His Voice

Yesterday we read how Adam and Eve were naked in his presence and felt no shame.

But let’s read further:

Genesis 3:6-11 says, When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.

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.  But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?” He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.” And he said, “Who told you that you were naked?

Adam and Eve went from feeling no shame in their nakedness to being completely afraid in their nakedness, so much that they tried to cover it up, in his presence.

Why?

It was because they had heard God instruct them on how to live, and yet they chose to listen to another’s voice and take that instruction instead.

God walks with us and talks with us and instructs us in his word, and when we are listening and obeying, we feel no shame.

However, when we choose to listen to other voices that condemn us, accuse us, tear us down, or cause us to fear or be anxious, we often choose to walk with those voices instead.

I love God’s question above when he asks, “Who told you that you were naked?”

No one told them.  Their own eyes were opened to their sin and they saw for themselves that they were naked and in need of being covered.

We know the rest of the story, how they were banished from the garden, and cursed…

Wow. 

It all started with hearing God’s voice and choosing to listen to another.