Questions from the All-Knowing Creator

When the God of the universe asks a question, the only proper response of those to whom He speaks is careful attention. Even those who are not directly addressed would do well to incline their ears to- ward Him. For any and every word spoken by the all-knowing Creator demands our full regard. To what end must we listen so intently? To the end upon which both our lives and our eternity depend. When the God of the universe asks a question, we ought to listen with utmost care, seeking to understand precisely what He is asking so that we may respond with the most faithful and complete answer we can possibly articulate.

Operating from the foundational truth that God knows all and sees all, such questions uttered from His mouth are not for His benefit, but rather solely for those whom He addresses.

God’s questions are not for His information. They are for our transformation.

If we hold to the truth that we must give an account for our deeds, and that every knee will bow and every tongue will confess, we must understand that it is imperative that we begin doing so with the first account given.

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.”

Genesis 3:8-13 

These questions, asked at the most devastating moment in human history, certainly demand our attention. If not these, then which ones take precedence? Given the circumstances of such an event – the fracturing of humanity’s union with God and the defilement of His creation – it should appear to us to be of critical importance. If these questions are not addressed first and foremost, all other questions are null and void. If we consider any other questions before these, let it be known, all roads lead here. For this is the beginning of our end, and the end we are to return to.

While the fall of man has often been addressed throughout time, these particular questions have seldom been addressed in the full depth they seem to require. It’s necessary that we do so.

God asks four questions in the exchange with Adam and Eve in the midst of the cataclysmic fallout. For the sake of keeping things concise, and within the lovely number of three, questions three and four will be grouped together. Their essence, which will be broken down further throughout these pages, is the same. Both deal with the actions of Adam and Eve in relation to God’s original commands. So, they will be grouped together. The question list will appear as follows moving forward:

1. Where are you?
2. Who told you that you were naked?
3. What is this that you have done?

As we will soon discover, the questions God asks Adam and Eve contain a tremendous amount of depth. Initially, they cause more to arise. Why is God asking questions? Why is He asking questions in the midst of the most devastating moment in human history? Furthermore, why is He asking these particular questions? Out of all the possible questions He could ask, He chooses these. Why? If we hold to the truth that God is all-knowing, does He already have the answers? And if He does, will He then proceed to answer them Himself?

The objective is multifold. First, the meaning of the questions needs to be established. As we get to the heart of the questions, we will discover and understand the heart of God and the heart of man. This will consequently push us closer to discovering meaning.

We will begin with a broad view and work toward a more precise one. 

At the outset of this encounter, God’s heart is revealed to us through His actions and His restraint. While it is important to analyze how He does react, it is equally significant to analyze how He doesn’t react. When we consider the weight of Adam and Eve’s disobedience, God’s reaction is truly profound.

God doesn’t come down to the garden, looking for Adam and Eve, ready to sucker punch them off the face of the Earth for their actions. He isn’t described as gritting His teeth in rage with flaming fists primed to blast Adam and Eve into oblivion, yelling, “I told you not to do this! I asked you to stay away from one single tree! I even put it in the middle of the garden so you would remember. I made it so obvious. I even gave you thousands of other trees to eat from. But what do you do? The one thing you weren’t supposed to do!”

He doesn’t discard Adam and Eve and create two new beings in an attempt at round two.

He doesn’t look down from heaven, evaluate their disobedience, and insist they aren’t worth the time anymore.

He doesn’t leave them out in the garden, hiding and alone. He doesn’t abandon them. He doesn’t hide in His realm consulting with the angels on how to move forward. “I gave them specific instructions. They disobeyed. They’re on their own now. If they even think to speak with us, ignore them. All of heaven shall be closed to them from now on.”

If one were to survey the population, it would be reasonable to conclude that most of us carry the fear that if we were to make a mis- take, those who are around us would leave. They would see our failure, evaluate us as damaged goods, and walk away for good. Many of us, myself included, have a tendency to view failure as final and an act of disobedience as grounds for immediate and permanent dismissal. 

Yet, God’s reactions in the garden, and in our lives, say quite the opposite. While the disobedient actions of Adam and Eve brought consequences, God walked in the midst of the garden, coaxed them out of hiding, and engaged them in a conversation. The conversation, while convicting in its nature, wasn’t meant to shove their faces further into shame. It was to surface the wrongdoing and reorient them within this new reality. God does not leave Adam and Eve to their own dysfunction or hand them over to destruction. Instead, He seeks them out in their fallen state and begins the work of bringing them back into His presence. 

Just a few short sentences later, God outlines what’s going to happen from this point forward. Again, what He doesn’t do and what He does do are equally important. He doesn’t go off into a secluded part of the garden where he can blow off steam and think up a plan. He doesn’t receive their answers and then say, “Seems to be a tough situation you two are in. Best of luck!” Instead, He goes straight for the serpent and delivers the consequence.

“I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”

Genesis 3:15

Not only does God declare the serpent’s future defeat, but He declares that it will come through the offspring of Adam and Eve. They are now part of His redemptive plan. Adam and Eve, by God’s declaration, are now the vessels in the restoration of the very thing they corrupted. Humanity does not become idle bystanders in this situation. They are active participants, hand in hand with the Almighty God.

Within this interaction, a structure of value emerges. As just dis- cussed, God goes straight for Adam and Eve. To some extent, this is obvious, considering they are the guilty offenders. But again, His heart for them is magnified by what He doesn’t do. The Bible doesn’t detail a portion of time where He is grieving over the destruction of creation prior to His interaction with Adam and Eve. The immediacy with which He goes to them indicates His priority. When He interacts solely with Adam and Eve, His attention reveals His values. Amid the entirety of creation – the vast universe with its stars, planets, waters, trees, fruits, flowers, and all its beauty – God seeks out humanity above all things. In the same way we are captured by the majesty of the mountains, the beauty of the sky at dusk, and the crystal blue oceans, God is captured by us. Humanity is at the core of God’s value system. Everything else is secondary. And when everything goes wrong, He seeks out His highest value in order to bring restoration.

Moving from a broad overview to a more precise examination, the value within humanity itself emerges. If humanity is at the top of God’s value structure, then what might be the value structure within humanity? In all of creation, humanity is of the highest value to God. What then is of the highest value within humanity? 

The three questions contain the value structure:

1. Where are you?
2. Who told you that you were naked?
3. What is this that you have done?

First, we will analyze the patterns contained within all three questions. The patterns used reveal the value.

The initial pattern to observe lies within the specific verbs utilized. Each question contains a form of the verb to be: in the first question, are; in the second, were; and in the third, is. These verbs are defined as “being” verbs or essence verbs. From a linguistic perspective, the concepts of existence, condition, and meaning arise.

What might be the significance of using these verbs?

God is posing questions to their mode of being, or their mode of existence within the world. He is inviting them to examine their condition. The objective is for them to examine their current reality, to become aware, and to become conscious of their being and their surroundings. At the fundamental level, the questions are about consciousness. Perhaps the first thing we can posit when speaking about existential matters is that we must become conscious. To live, to live fully, to live with mean- ing, is to be conscious of life and fully aware of being. Consciousness precedes the act of answering the actual question. In order to respond to the Creator, in order to participate in the matters of life, consciousness is essential. Perhaps we could even say the act of responding to God is consciousness itself.

The famous lines of Shakespeare’s Hamlet provide further understanding. “To be or not to be, that is the question.” Prince Hamlet is questioning, more precisely doubting, the relevance and value of life amid suffering. It’s the most fundamental and potent existential question we must ask. Is life worth living? Is being itself worth it? The act of pos- ing the question is an act of wrestling with reality. These three questions allow, perhaps even force, Adam and Eve to wrestle with their reality and provide an answer based on their perceived understanding of the situation.

Life is meant to be lived fully awake and fully conscious. God has not created us to drudge through life half asleep and moderately aware of the world around us. When God breathed the breath of life into humanity, He infused us with vibrancy. It was not dull. It was not meant to be unassuming or lacking definition. We are made to be alive in the presence of God. A presence that seeks our full attention and awareness. When we are cognizant of Him and all that He is, our senses are opened up to the radiance of His creation.

God wants Adam and Eve to become aware of their tragic mis- takes to bring about restoration and healing. That which is not made aware, that which is not revealed, can never be healed. God operates in grace and truth. And truth makes known that which has gone astray and gotten out of line. Truth awakens and brings consciousness to being. Such consciousness, awakened by the truth of God, marks the beginning of humanity’s restoration by His grace.

The second pattern is the usage of the object “you” in all three questions. Albeit simple and quite obvious, every question is directed at Adam and/or Eve. Again, for repetition’s sake, these questions call on their specific awareness within their specific situation through their individual consciousness. Therefore, God is seeking a direct, individual interpretation of the current reality. They must answer and give an account.

The patterns contained within the questions indicate the value of humanity being fully conscious and fully alive. God wants us to be fully aware of being itself. 

Now, getting more precise, what exactly might God want us to become fully aware of and fully conscious of in life? The essence of the questions contains the answers. We begin with the first.

Question 1: Where are you?

The question itself, while only three words long, can be broken down and analyzed word by word. Where denotes a location. Are is a mode of being. You is the subject in relation to the first two words. The question seeks to discover their location within the Garden of Eden. The explanation seems rather obvious. By calling out in the garden, He is attempting to locate them and bring them out. Based on concepts we established previously, God’s omniscience would confirm He already knows where they are. So, what is He asking? Is He asking for Adam and Eve’s geographical coordinates of latitude and longitude? Is He asking from a symbolic or a metaphorical perspective, rather than a literal one? Or is it a combination of both? As we have established, Adam and Eve are to give an account of the question. God is asking them to consciously analyze their specific location within the garden.

The essence of the question is relationship. In this case, the definition of relationship is twofold. It denotes a geographical relationship and a personal relationship. The disobedience of Adam and Eve led to two things occurring simultaneously. First, their disobedience severed the union originally established between God and man. It is an immediate consequence. Second, their disobedience caused Adam and Eve to react to this immediate consequence, the severing of the relationship, by physically changing their location within the garden to a position of concealment. We gain further understanding of this through Adam’s response. “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.” 

Adam’s answers indicate he has a conscious understanding of the situation, his own being, his relationship to God, and his actions against Him. The expression “I heard the sound of you” indicates Adam’s relationship to God. Adam has familiarity with His being, specifically with His sound. A certain level of intimacy is necessary to identify someone strictly by their sound. To be aware of someone’s sound, there has to be a significant connection or established relationship.

As a result of the changes in relationship on multiple levels - Adam’s personal relationship to God, his relationship to himself, and his relationship to Eve - the physical, geographical relationship also changes. When Adam hears the sound of God, it strikes fear within him. Why? He confesses it is a result of his nakedness. Adam determines he no longer has a relationship to himself that is suitable in his own eyes, nor in the eyes of others, nor in the eyes of God. He opts for concealment and seeks to remove himself from everyone’s sight. His awareness of his current reality led him to view himself as insufficient in God’s presence. Therefore, because his relationship with himself has been distorted by his fractured relationship with God, he opts for concealment. Adam changes his geographical location due to the fractured union between him and God.

As Adam is the receiver of the question and the one who is to answer, he is in one position. God, the asker of the question, is in another position. The positions indicate who they are and further reveal the value structure.

The essence of the first question reveals God as the Father. He is the ultimate guide, counselor, and teacher of humanity. As He is these representations, we are to live under His guidance as His children. We are to listen with intent, to follow where He leads, and to remain close as He directs.

When teachers pose questions to their students, most of the time, they already know the answer. Great teachers ask questions to impart knowledge to their students. They set out a question, or a series of questions, for their students to break apart and explore. It’s about the students coming to the answer rather than the teacher telling them the answer directly. God is using questions to help Adam and Eve think critically about their actions and provide an account for their behavior. In doing so, He treats them not as passive recipients of information, but as moral beings capable of recognizing truth, confessing error, and responding faithfully. 

In further depth, the Socratic method, named after the Greek philosopher Socrates, has been applied in educational settings and in psychology, specifically in clinical settings. From Plato’s perspective, a student of Socrates, this method was deliberate and systematic. The teacher deliberately stepped back and assumed a position of ignorance despite possessing established knowledge. As a result, students were allowed to move toward higher knowledge and deeper understanding through their own reasoning and pursuit. The goal of the method was to explore complex ideas, clarify and establish specific concepts, examine evidence, and challenge underlying assumptions.

Linking these insights to the interaction in the garden, God asks questions despite His omniscience, for Adam and Eve’s benefit, to think for themselves and search for a deeper truth. He withholds His knowl- edge to help Adam and Eve uncover the truth of their situation. The objective is not merely to inform them, but to lead them into knowledge and understanding.

In relationships and everyday conversation, questions serve as a building block for establishing, building, and maintaining a connection between two or more people. We understand others by asking questions that can lead to common ground and positions of unity within the relationship. God asks with similar root motives. The motive is to establish a connection, or in this case, reestablish a connection. In doing so, He draws Adam and Eve out of their hiding, reopens communication, and seeks to reestablish a connection with them. 

Question 2: Who told you that you were naked? 

Adam’s answer to the first question leads to the second. When Adam confesses that he is naked, God focuses on it.

Question number two becomes more complex due to its length and the introduction of another individual. The first word, who, seeks to discover the individual who has been inserted into the conversation (told). The question seeks to identify the individual who is now part of the conversation, yet was originally unintended. As we previously established, the you in this question is referencing Adam and Eve, or in this case, just Adam. Despite the presence of an additional who, the question is still directed towards Adam. The final word, naked, is a description of being. They were, and are, naked. Is their nakedness to be understood as physical, spiritual, emotional, or mental? Or a combination of all of these qualities? Based on Adam and Eve’s action to cover themselves with fig leaves and hide, the nakedness described is a physical one. Simply stated, naked refers to their image or their identity. Furthermore, it refers to their image in relation to the who.

So, who might this who be? Eve confesses to God that it was the serpent who deceived her into eating the fruit. But the serpent doesn’t call Adam or Eve naked. It is Adam and Eve who look upon themselves and determine they are naked and must cover up.

Prior to this rupture, humanity lived fully within God’s sustain- ing presence. Though physically naked, Adam and Eve existed without shame and without the need for covering. In the sight of God, and in the sight of each other, coverings were unnecessary. They saw one an- other through the righteous and holy perspective that flowed from their union with God. When that relationship ruptured, the connection to their image, established and sustained by Him, was severed. Adam and Eve now looked upon themselves through eyes no longer aligned with God’s truth but darkened by sin.  

To further understand humanity’s nakedness, we look to the great artist Michelangelo. One of the most famous works of art ever created is his white marble statue of David. Fully nude and equipped with only his slingshot and a rock, the statue has often been interpreted to symbolize David standing vulnerably before God, covered only in the strength given to him by God. Prior to the fall, Adam and Eve’s relation- ship with God was similar. They stood before God and one another with nothing to conceal, living in complete openness and unity. 

As the first question reveals God as Father, the second reveals Him as Creator and Protector. God created Adam and Eve. He is the sole definer and authoritative voice on the image of humanity. When He asks the question, He speaks as the One who formed them. No other voice has the power to define what has already been outlined and established by Him. God seeks to orient Adam and Eve’s attention back to who He is as their ultimate and supreme Creator. The language indicates a fatherly tone. “Look here. Who told you these things? It wasn’t Me. I created you. I defined your image. No one else gets to tell you who I created you to be”

As He is the Creator, humanity is His masterpiece. Just as a master painter or sculptor has diligently crafted his works, so God has done with us. The unique nature of each of us reveals the endless and abundant nature of God. The only way in which character, definition, and meaning are brought to a work of art is by the creator who defines it and infuses animation within each brush stroke and curve. When understanding is desired, we must seek the original creator for the truth of his work.

In essence, the second question is about image. Additionally, and most importantly, it is about the individual who defines and determines that image. God is the creator and ultimate authority of Adam and Eve’s image. However, the serpent inserted his perspective into the conversation. The definition of humanity’s image is now contested by three separate entities - God, humanity, and the serpent. When God asks the question, He seeks to help Adam and Eve identify the true enemy. As God is our protector, He wants us to know precisely who seeks to harm us. For He will take him out once and for all when that day comes. 

In order that we might come to understand our image – who we are and how we have been uniquely created – we are not to listen to outside sources. The details of our image are to be understood from the voice of the original, authoritative Creator. For no other voice is credible. No one other than our Father and Creator knows us as intimately and truthfully as He does. 

Question 3: What is this that you have done?

The third question, which, as previously stated, is asked of both Adam and Eve in the same way, is the most straightforward of the series.

The question seeks to discover Adam and Eve’s behavior in relation to God’s commands. Have they obeyed or disobeyed? Did they eat from the tree that they were commanded not to eat from? The ques- tion is about obedience. It’s about Adam and Eve understanding the role their behavior plays with reality on multiple levels. The behavior they exhibit has consequences toward God, themselves as individuals, each other, and all of creation. The consequences of their actions aren’t singular. They ripple out and affect all of existence.

The posture of the question reveals God as Lord and Master over humanity. In response, as He is Master, humanity operates as servants. God has given Adam and Eve commands, instructions, and guidelines for living properly in the garden. When He asks about their actions, He seeks to gain their attention back to His authoritative voice and the commands He gave them. If they are to receive instructions outside of Him, and proceed to follow said instructions, disobedience will surely be the result. When Adam and Eve listened to someone other than God, their actions led to destruction. God, as our Lord and Master, has outlined the way in which life is to be lived orderly and abundantly. Failure to obey has caused creation to spiral into chaos. As servants to Him, we are to listen only to the instructions that bring life to creation. 

... 

In the most fundamental terms, the meaning, or theme, of each question can be synthesized down into a singular word.

1. Relationship
2. Image
3. Obedience

The progression of the questions, in the order they are presented, 

reveals multiple things. The value structure within humanity is a hierarchy in which relationship is the highest, followed by our image and our behavior. While the questions are ordered by level of importance, they also reveal the Divine order.

Everything flows from the relationship to our Father. The image we bear is made possible by Him. When we know who God is and have an intimate relationship with Him, we know and understand who we are. We are created in His image. Therefore, to know such an image is to know God. The only way to do so is by being in a relationship with Him. When the truth is established in our relationship and our image, we then know how to behave. The commands and instructions given to us are then not just obligatory tasks needed to be completed for the sake of completion. It is a manifestation of our relationship with God and the image we bear.

If God started the line of postulation from obedience, He would have removed Adam and Eve from existence as a result of their poor performance. If behavior and performance were of the highest order, God would have gotten rid of Adam and Eve and created two new beings as their replacements. Masters are not primarily concerned with relationships to their servants. They are only concerned with their orders being followed and their tasks being completed. But He is our Father first. And as our Father, He comes looking for us when we are estranged. He desires our closeness. And He knows that those who are unified with Him in relationship will know who they are, and they will know what to do.

When the most severe existential crisis is introduced into the world, God asks three specific questions that have three precise, yet simple, meanings. The questions reveal God’s heart towards creation and, specifically, humanity. When the burden of existence is felt, when the fallout of humanity’s decision is only just beginning, God cuts through the devastation and makes His declaration.

God’s focus is humanity - Adam and Eve. Within humanity, the core meanings of existence are relationship, image, and obedience. God values, and is most concerned with, our relationship to Him, to our- selves, and to our fellow man; the image we receive and radiate from Him alone; and the conduct that flows from those first two realities.

At the most fundamental level, these three questions illuminate the structure of meaning itself. Relationship, image, and obedience form the foundation upon which God has structured human existence. Those who are in union and relationship with God will know the image they bear and behave in accordance with these truths.

Meaning begins where God begins: relationship, image, and obedience.

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