Genesis 20 - Where Are You?

The Word of God is from Genesis chapter 3, verses 7 to 13. Please listen carefully to the Word of God.

 

“Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths. And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. But the LORD God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.” He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.” Then the LORD God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”” Amen.  

 

After the Serpent's Temptation

In last week's sermon, we examined together who Satan is and what the serpent's temptation entailed. Temptation refers to the act of leading us toward the inherent sinfulness that seeks to fill our hearts with selfish desires instead of God, or the shaking of our hearts as we resist it. When that temptation enters us, the very first reaction is that God's word departs from our hearts. Then we begin to oppose the word, and consequently, changes occur in all aspects of our lives. For believers, this often happens unconsciously, sometimes to the point where we hardly feel it. Even while inwardly opposing God's word, we might think to ourselves, 'I'll be fine,' or through arbitrary biblical interpretation, we might diminish God's word or add things not found in scripture, distorting it into what we want to hear. Temptation leads us down the wrong path of faith in this manner, guiding us into the mire of sin.  

 

The Result of Sin: Human Reaction and God's Reaction

Through today's text, we intend to examine the reactions and changes that occurred in the lives of Adam and Eve after they were led by temptation and fell into sin. There are broadly two topics for today's discussion. The first is the reaction of the fallen Adam and Eve due to this sin, and the other is God's reaction to it. We will examine the reaction shown by humans, Adam and Eve, as a result of sin from four different perspectives, revealing what our own 모습 (image/state) might be when we fall to such temptation. Then, we will discuss God's reaction to the result of our sin.  

 

First Reaction: The True Meaning of Eyes Being Opened

First, the initial reaction shown by Adam and Eve was that their eyes were opened. In fact, having one's eyes opened is not a negative meaning at all. I ask you: Are God's eyes bright or dim? Of course, they are bright. And in Genesis, God said, 'Adam and Eve ate the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and became like one of us.' Satan also said, "your eyes will be opened like God's," we know. Therefore, God also has bright eyes, and there can be no negative meaning here. However, the meaning of "eyes were opened" as spoken by Satan in this Bible passage might differ slightly from what we think, and we wish to examine this today.  

 

Judgment Before the Fall: Eve's Perspective

Let's read together verse 6, right before the passage we read today. "So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise..."[cite: 25]. This is what Eve said after looking at the tree, having succumbed to temptation. This translation seems quite natural, smooth, and pleasant to our ears. However, this translation can also simultaneously cause much misunderstanding. Let's look more closely. First, the phrase 'saw that the tree was good for food'. While our translation uses the single word "먹음직" (good for food/appetizing), the Hebrew Bible uses two words. That is, it records 'good to eat'. And the word used here for "good" is "tov". It is the exact same word you have examined many times before, the word God spoke after seeing the world He made: 'good'. So, in fact, after creating this world, God spoke words judging good and evil. In other words, it was God's moral judgment. God is saying this world is good. Yet, before humans even ate the fruit that gives knowledge of good and evil, humans were already making that judgment.  

 

We might typically think that the moment they ate the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil, everything suddenly changed and their eyes were wide opened. However, what the Bible says today reveals a much broader and more profound meaning than our simple thought. The Bible shows that Eve, even before eating the forbidden fruit, was already judging good and not good in her heart. The thought 'good to eat' arose in her heart. And the same thought arose in Adam. Human judgment entered. The judgment of good and evil had already begun.  

 

The phrase "delight to the eyes" (보암직하다) also uses two Hebrew words. Meaning 'very pleasant to look at,' or 'greatly desired to see'. It holds a meaning very close to the English word "desire". And it's significant that the word for seeing came as a result of the eyes being opened. That is, as a result of their eyes being opened, they began to desire something. Then what was the object of that desire? It was precisely what they themselves wanted. Not what pleased God, but they came to desire what pleased their own eyes.  

 

Then what meaning is contained in 'to be desired to make one wise' (지혜롭게 할 만큼 탐스럽다)? This word '탐스럽다' (desirable/covetable) is quite ambiguous. We often use this expression when we find something appetizing, saying it looks desirable. However, the Hebrew word used here does not mean 'desirable' in a positive sense, but carries the negative connotation of 'covetous' or 'greedy'. So, it means, upon seeing this fruit, she thought it would make her wise, and she began to desire it intensely in her heart. That is, the desire to possess this fruit grew very strong. Therefore, the meaning of 'make one wise' refers to wisdom as Eve saw it, for herself, and this carries the same meaning as the wisdom used earlier to describe the serpent. Thus, a translation closer to 'sly' or 'crafty,' signifying the serpent's wisdom, would be more fitting. In other words, Eve is currently desiring the wisdom she wants, which has nothing to do with God's wisdom. The Bible says the foundation of all wisdom is in fearing God. However, the wisdom Eve desires is not for fearing God, but seeks wisdom good for herself, making it closer to craftiness. Therefore, the true meaning of 'eyes were opened' here is ultimately desiring wisdom that is good to eat according to one's own thoughts, pleases one's own eyes, and is sufficient for one's own joy and happiness. And the root of all these problems is that everything Eve desires is not close to God, but actually closer to the serpent, or Satan, who tempted her. That is, by becoming the center of her own self and listening to Satan's story, her perspective in seeing and understanding things was affected. Of course, in this respect, Adam is the same as Eve.  

 

Broken Relationship 1: Humans and Creation

As a result, Adam and Eve began to center everything on themselves and wanted to follow their own decisions in all matters. Then, the very first problem that arises here is this. The path we were meant to live was to be in God, follow God's word, pursue what pleases God, and achieve what is best for all of us. However, after sinning and falling, instead of God, I became the center, pursuing what I want and what pleases me. The order and harmony of all creation originally established by God began to break down. The most crucial part of that harmony was "relationship". After creating this world, God gave order to His creations. But due to sin, the relationship between other creatures and humans began to break. This is the very first fact discovered in the Bible. As a result of the breakdown of the proper relationship between creatures and humans, humans became the entity most likely to destroy this world among all of God's creatures.  

Nowadays, the biggest global issue is how to protect the Earth from environmental pollution. Many scientists are revealing that this pollution caused by humans is the reason for the abnormal climate phenomena frequently observed around us. People who immigrated to the US from Korea say that when they return to Korea after a long time, the first thing that surprises them is the change in Korea's climate. Korea is said to have almost changed to a subtropical climate zone. Consequently, the sea temperature has changed, leading to the disappearance of many fish species that were previously common. The situation in California, where we live, is similar. In the past, if you went under the shade of a tree, even in midsummer, you could feel cool, not hot. But now, the humidity has increased significantly compared to the past, making it difficult to experience that refreshing coolness under the summer shade anymore. These facts show that as a result of the fall, the relationship given by God that existed between creatures and humans collapsed, leading us progressively into more difficult and challenging situations.  

 

Broken Relationship 2: Between People

It wasn't just the relationship between humans and animals that collapsed. Relationships between people also began to be destroyed. Man and woman, husband and wife, and all relationships among family members collapsed. Consequently, even the basic rest we ought to enjoy at home became difficult to attain within family relationships.  

Next week's sermon will deal with God's 정리하시는 (organizing/sorting out/addressing) of all the results caused by human sin. Many people think God's reaction to Adam and Eve's sin in the latter part of Genesis 3 is a curse. So they consider God's commands regarding the husband-wife relationship, the man's labor, and the woman's pain in childbirth as curses God pronounced on sinful humans. That is, they think God inflicted an excessive punishment in addition to His word that they would die if they disobeyed the command. However, the command God gave humans today was not intended as such punishment, but is an explanation of what the death God spoke of means. Therefore, if we understand and realize today's scripture well, the conclusion becomes very clear.  

 

First, we observed the broken state of the relationship between husband and wife as a result of this sin. These difficult times are given not only to Adam and Eve but equally to us. Even among happily married couples ('inkko' couples), such difficulties always exist. Everyone has likely experienced at least once a situation where, after having a pleasant conversation over breakfast, a single wrong word prevents them from eating lunch and dinner that day. Just looking at this reveals how many problems are inherent in the husband-wife relationship. And this happens precisely because the spousal relationship within the family is broken. The result of sin was humans placing themselves at the center, which made it very difficult for things like love, patience, humility, and gentleness to bear fruit within us. They no longer come naturally but require great effort and practice. Because in a world centered on myself, defeating others, having everything revolve around me, having others understand my thoughts, needing to be better than others—these have become the natural state of our basic lives. That is why our lives became difficult because, after believing in Jesus, we have to fight against all such results of sin.  

 

True Grace and False Comfort

The result of sin ultimately leads to the severance of our relationship with God. And this is precisely the meaning of Adam and Eve's eyes being opened, which we intended to examine first.  

 

Second Reaction: Knowing They Were Naked and Feeling Ashamed

Second, we will examine the reaction of Adam and Eve whose eyes were opened. Adam and Eve, with opened eyes, saw that they were naked, wearing nothing. And this ultimately brought tremendous consequences for all humanity. First, realizing one is naked would be primarily linked to shame. Before sinning, they were naked but not ashamed, but now they saw their nakedness and became aware of it, covering themselves with fig leaves. The scripture says they wore skirts made of leaves.  

 

The Roots of Shame and Competition

Why did they do that first, as soon as their eyes were opened? While it could be to cover shame, that shame alone likely wasn't the fundamental reason for their action. Because initially, when God created us, we were created without such shame. Then what was the exact reason? When Adam and Eve were first created, they were flesh of each other's flesh and bone of each other's bones. They were the same, one body, and there was no reservation or problem. Because they were both good creatures made by God. Loving the other person, who is flesh of my flesh and bone of my bones, just like seeing myself, as I love myself, was perfectly natural. However, as a result of that relationship breaking, the other person, who was flesh of my flesh and bone of my bones, became a stranger. That person was no longer me. They became an 'other'. A deep rift formed between the two. Now, they face an 'other,' not themselves. Previously, they walked the same path. It was perfectly natural to love God within God and love neighbors as oneself, but now the path they walk has changed. The very direction of the path they walked together changed completely. No longer is the path of life about achieving God's kingdom or entering rest; they themselves became the way and the truth. And eventually, as many paths and truths arose as there were people in the world. So how could we not fight? Ultimately, those who think similarly and support what one says become one's own side.  

 

Sometimes when I meet church members after finishing a sermon, many tell me they received much grace from the sermon. I understand well what they mean, and I am truly thankful. But sometimes, there are those who say this. Their point is that what I preached was exactly what they had been thinking. So they thank me for preaching such content. Of course, I am thankful too. But if I ponder those words again, it could mean this. Among our experiences of receiving grace from a sermon, while we might think it's not good to just hear what we wanted to hear, when we hear words identical to what we believe is right, rather than responding to the truth, we feel graced by the fact that we were right and our thoughts were acknowledged, and tend to think it was a good sermon, knowingly or unknowingly. Everyone, the work of the Holy Spirit in us is not this kind of agreement. Of course, such agreement is not wrong, but more than that, it's about the sermon making us reflect on our lives, realize our failure to live according to the word, understand our misconceptions of biblical truth, and simultaneously evoking feelings of discomfort and repentance. If, after hearing a sermon, everything feels fantastic from beginning to end and your heart is happy, you should perhaps doubt yourself. It's highly likely you misunderstood the sermon. When we hear the Gospel properly, we receive comfort, but along with it, we also feel discomfort. When we hear and understand the Gospel properly, our hearts cannot be at ease. If we have heard about the punishment of the cross of Jesus Christ, how can we not think about our serious and wretched sins? It's impossible. Imagine you visited a hospital because you were sick. If the doctor told you no illness was found, you would be overjoyed. But later, you discover a cancerous tumor growing inside you. Then what would you say to that doctor? You would likely get very angry and demand why they failed to detect the cancer and neglected you until now, right? But if that doctor then cured the cancer with a new medicine they had, you would become incredibly grateful to that doctor. Why is it that you get angry, then rejoice again, and thank the doctor? It's because we understand well how serious that illness is.  

 

It's exactly the same. To someone who doesn't know how fearsome and serious sin is, the cross of Jesus holds no meaning. To someone who doesn't know they are a sinner, Jesus' death is simply something unrelated to them. The only person for whom Jesus' death is painful and uncomfortable is the one who knows their own sin. Someone who confesses, 'I am a sinner deserving to die like this,' cannot criticize or condemn others. Therefore, this discomfort and pain are natural reactions we feel when we truly come before God and hear His word. As in the second case we are examining today, realizing one's nakedness could indeed have been painful.  

 

You and I, throughout our lives, have ended up walking a path different from God's. As a result, we had to compete with others to win and rise above them, and in everything, we have lived wanting to show off our strength and gain recognition. That's why our lives are hard. Because we want to live at least as well as others live in this world. Though perhaps not like Bill Gates or other wealthy people, we desire a life where we can eat three meals a day without worry. But do you know this fact? Being able to eat three meals a day without worry became possible only very recently in human history. We are living in the most affluent era in human history. The diet we eat today for breakfast, lunch, and dinner is something that, in the past, was hard to receive unless you were the king of a country. We are truly eating well. And this has happened very recently. Then, is this fact evidence that we are blessed? No. Due to these eating habits we follow, recently many lifestyle diseases have emerged, and consequently, countless people require numerous medications. Simply resolving this issue of eating doesn't seem to be a blessing. Thus, many things we desire and wish for can become evil causes that make us increasingly struggle.  

 

Wordplay in Scripture: Nakedness (Erom) and Craftiness (Arum)

The prophets in the Bible often applied the word "naked," signifying shame, poverty, and destitution, to the people of Israel, a fact we can discover. Phrases like "You are stripped bare, you are naked". This expression was used metaphorically to describe the Israelites suffering hardship and pain under God's judgment. Originally, the word "naked" did not have that meaning, but it eventually came to be used that way by the prophets. However, an interesting fact is that this word was used in the Word Play God often employed when recording the Bible. Genesis 2:25 concludes like this: "And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed." Remember? The Hebrew word used here for "naked" is 'erom' (עָרוֹם, H6174). However, in the following verse, 3:1, the word describing the serpent as "crafty" is 'arum' (עָרוּם, H6175) in Hebrew. This 'erom' and 'arum' constitute biblical wordplay using words with similar sounds. This expression is hard to detect in Korean or English Bibles, only noticeable in the Hebrew Bible. That is, the word 'erom' rhymes with 'arum', shifting the feeling from being naked but unashamed to describing the crafty nature of the serpent. In other words, the word used to describe us changes to the word describing the serpent and Satan. Meaning, within us, we no longer see only God's image, but simultaneously, Satan's image begins to be found. In the lives of Adam and Eve, who were God's image, the source of blessing, objects of God's grace, and God's people meant to establish the eternal kingdom with Him, the image and characteristics of the serpent and Satan began to appear.  

 

Third Reaction: Covering with Fig Leaves (Self-Righteousness)

So they couldn't help but be ashamed, and they couldn't help but cover themselves. That led to the third reaction. They covered their shame with fig leaves. It wasn't a simple act just to cover their eyes momentarily to avoid embarrassment, but as you know, it was an action and reaction containing Adam and Eve's attempt to cover their sin. Just like this, we too constantly try to hide our sinfulness and conceal our sins.  

 

When I talk or counsel people, and sometimes even during sermons, I might use this expression: 'If a person could just admit their fault and immediately repent, that person is a saintly sage'. Because for humans, there is nothing harder than properly admitting one's own fault. Even when arguing with family at home, if the situation turns unfavorable for me, before I clearly feel and admit my fault, excuses come out first. Seeing this, I couldn't help but acknowledge this fact. Because humans have an innate instinct to protect themselves first. So, just as we cover our shame with fig leaves, we constantly want to say, 'I'm not that kind of person'. And we want to make excuses, saying that wasn't our intention at all. But if we look deep inside ourselves, there is always an ugly and evil heart. Yet we want to hide it and insist otherwise. We are very accustomed to such concealment.  

 

However, the important fact is that this doesn't stop at merely covering myself and hiding my faults. It leads to a more dangerous outcome: after such concealment comes self-adornment. So we end up living lives adorned not with God's "righteousness," but with our own "righteousness". Commonly speaking, adorning oneself with one's own "Righteousness" or "Justice". This tendency appears unconsciously even when you and I live our lives in the church. When deciding on or undertaking important matters within the church, or even when witnessing the wrong actions of a weaker brother or sister within the community, instead of addressing it with a truly holy heart, in God's grace and love, we judge and condemn the other person based on our righteousness or standards. That is the first thought that comes to our minds. Then how does the other person, hearing those words, react? Will they quickly admit fault and correct their mistake? Absolutely not. Likely, the rebuttal will be, 'Aren't you, who says this, the same kind of sinner?'. The argument is that I'm not the only one at fault. That is the final form of this mudslinging fight. Blaming each other, saying 'It's not just me who's wrong, you're the same'. And that's not wrong; it's actually true. This is our state. And when said like that, no one is free from it. Therefore, when we reach such a situation, we become unable to say anything. We are speechless (유구무언 - yugumueon). And consequently, we inflict much hurt and pain on each other.  

 

The Journey of Faith: Removing the Medals

So, through today's scripture, the Bible tells us. As long as we cover ourselves with clothes we made, we continue to adorn ourselves with our own things, and as long as we wear clothes we made ourselves, we cannot enjoy God's grace. That is the most regrettable human condition shown to us by today's scripture.  

 

Many believers possess medals they are proud of before God. When you approach God in praise or prayer, you might say you have nothing to offer, but in your heart, you likely want to show God many things. Never missing a worship service can be a medal we hold; making a sincere resolution before God can be a merit we want to show Him; and the fact that we have never denied God can also sometimes be a boast we want to present before Him. Like this, you and I are creating countless medals we want to present before God. Serving in the church and helping struggling brothers and sisters in the community are things not easily forgotten. This very behavior is me adorning myself. Therefore, one of the most important parts of believing in Jesus is removing from ourselves all those things we use for self-adornment. It's not about attaching God's grace to you. Since you have already been given the incomparable gift of Christ Jesus, the task we must undertake in this life is precisely to remove those medals attached to me, meant for self-adornment. It is the task of removing from myself all those things I thought I did for God, before God.  

 

True Service and Motivation for Evangelism

Through church service or mission work, you are removing those medals you possessed. When I went on mission and preached Jesus, did those people immediately believe in Jesus? No, they didn't. But seeing that person eventually return to God, witnessing such things happen that were impossible by my strength, we finally feel that God is alive. That becomes grace. Then for whom would that grace be? That is precisely why mission is necessary. Why should we evangelize? Is it so that we become well-trained in evangelism, accomplish it brilliantly, save many souls, and vastly expand God's kingdom? No. We do this evangelism because it is most helpful to you. When you witness a soul come to know Jesus Christ through the Gospel you shared, see them change and come before the Lord, you see what the greatest joy among all things in heaven and earth is. You learn what it feels like to gain a soul. When someone living in wrong faith stands upright, when you share in the joy of their soul, only then do we realize, 'This is joy'. That this is the true pleasure of evangelism. Evangelism is one of the greatest gifts God gives you. Evangelism is not difficult. Just go to someone God deems necessary and say, 'Believe well in Jesus,' and that is evangelism.  

 

Clothed with Christ

If we don't believe in Jesus properly and continue doing the same work of self-adornment as Adam and Eve, who would possibly like the God we believe in? To them, He becomes a cunning God believed by cunning people like us. If the God we believe in seems to bless everything we do on this earth and also grants us heaven, would struggling non-believers in the world view us favorably? People who believe in Jesus should show themselves thinking more of others than themselves amidst numerous difficulties, pains, and hardships, shedding tears and praying for them, shouldn't they? That is believing in Jesus correctly. Only when we live such lives, even before we say 'Believe in Jesus,' won't people come to know what kind of person Jesus Christ is through us? Of course, we must also preach Jesus aloud. But not everyone can preach Jesus well just by voice, can they? Even in the lives of those who quietly contemplate who Christ is in their own lives, Jesus Christ can be sufficiently conveyed. Evangelism is not something only done by a few believers gifted for it, but something all who confess Jesus as Lord must do. Because all of us who believe in Jesus have been called by our lives. Therefore, we have become people who must be clothed with Christ. Not my clothes, but having cast off all my adornments, I must wear the perfect clothes of Christ. And by believing in Jesus, we are people clothed with those clothes of Christ. So please stop trying to put on other clothes, and instead, I hope you daily peel off the adorned trash you've stuck onto those clothes. Then, finally, the white robe will reveal its form. The true clothes of Jesus emerge.  

 

Fourth Reaction: Hiding in Fear

The final, fourth reaction of Adam and Eve was fear. They naturally couldn't help but think of God's wrath. And that is different from shame. The clothes they made could absolutely not cover the shame and guilt resulting from their sin. So they hid behind the trees of the garden and avoided God's face. Because they knew that God knows us better than we know ourselves, fear of standing before God began to arise in their hearts too. However, upon careful reflection, this interpretation doesn't seem like a good explanation. It's not like God didn't know Adam well before, right?  

 

Shifting Blame: The Vicious Cycle of Sin

Then what made Adam and Eve afraid? It was precisely because God knew their sin. God knowing us is not fearful for us at all. The fact that God knows me actually brings us joy and rest. Knowing that God, who knows best what kind of being I am, is with me, is a great comfort. Nevertheless, due to that sin, we become unable to go before God, and the result, as mentioned earlier, is blaming others to protect oneself, or worse, despairing over one's state or clinging continuously to that hurt. Consequently, one tries to rationalize oneself and shift the blame to others. The reason Adam shifts blame to Eve, and Eve to the serpent, is precisely this. Not only can I not bear all the responsibility for my sin, but there is also no way to resolve the torn wound in our hearts and the guilt resulting from it.  

 

Misunderstanding God and Idolatry

But even more serious and frightening is continuously dwelling in that sin while thinking, 'I am not responsible for this; it's unfair'. Then why can't we help but feel it's unfair? It's because we feel like victims too. Feeling that way might seem very natural. And Adam showed the exact same reaction. He thought that while eating the fruit was wrong, he couldn't help but eat it because the woman God gave him gave it to him. And within that thought, dissatisfaction arose towards the woman who made him sin, and further grew into dissatisfaction towards God who gave him that woman. To cover my sin, I take another's fault and cover myself with it, and the end of that responsibility points towards God. Eventually, we end up complaining to God. This is precisely the fearsome characteristic of sin into which we can easily fall.  

 

Then was this the only reason Adam and Eve hid from God? I believe there is another significant reason. That is their flawed knowledge about God. And Genesis, which we have been examining, shows this well. Adam and Eve already had a distorted understanding of who God is. Who was God to them? In their thinking, not only was everything God did right, but He was also someone who permitted them only a very small part. It was conceived like parents giving children only a little bit of bland food while eating the best things themselves. They thought of God like parents who don't provide necessary education for their children but send them out to the fields to earn money. They made God into a parent who controls and suppresses their freedom under the pretext of protecting them. Even among worldly parents, there might be people who treat their children this way. And they too would have their own excuses or reasons. But most people would think such parenting methods are wrong. Yet, the point is that we, including Adam and Eve, easily think of our God in such a flawed way. We make that God into an evil God. That's why we begin to fear God. We shape God into one who oppresses us, gives us blessings, but also sends down many things we cannot possibly understand. Consequently, to resolve that fear, we create idols. All idols stem from our fear. Fear of not being able to possess something, fear of losing something precious, fear that what we currently enjoy might not last—these fears lead us to create idols.  

 

The Believer's Response: Fleeing to God

However, the true believer does not flee from God for that reason. Let's look at Psalm 139, verses 7 and 8. "Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!"[cite: 316]. An amazing confession. It means that even when in sin, the believer seeks God. It cannot be anything but a truly amazing confession. It means that when the believer despairs, falls, and loses everything, they seek God. It means that under no circumstances do we flee from God. That itself is the unspeakable comfort God's people possess. It means that even if I fall into sin and am immersed in it, I am not destroyed by it.  

 

The same applies within the church. When planning meaningful activities and asking people to participate, one of the most common responses relates to qualification. Many people hesitate to step forward, saying they are not qualified for the task. If we really considered qualifications, I, as a pastor, would be unqualified from the start. But we are also people who should not stop at being unqualified. For pastors, the time of greatest despair and testing always comes after finishing a sermon. If I ask myself, 'Am I qualified to preach this sermon?', then I become completely unable to handle the sermon for the following week. However, the reason we are not engulfed and finished there is precisely because we have Jesus Christ to run to. For that reason alone, we do not flee or stop, but pick ourselves up from that spot and can trudge forward towards where we need to go. We neither pity ourselves for being unable to overcome sin, nor feel proud of ourselves for knowing our sinfulness and trying to overcome it; we proceed steadfastly on the one path to Jesus Christ. Because we know that Jesus Christ alone is the source of my existence and my forgiveness. Therefore, as the scripture in Revelation says, we are people who see the Lord's face. Meaning, we become people who do not flee from the Lord.  

Then how can we live without fleeing from the Lord? Do we really have the qualification to become children of God? For you, the question most certain to shake the conviction of your faith in Jesus Christ is likely whether we are qualified to go to heaven. Because we ourselves know too well that we lack that qualification. Who is qualified? How can we stand upright before God? Therefore, being shaken by such questions is something that can happen to any believer. But when we are shaken by such questions, fall, and stumble, where is the place we fall? It is right into the arms of our Lord Jesus Christ. We fall before the cross of Jesus. We fall before the Lord's grace. That is why we live again.  

 

God's Reaction: "Where are you?"

These four points examined so far were the human reaction to sin. Finally, it is time to examine God's reaction. The title of today's sermon is precisely God's reaction. "Where are you?" Therefore, the content we will examine from now on is the main theme of today's sermon, right?  

 

The God Who Comes Seeking: Creation Amidst Judgment

First, let's look at the word "walking" (거닐다) appearing in today's passage. The tense used in this word indicates that this walking was not a one-time event, but means "He was always continually walking". It wasn't that God came down one day suddenly just to see Adam, but means He was always walking in that Eden. And the Hebrew word for "wind" used in the phrase "when the wind blew" is "ruach". In the past, this phrase was translated as "the cool of the day". Because when the wind blows, it gets cool. But doesn't this expression, that God suddenly came down 맞춰서 (matching/at the time of) the cool of the day, sound a bit strange? Let's explore its meaning more closely today. In this expression "the wind blows," the Bible very clearly shows two facts. First, it refers to the "Ruach" appearing in Genesis 1, meaning God the Holy Spirit. Therefore, that cool of the day is precisely the day the Holy Spirit appears, which in English would be "the Day of the Holy Spirit". That is, on that day of the Spirit, God came to this garden. Therefore, that "Day of the Spirit" refers to the day the initial creation took place. The reason I say this is because this Day of the Spirit also carries the meaning of the Day of Judgment. In several Old Testament passages, the Day of the Spirit, the day God's Spirit appeared, was also a day of judgment for Israel. And in the event of Noah's Ark and the Red Sea crossing during the Exodus, wind invariably blew. Therefore, this Day of Judgment when God the Holy Spirit appeared signifies the very day of creation when God first made this world. It doesn't just end with the sea parting and walking through it; it means that on that day, God was forming and creating a new humanity, a new Israel. It was a day of new creation. If that work of creation is happening now in this chapter 2 [Note: refers contextually to Gen 3 being discussed], then God's word calling Adam, this question "Where are you?", is not merely asking for his location, nor is it rebuking him for hiding from God. Rather, God is declaring that He will find Adam, and that through Adam and Eve, He will begin a new work of creation. Of course, judgment is included in this process. God speaks of judgment in this process. But within that story of judgment, something else was contained. If God had intended only judgment, everything would have ended already. Because the covenant was already made, and Adam and Eve committed the sin. So what remained was death, and the end. Not complicated at all. Yet God did not do that. God came to them who had sinned and hidden, called them, and found them.  

Ezekiel 16's Parable: Love for the Abandoned

These acts of God coming to the sinful people of Israel and finding them again appear continuously throughout the Old Testament. The same scene as in today's Genesis passage is found in the book of Ezekiel. In Genesis today, God asks Adam and Eve: 'Who told you that you were naked? Did you really eat from the tree I commanded you not to eat?'. The answer Adam and Eve could give to God's question was obvious. 'We ate, and because of that, we must die'—there was nothing else to say. In other words, as a result of this sin, they became, in a word, covered in blood. Like Israel, Israel's descendants, and all people appearing in the Old Testament who could offer nothing but sin, they fell into sin. And in the book of Ezekiel, God speaks thus to the people of Israel: "Jerusalem, do you know what you are like? You are like a newborn whose umbilical cord was not cut, not even washed with water," "not cleansed with salt, a child cared for by no one," He said to Jerusalem. He is saying that this sinful Israel became like this blood-covered baby. Adam and Eve in today's passage also sinned, departed from God, and became like parentless, blood-covered babies cared for by no one. This is no different from showing our own state, still bound by the dominion of sin.  

 

So Adam and Eve became blood-covered babies. But then, He says this again: "And when I passed by you and saw you struggling in your blood, I said to you in your blood, ‘Live!’" Even though we are a mass of blood, He commands us to live. Why did He say that? To Adam and Eve, though covered in blood, bound to die, right at the brink of death, He says, "Live". Why did He say that? God decided to save Adam and Eve. That is why the entire Old Testament story is about saving this sinful Adam and Eve. The story of how God will save them, and how He will save their descendants, continues throughout the Old Testament. God said He would gather the Israelites as a hen gathers her chicks, and care for them as a father embraces his child. From Ezekiel: "you were still naked and bare. “When I passed by you again and saw you, behold, you were at the age for love, and I spread the corner of my garment over you and covered your nakedness; I made my vow to you and entered into a covenant with you, declares the Lord GOD, and you became mine[cite: 399]. Then I bathed you with water and washed off your blood from you and anointed you with oil. I clothed you also with embroidered cloth and shod you with fine leather. I wrapped you in fine linen and covered you with silk. And I adorned you with ornaments and put bracelets on your wrists and a chain on your neck. And I put a ring on your nose and earrings in your ears and a beautiful crown on your head. Thus you were adorned with gold and silver, and your clothing was of fine linen and silk and embroidered cloth. You ate fine flour and honey and oil. You grew exceedingly beautiful and advanced to royalty. He gave them everything.  

 

Despite Him doing all this, God said the Israelites ultimately sinned more greatly against Him than Samaria or Sodom. In worldly terms, God had done all He could. Throughout the Old Testament, God had done all He could for Jerusalem, which had nothing to offer but sin. So, did God give up on that love? No.  

 

The New Covenant: God's Unilateral Grace

From Ezekiel 16:62: "I will establish my covenant with you, and you shall know that I am the LORD, that you may remember and be confounded, and never open your mouth again because of your shame, when I atone for you for all that you have done, declares the Lord GOD.”. God gives this Jerusalem a new covenant. And it is not a bilateral covenant, but God decides to give His unilateral covenant. Not a covenant made and entered into by both God and humans, but God's covenant alone. So all responsibility rests solely with God. Through that covenant, He promised to make us know God as Yahweh. Jeremiah described this covenant as the new covenant. To this people who betrayed their husband and abandoned their father, God, who decided to save them to the end, gave a new covenant. The characteristic of the new covenant is that it is God's covenant alone. God Himself put on this helmet of salvation. God Himself came down, entrusting this work to no one, came Himself, personally bore the cross, and speaks of dying for us. This is the new covenant. God Himself says He will fulfill the covenant that no human could keep. Not a changing, wavering covenant, but an eternal, unchanging covenant. God's covenant! Though a covenant made between two parties, because it belongs solely to God, it is a covenant God fulfills.  

 

The Result of the Gospel: Astonishment and Silence

So, when we enter into this covenant, He says the result will be that we will be greatly astonished, consequently ashamed, and unable to open our mouths. It means Adam's excuses will no longer be needed. He says the mouths that pour out words adorning and boasting about ourselves, words seeking to establish our own righteousness, will all be closed. We will be astonished, we will be ashamed, He says. Everyone, please imagine what our lives, existing within such a covenant, will look like. Our lives will no longer be about confessing faults to God and seeking forgiveness, but about being astonished by the grace that leads me to God, by the faithfulness that seeks me today, by the love that meets and embraces me who has returned to God after a long journey. Our lives will no longer be a feast of tens of thousands of words, but filled with astonishment and gratitude for the great and mighty work God has done.  

You and I no longer need to make excuses. We will no longer need to blame others and adorn ourselves. Before God, you and I will no longer need to collapse in self-reproach and despair. You will no longer need to shift your sins onto anyone else. Because Jesus Christ bore all the responsibility for your sins and mine on the cross, accomplished it all, and resolved it. Because He performed a work that cannot be expressed except through being moved by its astonishing reality. That is why our mouths are closed. There is no need to speak. All we can express is sheer wonder. God, let me live with You forever like this. Let me walk with You forever.  

 

Closing Prayer

Let us pray. Loving Lord, we come before You. Nothing can express this love of God. Nothing can articulate the Lord's grace. We approach, deeply moved by the Lord's grace. God, my Father, my Lord. I love You, Lord. We pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen!