?
I am afraid that many fail to think deeply enough about Adam’s eating of the forbidden fruit so as to see it as a heinous act. On the surface Adam’s sin seems to be – dare I say it – relatively innocent. In fact we might even say that Adam’s sin was G rated when compared to other sins committed throughout the history of the world. Notice that we are able to depict Adam and Eve’s first transgression with accuracy in children’s story Bibles without concern of their being overwhelmed by the scene! For what did Adam and Eve do? They simply took fruit from a tree and they ate it – such a simple and common act.
But if we were to reflect more carefully on this story we would come to see that the simplicity of the act makes Adam’s transgression more heinous and not less.
We must remember that when Adam ate the fruit, he ate forbidden fruit.
And we should remember who it was who forbid him from eating it. God the Creator of all things seen and unseen forbid him from eating it. It was God Almighty – the God who is described to us in the first chapter of Genesis as the one who in the beginning made the heavens and the earth – who said, “but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die” (Genesis 2:17, ESV).
More than this it was the LORD God – the covenant making and covenant keeping God – who forbid him from eating it. It was the LORD God who formed Adam from the dust, who breathed into him the breath of life, who planted a garden upon the earth which he had made suitable for his habitation, and who provided a companion for him who said, do not eat of this tree.
When Adam ate of that forbidden tree, he rebelled against his Maker. When Adam ate he committed an act of treason against the King of all creation. Whan Adam ate he turned against his benefactor who had provided him with every good and pleasant thing and went after another who had promised him more.
What a heinous sin this was. And the simplicity and innocence of the action does not take away from the heinousness, but only adds to it. What was Adam told not to do? “Adam, don’t eat of that tree over there.”
And I don’t think there was anything particularly unique about the forbidden tree. I do not doubt that it was a beautiful tree. But I suspect that all of the trees in the garden of God were beautiful. And I do not doubt that the fruit looked tasty. But again, I am sure that all of the fruit in the garden paradise of God looked tasty. It is not as if God placed Adam in a barren dessert with only one fruit tree in it and said, “do not eat of this tree.” No, the garden was filled with trees and vegetation, and all of it was available to the man, with only one tree being forbidden. The point is that forbidden thing was not a better thing. It was in fact a common thing. So that when Adam rebelled he did so for no good reason. It was purely an act of rebellion against his Maker.
I cannot remember who said it, but someone has theorized that the forbidden fruit was not an apple or pomegranate or some other naturally pleasant thing, but one of those thorny and stinky fruits, the idea being that Adam and Eve would have had to convince themselves that it was good and work to eat of it. I’m not sure if this theory is true. We simply do not know what kind of fruit it was. But the point is valid. Adam ate of the forbidden fruit, not because God left him hungry, and not because the forbidden tree was in fact better than all of the other trees that God had provided for him, but as an act of pure rebellion against his Maker.
It is no wonder that when Adam and Eve “heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day… [They] hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden” (Genesis 3:8, ESV). This is what traitors and rebels do when the King draws near – they hide, lest they be discovered and quickly judged.
The question that is before us today as we continue on in this narrative is what will God do with these two traitors? What will he do in response to their heinous sin? Will he ignore it? This he cannot do if he is just. Will he judge them swiftly and harshly? He would do no wrong to take this course of action. Or will he show mercy and grace to the man and the woman who have rebelled?
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“But the LORD God called to the man and said to him, ‘Where are you?’”
In verse 9 we begin to find the answer to this question. There we read, “But the LORD God called to the man and said to him, ‘Where are you?’”
Notice that the response of God towards his rebel creatures is surprisingly tender.
First, notice that God is here called the “LORD God”. You would do well to remember that the name “LORD God” communicates that God is near to his creatures. He is the covenant making and covenant keeping God. He is the God who creates, but also the God who relates. It is significant that God is still called by that name though man has now fallen into sin.
And what did the LORD God do as he approached the traitors? He “called to the man”. Now, it may be that he was calling out to them so that he might immediately judge them. But it is worth noting that God did not come roaring into the garden in wrath. Instead, he gently “called to the man.”
And what did God say? Adam, “where are you?” God certainly knew where Adam and Eve were. And he certainly knew all that they had done. But by asking the question, Adam, “where are you?” God was providing an opportunity for the man to come out of his hiding and to acknowledge his sin.
It is really quite a remarkable response that we see from God. He would have done no wrong to enter the garden in pure wrath and to immediately go about the task of judgement. He would have done no wrong to have said, “Adam, you traitor, come forth out of your pathetic hiding place so that I mighty slay thee.” But instead he called to the man and said, “where are you?”
God, in the very first words that he spoke to man after the fall, summoned him to repentance by confronting his sin. When Adam and Eve “heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day… the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden” (Genesis 3:8, ESV). But then God uttered a clear and distinguishable word. God put forth the direct and probing question, Adam “where are you?” In other words, Adam, in days past you and Eve would run to me as I approached, but now you are nowhere to be found. Adam, “where are you?” Come forth and explain to me the reason for your absence. Adam, “where are you?”
Friends, the word that God spoke to Adam after his fall into sin is the same word that he speaks to sinner to this present day. You, like Adam your father, have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God. You, like Adam, have felt the shame of your sin. And you, like Adam, have hid yourself from the presence of God. You have heard his voice and sensed his presence in this world, but you have run from him , and not to him. And having run from God you have frantically tried to cover the shame of your guilt. Some play with religion to ease their guilty conscience. Some do good works thinking that this will cover their sin. Some pretend that they are moral and upright. And some distract themselves with worldly pleasures and entertainment so that they do not have to thing about God, their guilt before him, and the day of judgement which is certainly coming. They are like Adam and Eve hiding from the presence of the Lord in the garden, their nakedness being covered with leaves. Those leaves will not survive the fire of God’s wrath, friends, and neither will the flimsy covering that you have crafted for yourselves.
But God in his mercy and grace calls some to repentance. And when God calls a sinner to repentance he first confronts him with his sin. Adam, “where are you?” When God calls a sinner to himself he does not speak with an unclear or indistinguishable voice. Men and women may run from God’s unclear and indistinguishable voice just as Adam and Eve ran from the sound of the LORD God approaching in the garden. This sinners do continuously. They hear God’s voice in the creation and they run from it. They suppress the truth in unrighteousness. But, when call calls a sinner to repentance he speaks with clarity. Adam, “where are you?” When God calls a sinner to repentance he communicates clear the law and the gospel.
God first applies his law – “you shall love the Lord you God with all your heart, soul mind and strength and your neighbor as yourself”, and then he asks, man, where are you? Woman, where are you? And even if we were to consider only this brief summerly of the law, what must are reply be? God, I am wretched sinner, a rebel, a traitor, a transgressor of your holy commandment. Have mercy on me. And after applying the law, the gospel will be declared. Jesus the Christ has paid it all. He kept the law on your behalf, and has atoned for all your sins. Repent and believe upon him. This is the clear word that God speaks to those he is calling to repentance – law and gospel.
God approached Adam and said, “where are you?” not because he did not know, but because his will was to draw him to repentance.
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“And he said, ‘I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.’”
Adam’s response was not good at first. He did what many do initially when being called to repentance. He answered God, but continued to conceal his sin. “He said, ‘I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.’”
This is all true, isn’t it? Indeed, Adam heard true sound of LORD God in the garden, he was afraid, and he hid, having realized that the was naked. All true. But notice carefully that Adam did not get to the heart of the issue. He spoke truth, but he continued to conceal his sin.
A true confession would have sounded like this: LORD God, have mercy on me, for I have done a most terrible thing. I willingly ate of the fruit that you forbid me to eat. I have rebelled against you. And having felt the shame of it I added to my sin by running from you as ion I could hide from your presence. I even tried to cover the shame of my nakedness on my own. Have mercy on me Lord, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. This would have been true repentance. But instead Adam continued to hide his actual transgression. “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself” – no mention at all concerning his having eaten the forbidden fruit.
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“He said, ‘Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?’”
And because God is merciful and kind, and because God’s will was to bring about true repentance in Adam he persisted with Adam spoke to him even more directly. “He said, ‘Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?’”
Brothers and sisters in Christ, aren’t you grateful that God was persistent with you to draw you to full repentance and faith? Aren’t you grateful for the Lord’s chastisement ? Do you not rejoice at the fact that God would not let you off the hook when you offered up to him false repentance and false faith, but instead he continued to apply his law to you with more and more precision until you were truly humbled and could not escape? God will not be mocked, friends. You may fool men, but you cannot fool God. And God, by his grace, is persistent with those that he calls. He applies his law ever more firmly and precisely until sinners come to agree that they have violated God’s law, that their sin is indeed heinous, and that they sand in need of a Savior.
This is what God did with Adam. When Adam continued to conceal his sin, God spoke more firmly and more precisely: “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?”
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“The man said, ‘The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.’”
Adam found himself at a crossroads. Having been backed into a corner by God’s persistent questioning of him he had a choice to make. He could either acknowledge his sin and own it, or he could persist in his rebellion. Adam did not choose the best path. “The man said, ‘The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.’”
Notice that Adam does finally confess his sin. He admitted to God that he ate of the forbidden tree. But notice that he also shifted the blame. “The woman… she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.” Again, the stament was true. Eve did give Adam the fruit and then he ate. But instead of owning his sin purely, he tried to shift the attention to the guilt of another.
You and I prove that we are born in Adam when we do this very thing today. When we are under conviction it is not uncommon for us to say, “well yes, I have sinned, but it is only because of his sin or her sin that I have done so badly.”
“Child, are you speaking kindly to you sister?”,the parent asks. And what is the common reply? “No, but… do you notice how rude she has been to me?” In other words, “I would not have sinned if it wasn’t for her sin.”
“Brother, why have been sexually immoral?” “She tempted me, and so I fell.”
“Sister, why have you been unfaithful?” “It is because he was no longer meeting my needs and fulfilling my desires.”
Friends, it would be far better if we would own our sin purely and cease from the practice of shifting blame.
Notice that Adam did not only blame Eve, he did a much more terrible thing when he put the blame on God saying, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.” The Creator, who had provided Adam with every good thing necessary for life and godliness, is now blamed by his creature. It really is astonishing to think that Adam would do such a thing, and yet this is how far he had fallen. Adam rebelled, and having rebelled he pointed his one finger at God and another at Eve and said, this woman who you gave to me is that one who caused me to sin.
God is certainly patient with us, isn’t he. For the world is filled with the sons and daughters of Adam who continually accuse God in this way. Instead of being grateful to God and astonished at his goodness, they complain against him continuously and even blame him for all of their sorrows, when in fact the sorrows are a result of our sin.
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“Then the LORD God said to the woman, ‘What is this that you have done?’”
God was not impressed with Adam’s reasoning for he dismissed his words and looked to the woman saying, “What is this that you have done?”
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“The woman said, ‘The serpent deceived me, and I ate.’”
Eve’s reply was more honest than Adam’s. She was more direct and to the point, saying only, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” Perhaps this is because she had just witnessed Adam fail so miserably in his attempted to hide and his sin and to shift the blame.
Notice that Eve could not help herself though. She too shifted the blame, saying, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”
Notice that this is where the questioning stops. Adam and Eve were questioned by God, but not the serpent. The serpent will be cursed, but never questioned. The reason for this is that room for repentance was not left for the angels who fell, only for man. In the realm of the angels some kept their proper place whereas others rebelled. But no mercy was shown to the fallen angels. No savior would be provided for them. Therefore, God did not question the serpent as he did Adam and Eve, for the purpose of the questioning was to bring about their repentance.
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Conclusion
Do not belittle the kindness and patience of God.
The title of this sermon is “The Day of Judgment Delayed”, for that is what we see in this text. God did not immediately judge Adam and Eve fully and finally, but began to call them to repentance. And this he does to this present day. He has delayed his judgement so as to leave room for repentance. The judgement day is still in our future. And what is the purpose of this delay? To leave room for the accomplishment and application of the salvation of God’s elect. Christ has now accomplished salvation. And the Spirit is now applying it through the proclamation of God’s law and the gospel.
This is why Peter says, that “the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly. But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance” (2 Peter 3:7–9, ESV).
Do not look belittle the kindness of God, friends. God has shown mercy and grace. Today is the day for you to acknowledge your sin, to see it as heinous, to turn from it, and to run to God through faith in the Savior that he has graciously provided, Christ Jesus the Lord.
