Tuesday 06 November 2012

Background

God called to the man in the garden saying, "Where are you?"(verse 9). The response from Adam was that he had hidden out offear of God and from the recognition that he was naked.

In a way this question, "Where are you?" is God's perpetualquestion to human beings, who, from the very start, have insistedon going their own way. Yes, God's creatures insist on going theirown way, but as both Old and New Testament Scriptures bear witness,God does not, at any point, give up on them but seeks them out andcares for them.

In today's passage we read that God went the extra mile to makeleather garments for the naked Adam and Eve having taken pity onthem and their paltry efforts to make clothing out of figleaves.

Yet this passage also provides an explanation of why human lifeis not easy or comfortable. The effects of human disobedience,according to verses 16 and 17, impact differently on men and women.For Eve and those who followed her, the penalty of disobediencewill be the pain of childbirth and for Adam and those who followhim, it will be that work will (at times) become a wearyingtoil.

Then at the end of the chapter there is a reference about theother tree in the garden, the tree of life.

Adam and Eve seem not to have touched this tree - perhaps theywere waiting and would only be tempted to do so when they felttheir life coming to an end. God, we read, stopped them from eatingthe tree of life … and this is hardly surprising. How deeplytroubling it would be if people who had declared their independenceof God went on living for ever.

To Ponder

• Do you experience moments when God is seeking you and asking,"where are you?"? What is your response?

• The tree of life - it seems we are now trying to manufacturethe fruits of this tree so that we go on living longer and longer.Do you see this as a benefit or as a problem? Why?