Taking a Walk

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 ESV).

 

If you have followed some of our recent escapades, you may remember my writing about a trip to Georgia and the southern Appalachians. We met David and his family at a wonderful cabin in an idyllic location. Just one of the activities we were able to take advantage of was a short hike along the Appalachian Trail. It was a mild week for February and the hike was short enough that I was able to keep up. Our destination was a suspended walking bridge over the river. Along the trail an old tree had been cut to clear the trail. The loggers, being creative, fashioned a “bench” from the stump that the kids sat on for the pose I’ve included. It was an enormously enjoyable hike.

 

This morning as I was reminiscing, I thought of a different “walk” in the Scripture. In our reading today, God is walking in the Garden of Eden to meet with Adam and Eve. The indication is they enjoyed walking with God “in the cool of the day” in their garden home. But in today’s story, they were deeply anxious. Earlier in the day, they had disobeyed God, doing the one thing God had told them not to do. God had created Adam and Eve to live in fellowship with himself, with each other, and in harmony with the earth and its creatures. In their disobedience, however, they tried to hide from God, and, as the story continues, we see their alienation from each other and from the rest of God’s good creation.

 

When he comes to walk with them, God finds Adam and Eve cowering in shame. God explains the consequences of their sin. But in his judgment on the serpent, we glimpse God’s promise to redeem fallen humanity back to fellowship with himself, with each other, and with his world. In the coming days I intend to explore some of the “walks” of the Scripture. I hope they will provide you with encouragement in the grace of God’s redemption and love.