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Wo bist du?
Immediately after the Fall, Adam and Eve hid in the landscape of the Garden of Eden. It is ironic that they used God's creation, the flora and fauna, to hide from God. This raises the first question asked as a question in the Old Testament - it comes from God to the sinner, (Adam): "And they heard the Lord God walking in the garden when the day had grown cool. And Adam hid himself with his wife from the face of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. And the Lord God called Adam and said to him: Where are you?" (1. Mose 3,8-9).
"Where are you?" Of course, God knew where Adam was, what he had done, and what condition he was in. The question God uses in this passage of Scripture proves that God was not seeking information that was already known to Him, but was asking Adam to examine himself.
Where are you now in the spiritual landscape and in your relationship with God? Where is this life taking you now? In his present state he was in rebellion, afraid of a false kind of fear, hiding from God and blaming others for his behavior. This is a general description not only of Adam, but of his descendants through the whole time to the present day.
Both Adam and Eve took things into their own hands. In order not to feel bad before God, they covered themselves with fig leaves. This clothing was inappropriate. God made clothing for them out of animal skins. This seems to be the first animal sacrifice and the shedding of innocent blood and a foreshadowing of what would come.
This question may also be relevant to Christians, as they are not immune to the human condition. Some have tried to sew their own clothes together in order to feel somehow covered before God, following ceremonies, rites, rules and regulations. The answer to human need, however, does not lie in such practices, but is embedded in the first question wise sinners ask in the New Testament under God's guidance: "Where is the newborn king of the Jews?" We saw his star rise and came to worship him" (Matthew 2,2).
By accepting and worshiping the king conferred kingship from birth, God now provides you with the necessary clothing: "For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourself in Christ" (Galatians 3,27). Instead of the skin of animals, you have now put on the second Adam in Christ, who gives you peace, appreciation, forgiveness, love and a welcome home. This is the gospel in a nutshell.
by Eddie Marsh
