|
love and mercy, determined upon the salvation of Adam and Eve's posterity,
therefore He spoke to Adam and Eve and rebuked them sternly, but also helped
them. That is, at eventide with great kindness He came near to sinful Adam,
appeared to him, raised His voice, called Adam and asked him where he was. Adam
replied: 'I1 heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because
I was naked; and I hid myself.' God said: 'Who2 told thee that thou
wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou
shouldest not eat?' It should be observed that these questions do not show that
God did not know where Adam was and what he had doneGod forbid!but their
object was by these gracious words to give Adam an opportunity of reflecting on
his sin and his lost condition, so that he might perceive its enormity and
wretchedness. For up to that time Adam was unaware of the heinousness of his
sin, and considered that the cause of it was not himself but the woman whom God
had given him. He thus deemed God Himself the ultimate cause of his sin. The
woman also made an excuse for herself and asserted that the whole cause was the
snake.3 Therefore, while they fancied themselves free from blame, if
God had not helped them and had not drawn near and conversed with them, they
certainly would not have become aware of their sin. Hence they would not have
repented, but
|
|
|
would have fallen into eternal destruction. Yet, through the above mentioned
and the following words which God spoke to them, they were given power and an
opportunity of recognizing their sin of repenting, and of once more trusting and
hoping in God.
'And1 the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done
this, cursed art thou 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.’ By these consolatory
words God, in the first place, gave Adam power to feel enmity towards sin and
wickedness, and to repent of it. Secondly, in these words God gave the promise
of a Saviour, who would overcome Satan and deliver man from his grasp.
Thus, on hearing these words, Adam's heart once more became illumined with
the light of God's love and of trust in Him. He was again drawn near to God,
and, through his belief in the promised Saviour, who, according to the Old and
the New Testament, is Jesus2 Christ the Lord, Adam's repentance was
accepted in God's sight. It was thus that Adam obtained pardon of his sin and
|
|