CONSEQUENCES

“And the LORD God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?" – Genesis 3:13a

Under the divine searchlight, we need to constantly question the CONSEQUENCES of our thoughts, decisions, and actions. God’s first recorded questions in the Bible convey this truth. The first question God asked in the Bible is “Where are you?” (Gen.3:9). Adam and Eve had just sinned, and in their fear and perplexity they flee from God. Of course, He knew where they were, then why ask? Most likely, He wanted Adam to reflect: “What has sin done to me? Why did I leave God, and why have I become a runaway from Him?” The same question that was posed first to Adam is directed to every person born of a woman. Every sinner is running from God, and sins have separated us from Him (Isa. 59:2). The sinner is sowing fig leaves in an attempt to cover his nakedness. Interestingly, God's first question to man in the Old Testament was “Where are you?” while the first question the wise men asked in the New Testament is “Where is He?" (Matt. 2:2).

Humanity has been separated from God by sin. God is looking for us, and we are looking for Him. When we begin to make an effort to return to Him, He draws near to us (Jam. 4:8). It is like the prodigal son who ran away from his loving father, but as soon as the father saw him approaching, he ran to embrace his son (Lk.15:20). God is waiting for us to return! In response to God’s question, Adam said, “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself” (Gen. 3:10). Then came His second question: “Who told you that you were naked?” Here God was prompting them to compare their current condition with the pristine serenity and joy they previously enjoyed. Before they sinned, they had been clothed with garments of glory, probably similar to the aura that Moses reflected on Mount Sinai talking face-to-face with God (Exo. 34:28-30). Moses returned to the Israelite camp shining with a light so bright that his face had to be veiled.

After Adam and Eve sinned, they lost the unbroken communion with God and felt naked (Gen. 3:7). Before sin set in, they were naked before one another, but not ashamed (Gen.2:25). Now, nobody had to tell them they were naked, because their nakedness came with shame. Whenever we sin, our conscience will condemn us. If our conscience does not condemn us, we have peace with God (1 Jh. 3:21). Even an individual with the lowest level of moral training will know he or she has done something wrong whenever they break one of God's commandments. For the believer, the Holy Spirit convicts of sin (Jh. 16:7-8). In His mercy, God forgives us even after disappointing Him over and over by breaking His commands, which He gave for our protection. Worse yet, we often continue to return to the very thing that brought us misery and suffering.

After that first act of disobedience in the Garden of Eden, God asked Eve His third question: “What is this you have done?” (Gen. 3:13). The couple probably had very little comprehension of how far-reaching would be the consequences of their seemingly little choice of rebellion. Part of the cruelty and tragedy of sin is that it usually sets up a chain reaction. David’s idleness led to adultery and ultimately to murder, with dire consequences. We see the societal and global consequences of sin in all the sufferings in the world today and the miseries experienced throughout the ages. God says to each one of us: “What is this you have done? What are these you are thinking, saying, and doing? Do you have any idea how much misery and woe and heartache will follow in the path of one act of disobedience?” REFLECT and REPENT!