God Transcends Time

Members,

I have heard it said that with God there is no time, because he sees the end as clearly as the beginning.

My question is this - Why in the garden did God have to ask where Adam was? Was this put in there for our benefit?

Murray

Genesis 3:8-13

8And 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. 9But the LORD God called to the man and said to him, "Where are you?" 10And he said, "I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself." 11He said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?" 12The man said, "The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate." 13Then the LORD God said to the woman, "What is this that you have done?" The woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate."

God asks three questions:
- Where are you? (To Adam)
- Who told you that you were naked?
- Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?
- What is this you have done? (To Eve)

The question is why did God ask where Adam was. Did God know or did He have to ask?

Let's look at the other questions:
Who told you that you were naked?
Is it possible that God did not know who told Adam he was naked? The serpent didn't tell Adam, so who did? Adam did. Verse 7, "Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked." Adam told Adam he was naked. Is it possible that God did not know this would happen?

Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat? God seems to imply that He knew eating of this tree would cause the response of knowing a person is naked. The question still is, did God know or was He just asking?

What is this you have done? This was addressed to Eve. God had already gathered that Adam and Eve had eaten the fruit and now He asks Eve what she had done? Either God is very slow or He has another reason for these questions?

It appears from the context of Genesis 3 that God was fully aware of everything that happened. Sort of like a parent who is questioning his/her children, you know what has happened and you are trying to get a confession.

Jay and Linn,

Thanks for the responses! In my mind the correlation between time and my question made more sense. The reason I was talking about time, is if God sees the past as clearly as the future, why did he give us the tree in the first place. He already knew we were going to blow it. Jesus wasn't Plan B.

It certainly is amazing how he wove it all together (The Fall, The Old Covenant and the New Covenant), his plan of salvation I mean.

Murray

hi

Regarding God and time, I have found it very helpful to my prayer life, to know that I am interfacing with the I AM..... that in eternity, it is always now.

i like that!!