What did God say to Adam after he sinned?

The LORD God came down in the cool of the day and walked in the garden. When Adam and his wife heard His Voice, they hid themselves amongst the trees of the garden. What a wonder it is that the great Creator should come down and talk with man! The LORD called to Adam. "Where art thou?" And he said, "I heard Thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself." His own best doings, the fig leaf aprons, could not cover him. In the sight of God he was still a naked sinner. The LORD said. "Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldst not eat?" Then he replied that the woman gave it to him. The LORD asked her what she had done. The woman said that the serpent deceived her. The LORD put a curse on the serpent so he should go on his belly always, and eat dust. And God would put hatred between him and the woman, and between her seed and the serpent's seed. The woman's Seed would bruise the serpent's head. The serpent would bruise His heel. And God told the woman that she would bear her children with sorrow, and that her husband would control her. The LORD God told Adam that because he had listened to his wife's words, and had eaten the fruit which God said he must not eat, the ground would grow thorns and thistles, and Adam would have to eat his bread by the sweat of his face, until he went back to the dust: because Adam came from the dust, and he must go back to dust. Adam named his wife Eve (meaning, Living) because she was the mother of all living people. We would have thought Adam would have called her the mother of all dying people, for sin had just come in; and with sin Death had come: but Adam, trusted in God, and called her Eve, the mother of all living.

3 But God will have sin out, and trace it to its source. "And Jehovah Elohim said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat. And Jehovah Elohim said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: and I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee. And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; in the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken; for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return" (v. 13-19).

SECTION 3. Gen. 3:1 And a certain serpent p was subtle above every living creature of The field which Jehovah Elohim p made, and she says to The woman (isha), It is good sure that Elohim p said; Of every tree of The garden z ye shall not eat. 2 And The woman (isha) z says to The serpent, Of ye fruit of ye tree of The garden z we eat. 3 And of ye fruit of The tree that is in ye midst of The garden Elohim p said z ye shall not eat of it, and z ye shall not touch it, lest z ye die. 4 And z says The serpent to The woman, Not b dying z you shall die. 5 For Elohim a is knowing that in ye day of b your eating of it your eyes p were even opened, and p you became as Elohim a knowing good and evil. 6 And The woman z sees that The tree is good for food, and that it is pleasant to The eyes, and The tree a to be desired to b make wise, and z she takes of its fruit and z eats, and z gives also to her husband with her, and z he eats. 7 And z are opened ye eyes of them both, and z they know that they are naked, and z they sew leaf of fig and z they make aprons for themselves. 8 And z they hear ^ ye voice of Jehovah Elohim a walking in The garden in ye wind-rise of The day; and The man (Adam) and his wife (ishah) z hide themselves from ye face of Jehovah Elohim in ye midst of ye trees of The garden. 9 And Jehovah Elohim z calls to The man (Adam) and z says to him, Where art thou? 10 And z he says ^Thy voice p I heard in the garden, and z I fear, for naked am I, and z I hide myself. 11 And z he says, Who p told thee that naked art thou? Whether of The tree which p I commanded thee not b to eat of it p hast thou eaten? 12 And The man (Adam) z says, The woman (ishah) that p thou gavest to be with me, she p gave to me of The tree, and z I eat. 13 And Jehovah Elohim z says to The woman (ishah), What this p thou hast done? and z says The woman (ishah.), The serpent p beguiled me, and z I eat. 14 And Jehovah Elohim z saith to The serpent, Because p thou hast done this, a cursed art thou above all The cattle, and above all living creature of The field; on thy belly z shalt thou go, and dust z shalt thou eat all ye days of thy life. 15 and z I put enmity between thee and The woman (ishah), and between thy seed and her seed; he z shall bruise, thee as to ye head, and thou z shalt bruise him as to ye heel. 16 To The woman (ishah) p he said, b Multiplying z I will multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow z thou shalt bring forth children, and to thy husband (ish) shall be thy desire, and he z shall rule over thee. 17 And to man (Adam) p he said, Because p thou hast hearkened to ye voice of thy wife (ishah), and z eatest of The tree which p I commanded thee, b saying, z thou shalt not eat of it, a cursed is The around by reason of thee, in sorrow z shalt thou eat of it all ye days of thy life. 18 And thorns and thistles z shalt it cause to bud for thee, and p thou hast eaten ^the herb of The field. 19 In sweat of thy face z shalt thou eat bread till b thy returning to The ground, for out of it p wast thou taken; for dust thou art and to dust z thou returnest. 20 And The man (Adam) z calls ye name of his wife (ishah) Living; for she p was mother of all living. 21 And Jehovah Elohim makes for Adam and for his wife (ishah) coats of skin and z clothes them. 22 And Jehovah Elohim z saith, Behold, The man (Adam) p has become as one of us to b know good and evil; and now, lest z he puts forth his hand, and p has taken also of ye tree of The life, and p has eaten and p has lived for ever; 23 and Jehovah Elohim z sends him forth from ye garden of Eden to b till ^The ground whence p he was taken. 24 And z he drives ^The man out; and z he makes to dwell eastward to ye garden of Eden ^The cherubim and ye flame of The sword a that turns every way, to b keep ^the way of ye tree of The life.

But, blessed be God, there is something beside the conscience of what I am. There is the revelation of what He is; and this latter the fall of man really brought out. God had not revealed Himself, fully, in creation: He had shown "His eternal power and Godhead," Theiotes but He had not told out all the deep secrets of His nature and character. Wherefore Satan made a grand mistake in coming to meddle with God's creation. He only proved to be the instrument of his own eternal defeat, and confusion, and "his violent dealing" shall for ever "come down upon his own pate." His lie Only gave occasion for the displays of the full 'truth in reference to God. Creation never could have brought out what God was. There was infinitely more in Him than power and wisdom. There was love, mercy, holiness, righteousness, goodness, tenderness, long-suffering. Where could all these be displayed, in a world of sinners? God, at the first, came to create; and, then, when the serpent presumed to meddle with creation, God came down to save. This brought out in the first words uttered by the Lord God, after man's fall. "And the Lord God called to Adam, and said to him, Where art thou?" This question proved two things. It proved that man was lost, and that God had come to seek. It proved man's sin, and God's grace. "Where art thou?" Amazing faithfulness? Amazing grace Faithfulness, to disclose, in the very question itself, the truth as to man's condition: grace, to bring out, in the very fact of God's asking such a question, the truth as to His character and attitude, in reference to fallen man. Man was lost; but God had come down to look for him — to bring him out of his hiding place, behind the trees of the garden, in order that, in the happy confidence of faith, he might find a hiding place in Himself. This was grace. To create man out of the dust of the ground was power; but to seek man in his lost estate was grace. But who can utter all that is wrapped up in the idea of God's being a seeker? God seeking a sinner? What could the Blessed One have seen in man, to lead Him to seek for him? Just what the shepherd saw in the lost sheep; or what the woman saw in the lost piece of silver; or what the father saw in the lost son. The sinner is valuable to God; but why he should be so eternity alone will unfold.

Here notice, ere passing on, how solemnly precise and personal the questions are. Not, "My creatures, where are you?" but, "Adam, where art thou?" He had but one companion in sin; but this question completely isolates him, places him singly before God, and compels him to answer for himself. "I heard;" "I was afraid;" "I hid myself." Equally direct is the next inquiry. "Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?" I and thou, God and the sinner — the sinner and his sin confronting each other! And is not this still the effect of God's word, when it is felt to be His living voice? A man may be but one of a crowd, undistinguishable from his fellows in any eye but the eye of God; but when the word comes home, how does it isolate him, and make him feel as though none were present but God and he, and as though there were nothing for him to gaze upon under the eye of God but the sin on which that eye rests, and the conviction of which is being forced home on the conscience! "Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet." "Come, see a man who told me all that ever I did."

Such was the Second man; but the first by his own account, as soon as he heard the voice in the garden, was afraid and hid. Fear has torment, for he had a bad conscience. He shrank from Him Whose word he had disobeyed, and recognised himself naked. "And he said, Who told thee that thou art naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree of which I commanded thee not to eat?" He was in fact self-condemned. It was not sorrow after a godly sort for the transgression; nor was there earnest care, nor clearing of self, nor indignation, nor any other such affection as the Spirit works in the conscience Godward. Consequently in nothing did Adam prove himself to be pure in the matter. His sense of nakedness evinced his guilt.

Genesis 3:9. What a question for Adam to have to answer! How it intimated that he was not where he had been wont to be! Why the difference? Why not meet, as he had been accustomed to meet, the One who deigned thus to visit the creatures of His power and love? No change had taken place with Him. What had befallen Adam, that he should hide himself at His approach? How wondrous the ways of God! Our first parents had rebelled — had sought by their own devices to hide their shame — and now were attempting to hide themselves from God. And yet He approaches — He speaks — not to accuse or to upbraid, but to inquire. There is nothing unusual in His approach; the change was in those who flee and hide themselves, instead of adoringly welcoming His condescension, as in moments past; and it is for them to account for the change. "Adam, where art thou?"

Verses 7 and 8 are full of gloom. A ray of light however appears in verse 9. The Lord God might instantly have discarded the guilty pair and consigned them to their doom. Instead of that He sought them out; a sure indication that He had designs for their ultimate blessing. His call was, "Where art thou?" In response to this Adam had to reveal his whereabouts, and by attempting to cover his nakedness he uncovered his sin.

Let us mark, then, first of all, this questioning of Adam on the part of God. Three several times we find these questions. He questions the man, questions the woman; the serpent He does not question, but proceeds instead immediately to judgment. Plainly there is something significant in this. For it cannot be thought that the Omniscient needed to know the things that He inquired about; therefore, if not for His own sake, it must have been for man's sake He made the inquiry. It was, in fact, the appeal to man for confidence in One who on His part had done nothing to forfeit it; the gracious effort to bring him to own, in the presence of his Creator, his present condition and the sin which had brought him into it. And it is still in this way that we find entrance into the enjoyed favor of a Saviour-God: "we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand," the "goodness of God" leading "to repentance." Confidence in that goodness enables us to take true ground before God, and enables Him thus, according to the principles of holy government, to show us His mercy. Not in self-righteous efforts to excuse ourselves, nor yet in self-sufficient promises for the future, but "if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

The first question is an appeal to Adam to consider his condition, — the effect of his sin, rather than his sin itself. The second it is that refers directly to the sin, and not the first. This double appeal we shall find every where in Scripture. Does man "thirst," he is bidden to come and drink of the living water; is he "laboring and heavy-laden," he is invited to find rest for his soul. This style of address clearly takes the ground of the first question. It is the heart not at rest here rather than the conscience roused. Where the latter is the case, however, and the sense of guilt presses on the soul, then there is a Christ of whom even His enemies testify that He receiveth sinners, and whose own words are that the "Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which is lost."