"Until the cool of the day. With that in mind, I would disagree with you on the reason you give for why God came to the garden that day. Never stop, word will not go void! Hebrews 13:8 God is the same yesterday, and to day and forever more. But nowhere does it mention or even implies that they "saw" God face to face. Hi Carrie, From this view, Adam and Eve were with God in the Garden for a whileand they had the privilege of regularly hanging out with Him. 11 Not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. Tim,I will have to agree that scripture does not state outright that God and Adam walked in the garden together on a daily basis, as many assume, however, the earlier verses in Genesis would seem to indicate that Adam and God did enjoy some sort of periodic personal interaction, such as when God brought the animals to Adam to see what he would name them, or when God gave Adam instructions regarding the work that he was to do in the garden, and what he was, and was not, supposed to eat, and certainly when God put Adam to sleep to remove one of his ribs. Ive heard so many people claim that the Bible says Adam and Eve walked with God in the garden (and some even add these words, in the cool of the day). Perhaps you should take a moment to read the blog post before commenting. To say that life was good in the Garden of Eden would be an understatement. God called (using a Hebrew word that also means "to summon") Adam to face . He was given the title of the "tree of the knowledge of good and evil" because he knew good and evil. But thats not at all what is going on here. He is eternally begotten of the Father, one with the Father, in essence, but he had not yet become flesh. We do see examples of theophanies in the Old Testament where God does appear to people in human form, as He did to Abraham. Behold we shall not sow,nor gather in our increase: now look at 21 Then I will command my blessing upon you in the sixth year and it shall bring forth fruit for 3 years 22 and you shall sow the 8th year and eat of the old fruit until the 9th year until the fruits come in. Then ended up here. Therefore, it is likely that Adam and Eve had been experiencing close fellowship with the Lord God. You may be reaching for your Bible right now to prove me wrong. The only time it mentions the voice and walking (if those are the right translations) is when Adam and Eve were hiding from God. We do see God speaking to both of them in Genesis 1:2830 when He blessed them and told them to be fruitful and multiply and told them to eat vegetation. As you know, I couldnt find it. The only possible biblical reference to walking in the Garden of Eden is found after Adam and Eve sinned. In other words, he wasn't Jesus of Nazareth walking . Thanks for the comment and for taking the time to read the post. Thanks for reading and taking the time to share your thoughts. But what does it really matter, what appears to have happened here (according to some of the responses) is that golden calves have been kicked over and religion has taken a bump on the shins. Its encouraging to know that my words have been very helpful for you. The animals possess none of these characteristics, at least not to the same degree as man, so these seem like strong possibilities for what it means to be made in Gods image. constant) communication with God (e.g., the angel in Daniel 10:13 who was withstood by the prince of Persian for 21 days until Michael came to help him). Instead, He manifested as a violent wind, perhaps not too different than how He spoke to Job out of the whirlwind (Job 38:1). Furthermore, nothing in John 1 states that Jesus walked with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. God created Adam and Eve to care for His creation, populate the planet, and have a relationship with Him. . In other words, human beings were made to reflect Gods gloryto show the world what God is likethrough who we are and what we do. But again, that doesnt change my point. Ive enjoyed reading your article, the comments and your responses. As I mentioned in the conclusion, God could have walked with them, but the Bible does not tell us that He did. Tim, thanks for striking the axe at the root of this human imagined concept. "And out of the ground the LORD God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. Genesis 2 describes Adam and Eve's first homethe Garden of Eden. I dont think its a matter of God wanting or not wanting to spend time with His creation, but more of a matter of how much time passed before they rebelled. is not an accurate analogy. Anyway, Im very surprised I forgot to include a link to an article on theophanies that I wrote for Answers in Genesis. In fact, they didn't even know what want and longing were! The point of my post was not to condemn anyone who believes that they did. In terms of the theological questions of how God could do this, one answer could be that it is an embodied pre-incarnate Christ, the Angel of the Lord, who is himself the Lord and who appears many times in the Old Testament. Hi Greg, Just read John 1 it says God was there in the beginning and on earth in the flesh so just read the book. These include appearances to Abraham, Hagar, Moses, Joshua (Joshua 5:13), Gideon (Judges 5:12), and the wife of Manoah (Judges 13:3). Although Exodus established that God was present everywhere through the judgement on Egypt, it also taught that God would be present in a special way in the tabernacle (later to be replaced by the temple). Mentions of Eden are also made in the Bible elsewhere in Genesis, in Isaiah 51:3, Ezekiel 36:35, and Joel 2:3; Zechariah 14 and Ezekiel 47 use paradisical imagery without naming Eden. Tim please do a small word study on walking and when you do you will find that walking refers to a living relationship with the said persons mentioned . They are not taking a leisurely stroll with God, they are hiding from Him as He comes to announce His judgment. This just isnt found in the text and seems very unlikely in light of the details given in the post. 1991 - 2023 Eternal Perspective MinistriesAll Rights Reserved. Since they were both born in Genesis 4 (after the expulsion from the Garden), they didnt necessarily have to be 120+ by the year Seth was born. Bible Answer: 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. Hi Sam, In all likelihood, it comes from a misunderstanding of or making an inference from Genesis 3:8: And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day (NKJV). God formed Adam from the dust and breathed His own life into the man (Genesis 2:7). However, most people inevitably mention them walking in the cool of the day, so they arent thinking of it in the figurative sense. !NOW YOU CAN TAKE THIS LIE DOWN FOR GOOD ,,,THANK YOU !!!!STEVI. 21 AND IF YOU WALK CONTRARY TO ME AND NOT LISTEN TO ME THEN I WILL ring 7 times more plagues upon you 22 I will also send wild beasts among you 23 and if you will not be reformed by me by these things BUT WILL WALK CONTRARY TO ME 24 THEN I WILL WALK CONTRARY TO YOU and punish you 7 times more for your sins He was with them when they were deceived by Satan. Would that seem that they must have heard His voice at some other time. In the book of Genesis we read that Adam used to walk with the Lord God in the cool of the day. Hi Ian, You havent dealt with this in your explanation. for details. Yet now the man and the woman are hiding from God in fear. Therefore while at yet there was no temptation, walking with God was natural. The Lord could speak from His throne and these actions could be performed just as easily as if He had manifested in the garden to perform the actions. Thats right, you are right there with them from birth, not that they were made a baby first of course, as that would take other humans to raise them as we know it! Beyond that, the Bible does not tell us about any communication between our first parents and God until after the fall. Im not a Greek or Hebrew expert, or even a student. I depend on what I can find on sites (currently I use biblehub.com). As a father communes with His children, so does the Creator with His created beings (Psalm 103:13). If you had bothered to read the post, you would have read these words: 16 And the LORD God commanded the man, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.". It doesnt say that they were walking with God. when they heard God they hid from Him. 14Today you are driving me from the land, and I will be hidden from your presence; I will be a restless wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.. Sam. He could have spoken out of a whirlwind to them and banished them from the Garden in that form. CLAIM #1: He does indeed come down, but this time for confrontation and judgment, whereas before it had been for fellowship. I dont think it was a mystery to themat least not completely. I can see that they heard either a sound or a voice. Some people have inferred from this statement that they must have known what it sounded like to hear God walk in the Garden so they must have walked with Him before. Thanks for your focus on this and for sharing the fruits of your consideration of the passage. To the second point in your conclusion, I think it is quite speculative. The goal of this post is to encourage people to take a closer look at the Bible instead of repeating what theyve heard. After all, how old did they have to be to be a keeper of sheep and a tiller of the land? 15? That is, Enoch and Noah lived faithful lives. . So they hid from the Lord God among the trees in the garden. If He did or didnt is still and can always be up for discussion , its a gut instinct in me that says no but at the end of the day Im just glad Im saved and can sort it out when I get to Heaven! God cannot look upon sin ( Habakkuk 1:13) and that's why He told Moses no one can see His face and live ( Exodus 33:20 ). well, they say that Jesuss life was that of God or perhaps he was God. Did you notice something else about the way people typically define the image of God? It would be far better to use a supporting argument that has a strong biblical basis. But at least enough time passed to provide people who lived in Nod and a wife for Cain. Genesis 3:8 KJV. God went down to talk with Adam and Eve as usual in the cool of the day, normally they would be in the open and easy to find, but this time when God came they were afraid and had hidden behind some trees or bushes. (Genesis 3:8). Thanks for your comments. 1 They Could DECIDE Genesis 3:2-3. Why werent they mentioned? And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. The serpent Satan asked her how she was doing. Is it so hard to see that broke the fall in a righteous or right standing with God, the first family would run hard to God. I know you didnt use the word constant but thats sort of the point in my article. And it was a good animal and God was pleased. He was given power and authority by Father God to create the universe and all life within it. Hello Tim, I honestly do not understand why you are so hellbent on trying to make a point of saying that Adam and Eve did not walk with God? So if they were in the garden for a month, how many times (if ever) did they walk with God? The anthropomorphic description of God walking (mithallek) in the garden suggests the enjoyment of fellowship between him and our first parents. Of course, Adam and Eve walked with God in the Garden, its written right there in Genesisumahis it 3? It is meant to point out to people that the text doesnt say what so many people have claimed that Adam and Eve walked with God in the garden. Then God gave Adam a rule for living in the garden: And the Lord God commanded the man, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.". As I mentioned in my post, I have absolutely no problem with the idea that they might have walked with God in the garden. I found it interesting that with all the opinions to the idea of walking with God in the comments section, not too many have thanked you for letting us know that Gods Word does not say that Adam or Eve walked with God in the Garden. Please do look it up, and if you find it, let me know, so I can apologize and correct this post. But God knew they had eaten the forbidden fruit. I would be with this item all day and be close to me at nite. Thanks for reading. Garden of Eden story: summary. Adam said, I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself (Genesis 3:10, ESV). But we need to be careful not to assert that the Bible directly teaches this. Therefore, We also should not assume that God was at their beck and call so that He would come around for a stroll with them whenever they wanted Him there. Far too many people run around claiming, The Bible says Adam and Eve walked with God in the garden, but as Ive pointed out, it doesnt say that. It is true that the Bible does not say, Adam and Eve never walked with God in the garden. That isnt the point of my post. God's presence is also noted by . That would be really cool. It is very possible that the angelic beings are also made in the image of God. 2. But thats not at all what is going on here. I hope you will continue in the pursuit of God's Truth. It was a choice that they both made in full knowledge of what was right and wrong. I believe one of the biggest weapons used against it is when secular opponents are more aware of the accuracy of the passages like this than we Christians who misuse and misquote them. I completely agree that Adam and Eve had the freedom to obey or disobey regarding the forbidden fruit, but that doesnt really have anything to do with my point in this post. So Adam could eat of every tree except for the . What do you think?? And how many times is this a supporting argument for a main point or the main point itself? Why? Thanks for your comments. Tim. I must stand corrected as I also remembered Adam and Eve walking in the cool of the afternoon with God. To use your example, it would be like if people repeatedly said, The Bible says Adam watched the stars every night while in the Garden. Even if he did do that, the Bible doesnt say that he did, and it would be worth correcting someone on that point. Adam and Eve enjoyed a relationship with God, and with each other, that was unhindered by the disruptive power of sin. One has still when they heard God walking in the garden, they hid from God. Finally, there are many who use the idea of Adam and Eve actually walking with God to stress the theological point of mans closeness to God prior to sin in order to contrast that with mans lost condition after sin. What does it mean for God to walk with them? If strong wind is a better translation, then it would not be saying that God was walking in the garden, but instated that He was moving in the garden. Im pointing out that possible understanding of the text. You claim the following, which I label as CLAIM #1. Because at this time there are only three people left from the list. 3:8). Thanks for caring about biblical accuracy. Adam (perhaps Eve too) was familiar with Gods presence. Nothing in that passage says it, and thats the main point of this post. Do you think that statement is a stepping stone for misleading Gods people? My guess is that they would not have had nearly enough animals to eat over their forty year wandering. 5 Bible Verses about God Walking. So if the strong wind idea is actually being conveyed by the Hebrew, then there is no textual basis for claiming that Adam and Eve walked with God in the Garden in the cool of the day. "Walked with God" is a favorite expression in Genesis, depicting the righteous conduct of Israel's heroes, including Enoch, Noah, and Abraham. However, I also notice in chapter 2 that Adam recognized God speaking (commanding) to him concerning the forbidden tree. It says, "they heard the sound of God walking in the garden", and, " they hid themselves from the presence of the Lord. Now go to verse 17 Cain made love to his wife, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Enoch. The complete bible account of the story of Adam and Eve can be found in Genesis 1:26 to Genesis 5:5. So when I say, The Bible just doesnt say that some people think Im saying that it didnt and couldnt have happened. For example, Enoch walked with God (Genesis 5:22, 24) and Noah walked with God (Genesis 6:9). Thanks for taking the time to comment. Im sure the water God supplied was for the animals as well as the people. Haha very eye opening. If that suggestion is accurate, then it would have been a physical presence of God coming in judgment, similar to how He spoke from the whirlwind in Job. Could the person who was walking in the Garden have been the Angel of the Lord or the Pre-Incarnate Christ? I hope this helps. God walked with Adam and Eve in the Garden (Gen. 3:8). What does it even mean? I just dont get your argument. GOD'S WORD Translation. Because the Bible never says that Adam and Eve walked with God. Keep up the search for accuracy. However, were here to serve everyone without cost, so please dont feel obligated to give unless the Lord leads. It seems likely that many people have just remembered some of the wording in this verse and assumed that it says Adam and Eve walked with God. Another potential source for this idea is found in the statements made about those who did walk with God. If this is how the phrase should be translated, then God was not simply walking through the Garden. It was perfectalmost. Our adversary seeks to discredit the validity of the Word of God. Useful insights. they heard him rebuke them. Hi Tim Then brought Eve to him. In fact, earlier this week during a Q&A session, one of the guests asked about Adam walking with God in the garden. This would have been after God made Eve and Adam awoke and uttered the words in Genesis 2:23. Canada AKA Commie Da under seditious King/Crime Minister Justin Trudeau!! Its sort of like saying, The Bible never says Jesus wasnt married, so He might have been. Its true that Scripture never states this plainly, but there are certain inferences people make from some verses in an effort to support such an idea. Maybe He was physically there throughoutthe short time that they were in the Garden, but I have my doubts. The answer is that it was the Word, who later became Jesus Christ, that walked and talked with Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden. And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the afternoon; and both Adam and his wife hid themselves from the face of the Lord God in the midst of the trees of the garden. Hi Robert, I will make a helper suitable for him" ( Genesis 2:18 ). Gods presence is also noted by his walking in the camp and sanctuary of Israel. The Hebrew Bible depicts Adam and Eve as walking around the Garden of Eden naked due to their sinlessness. If used in this sense, Adam and Eve did "walk" with God prior to sin because there was no fracture in their relationship with God. Tim> However, that fact has very little to do with whether He walked with Adam and Eve in the garden. Following Gods words to the T is one of the reasons why the law was fulfilled by Jesus and not by man. No sowing or reaping for 3 years! The Bible likens our righteousness to filthy rags. Thats the point of this post. However, that story or statement being preached wont cause anyone to fall into sin. He saw them sew fig leaves together to cover themselves. 16 The Lord God commanded the man, saying, "From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; 17 but from the tree of the knowledge of good and . And I think a strong case can be made for the notion that they werent in the garden very long at all. Yes, Jesus is God and was in the beginning with God, but the part about the Word becoming flesh and dwelling among us (John 1:14) is a reference to the Incarnation that began when He was conceived in Marys womb. God Was Angry. One good example is Leviticus 26:12 AND I WILL WALK AMONG YOU AND BE YOUR GOD. The natural reading of arithmetic is that according to arithmetic. Hi Robert, We know that God is capable of doing this, but >>my point< OK, so does the Bible state or imply that He didnt walk with Adam & Eve BEFORE they sinned? But that is not what it says, so Im trying to help people avoid teaching false ideas about Scripture. In each case, they are basing their ideas on something that isnt stated in Scripture. I decided to search the internet to see WHY people believe this. The sound of movement. The reasoning for this conclusion may make more sense in the next post on Cain and Abel. However, God did come physically to Abraham and ate. The old has . Adam and Eve heard the voice of God walking in the cool of the day.Read the KJV plus many other versions point to the fact that they walked with the voice of God. Part of the commission to rule over creation would have included the need to study it and figure things out. Picture this. I think this point has to be acknowledged regardless of whether you think the sound is God walking in the cool of day or God manifesting himself in a strong wind. I appreciate your effort Tim, thank you. 8 Then the man and his wife heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the breeze of the day, and they hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. I dont recall what prompted it, but I do remember searching for the phrase, God walked with Adam in the cool of the day. Ive heard far too many people claim, The Bible says Adam and Eve walked with God in the cool of the day. Thats simply false. With that being said, I agree with you that it is reasonable to infer that He spent time with them, but the Bible does not imply that He did, and that was the point of this post. Who was his wife? In the later OT the Temple was the place of God's special presence where he made himself known and felt to Israel. While its within the realm of possibility that Adam and Eve were 60+ when expelled from the garden, I find it extremely unlikely. We know that the Israelites did eat some of their animals during the year. Perhaps some people may have this figurative sense in mind when they speak of our first parents walking with God. Thanks for reading! So, it is not a far stretch to suppose that God and Adam might have walked together in the Garden, if not regularly, else why would God have gone to the trouble to create a garden and put man into it, if not to have a direct relationship. They had bone and flesh before they sinned, before they recognized their nakedness. One of my Bible study ladies commented about the command to not eat of the fruit lest they die as possibly being a mystery to Adam and his wife. Adam and Eve loved to . Adam and Eve were the first human beings, from whom every other human being descends. Just a quick note: The verb used here in verse 8 to describe the divine movement of God mihalli (sorry, my keyboard isnt able to type this word out correctly) suggests iterative and habitual aspects. Lord God (pre-incarnate Jesus Christ) was also the burning bush that app. Was it God walking or was it something different? Its about urging people to take a closer look at the text so that they do not make false claims about it. Hi Nucc, First it should be recognised that Genesis is a seed box if you want details you need to keep reading. So what if he didnt say the words in genesis one would think you would be wise enough to figure it out its not hard. Thanks again. That would be what we today would consider a lifetime of experiencing Gods faithfulness and guidance, only to throw it away in a single day! But arguments from silence are not strong arguments to build a positive case for something. I agree that youre right to the extent that believers should be mindful to validate sermons, statements or stories from pastors. Romans 5:10-12 I think your comments are valid additional arguments that could be used by those who favor that view, but as you seem to recognize (it seems to follow), the arguments are not watertight. They are not taking a leisurely stroll with God, they are hiding from Him as He comes to announce His judgment. What was their relationship? The only time we see Eve converse with God in Scripture is after she ate the fruit and hid with Adam among the trees of the garden. You asked who they were conversing with. There is no need to attribute the work to me. Is it that they are referred to as sons of God? holy ones? Thats not exactly a clear cut and dry case, beyond dispute, based on those sparse details. The first consequence of Adam and Eve's momentous decision to reject God's revelation was a . At the same time, Adam understood what God meant when He spoke to him, so there clearly was some preprogramming that occurred when God created him.
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