Day 273 · Year 1 · The Story of Scripture
Where did this go wrong?
Genesis 3 is honest about how brokenness entered a good world.
Today's passage
Genesis 3:6-10
6When the woman saw that the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eyes, and that it was desirable for obtaining wisdom, she took the fruit and ate it. She also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate it.
7And the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; so they sewed together fig leaves and made coverings for themselves.
8Then the man and his wife heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the breeze of the day, and they hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden.
9But the LORD God called out to the man, “Where are you?”
10“I heard Your voice in the garden,” he replied, “and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself.”
Berean Standard Bible · public domain
Reflection
The fall is not a myth about cosmic powers; it is uncomfortably ordinary. A choice is offered, a word is doubted, fruit is taken, and the first reflex is to hide. Sin still works like that. We rarely stride into rebellion; we drift toward it and then cover up. Notice that God's first move after the fall is a question — not 'how dare you,' but 'where are you?' He is looking for the ones who are hiding. Whatever you are tempted to cover today, the voice walking through the garden is still calling. He already knows. He is asking so you will come out.
From the great tradition · paraphrased
Augustine of Hippo · Latin & Eastern Doctors · 4th–5th c. · North Africa
Augustine traced his own life through this same pattern: a will turned in on itself, sin that promised freedom and delivered hiding, and a God who kept calling until he stopped running.
Paraphrase only. Scripture, not any teacher, is the authority.
Think it through
- What changes in Adam and Eve between verse 6 and verse 10?
- Why does God ask 'where are you?' if he already knows?
- What are you tempted to hide from God this week?
A prayer to pray
Step out of hiding. Tell God plainly what he already knows, and ask him to clothe you the way he clothed them.