I would have began this post with a scripture citation, but there don't seem to be any! This would seem to be yet another case of needing to discern the difference between what we think we know, and what we really know. It occurred to me recently that we always use the example "Adam walked and talked with God in the Garden every day before the Fall," as an example of the relationship God wants to have with us, but I didn't know where the verse was that said it. So I decided it would be better to find out than to have someone question me on it later and leave me with no explanation. So I looked... and looked... and looked... and this looking went on for quite some time before in my frustration I exclaimed "IT'S JUST NOT HERE!!!" If you know where the Bible says this, then by all means correct my understanding, but I have yet to find anywhere where the Bible actually says that Adam walked and talked with God in the Garden on a daily basis (or at all, unfortunately). Please understand that I'm not saying that this wasn't the case, merely that the Bible doesn't actually say that it happened.I know it's not much, but this is basically what I've been studying for the past couple days and sadly this is all I came up with... i.e. nothing.
In Christ's Love,
Matthew
4 comments:
Hi Matthew,
This is just where I've got to with this:
Genesis 17v1 Abraham is told to "walk before God and be blameless" - what on earth does this mean? Abraham certainly wasn't sinless! I think we get this picture of "walking with God" as being "relating to him by faith". So also in:
Genesis 6v9 "Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God." Again, Noah is righteous and blameless - he lived by faith as he "walked with God"
Genesis 5v21-24 Enoch also "walked with God". In Hebrews this is taken up as living by faith in 11v5.
So to "walk with God" seems to indicate a life of faith... a life of relationship with God. But where did the term come from in Genesis? It's earliest reference is in Genesis 3v8:
"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."
Their sin has ruined their previous relationship with God. Their unbelief in taking the fruit has ruined the relationship of faith and love they had with God before the fall. That relationship seems to have been one of God "walking" in the Garden with Adam and Eve.
This would seem to indicate that they saw regular theophanies of God, and related to him like that. Either way, the sense of "walking and talking" with him is certainly true... at least it seems to me that's the sort of relationship this phrase is intended to convey.
Hope that helps!
Yours in Christ
Pete
Thank you, Pete, I appreciate hearing your thoughts on this! I apologize if my post suggests that I don't believe Adam walked with God, I was merely attempting to make a distinction between what we 'know' and what we 'infer'.
In Christ's Love,
Matthew
In Chapter 3
8 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.
I disagree with Mathew, God walking in the garden was literal and not symbolic like he thinks. This verse shows that God did walk in the garden with them and i do believe that is the true calling of man kind. When God restores the new heaven and earth like the scriptures say we will encounter this yet again like Adam did.
Anonymous,
"symbolic like he thinks"
SYMBOLIC?! I never said it was symbolic! And I certainly don't believe that! Of course God was walking in the Garden like the Bible says He was. My question was whether or not He walked with Adam in the Garden - and whether or not this was done on a regular basis.
Please read my posts before accusing me of such poor interpretations.
In Christ,
Matthew
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