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December 21 Daily Devotional

Where Art Thou?

Frans Bakker

And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? —Genesis 3:9

Bible Reading

Genesis 3:6–10

Devotional

The first pages of the Bible are the first pages of man’s biography. The third chapter of Genesis does not only describe what happened in the past historically, but throughout all ages man must acknowledge that what is written there applies to him. Whoever reads the account of man’s fall with eyes that have been opened by God’s Spirit, does not say: “Is it my fault that Adam fell?” but he confesses that in Paradise he personally did that which was evil in God’s sight.

There they stood, Adam and Eve, the first couple. It is the most bitter and sobering event that ever happened. They ate of the tree of which they knew very well that they could not eat. Then they realized that they could not stand before their Creator. Instead of being as God, as Satan indicated was possible, they now stood ashamed before God. All they could do was cover their nakedness with some fig leaves, but they realized that these leaves could not cover their sins. Therefore they hid themselves from God’s face. Just the day before, Adam had been glad that God came to him in the cool of the day. Now he seeks a place to hide himself from God. Where can man flee from the omnipresence of God? Adam scarcely hid himself and he was already summoned to give an answer to the divine question: “Where art thou?”

“Where art thou?” is a twofold question. First it is a question of the Judge and secondly it is a question of the Compassionate One. It is a question coming from the Judge, for God has the right to call man to give an account. The Creator would be unjust if He left man to himself. If the Lord said, “I will forget about My demands towards man,” then the implication would be that God’s rights on man would also be lost. God does not say, “Adam, if you will no longer fulfill My demands, then we will go our separate ways. You can go your own way.” Because God is righteous, He calls man to give an account, and asks him, “Where art thou?”

“Where art thou?” If this had been the question of a Judge only, then Adam would have to receive a just punishment. Nothing else but the sentence of eternal death would await him. Had God not said that if man ate of the forbidden fruit, he would surely die? It would have been eternal death if the question of the Judge were not at the same time a question of the Compassionate One.

This is now the wonder of grace: in His matchless compassion God asks for man. This is nothing other than seeking man in love. It would have been just if the death penalty were executed, but here grace precedes justice. The Judge cannot let go of man because He is righteous; the Compassionate One cannot let go of man because He is love.

Now we hear the bells of Advent ringing. The compassion of God is all explained in and through Christ. If Christ had not come, Adam would have only heard the voice of the Judge and received the sentence of death. The first Adam, therefore, only heard this sentence, but the sentence was executed on the second Adam. Christ was always to be found when the justice of God sought Him. For Jesus’ sake God could ask Adam, “Where art thou?”

 

From The Everlasting Word by Frans Bakker, compiled and translated by Gerald R. Procee. Reformation Heritage Books and Free Reformed Publications, 2007. Used by permission. For further information, click here.

 

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