"And out of the ground the LORD God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. If he was just manifesting himself in a strong wind, there would be no need to use the word walking. It is also the case that Adam and Eve had been commanded by God to "be fruitful and multiply, and fill the Earth" (Genesis 1:28). I think your criticism of my article misses the mark. For more information on the subject of Heaven, see Randy Alcorns book Heaven. I hope this clarifies my objective in the post. The only time it mentions the voice and walking (if those are the right translations) is when Adam and Eve were hiding from God. While its within the realm of possibility that Adam and Eve were 60+ when expelled from the garden, I find it extremely unlikely. In Job, God spoke out of the whirlwind. In spite of being familiar with scripture, I never noticed that it doesnt exactly say this. John teaches that Christ the second person of the Godhead is the Creator "All things came into being through Him, and . The anthropomorphic description of God walking (mithallek) in the garden suggests the enjoyment of fellowship between him and our first parents. But even that would not prove that He took strolls with Adam. #1 Eve "saw" that the tree was good for food. Their physical condition changed as a result of their eating the forbidden fruit. We can speculate, contemplate, and imagine probable scenarios by referencing other relationships in the Bible, but in this day and time especially, we must be diligent and aware of the texts true contents. Or perhaps just the knowledge of being disobedient & the result of knowing their nakedness is what caused him to be afraid. In fact, they didn't even know what want and longing were! Useful insights. Could Adam and Eve have actually taken walks with God in the Garden? I suppose so, but seems illogical, Hi Daniel, The strong wind or breezy alternative is reflected in the notes of many English Bibles, such as the NASB, NET, and ESV, and it is even the translation of the HCSB. 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. 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. In other words, man had a physical body made from the ground. I think you misunderstand what was meant by the possibility of God coming in the wind. I think that would be fantastic. Hi Ralph, Could the person who was walking in the Garden have been the Angel of the Lord or the Pre-Incarnate Christ? Before He came to earth two thousand years ago, Jesus appeared at various times in the Old Testament in a physical form. When everything fell apart, so did the people. 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 Genesis 3:8. Gen 18 - Abraham's discussion and bargaining with the LORD (YHWH) Ex 3 - Moses at the burning bush. I went to church this past Sunday and my pastor who is pretty good with the Word of God and quick to say if he is wrong said he had a revelation thats god ohyically walked with Adam and Eve and as he spoke my discernment clearly was NO THIS DID NOT HAPPEN. God did really walked with man physically, reasons: then Adam was sinless, only sin can hide God from us, so why should God hide himself from a sinless being? I guess its just hard to let go of certain ideas, but we must always allow our thinking to be challenged by what Scripture actually says rather than what we want it to say. (Posted on October 30, 2014, http://midwestapologetics.org/blog/?p=1349). After creating Adam, God "put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it" (Genesis 2:15). 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. God, by nature, is Spirit and a spirit does not have a bodily form. 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. I dont recall what prompted it, but I do remember searching for the phrase, God walked with Adam in the cool of the day. (Meditating upon God's Word makes it a consistent part of our daily . It is very possible that the angelic beings are also made in the image of God. Why would God spend time with them, because He loved them and wanted to share His love with them! Genesis 3:8. Remember that the Holy Spirit came at Pentecost with a rushing mighty wind (Acts 2:2). Why? Did you notice something else about the way people typically define the image of God? Man, this helped challenge me to really read through the scriptures on this topic. It was part of the sad deception that the man and woman who wanted so much to be like God, rather than obtaining the stature of deity, are afraid even to commune with him. Tim. Adam's spiritual life, through fellowship with God, depended on Adam's respect for God's laws. But, like other things, there is truly not a single word to directly support the notion that Adam walked with God in the cool of the day. Your answer leaves many questions for me though Please explain the remaining context of Gen. 3 in Adams walk with God. These include appearances to Abraham, Hagar, Moses, Joshua (Joshua 5:13), Gideon (Judges 5:12), and the wife of Manoah (Judges 13:3). Instead, He manifested as a violent wind, perhaps not too different than how He spoke to Job out of the whirlwind (Job 38:1). If the idea being conveyed by the text is a strong wind then this scene was probably quite similar to the way God spoke to Job, as I mentioned in the article. Second, Eve was made from Adams rib (or more accurately side), indicating that they both had physical bodies (Genesis 2:21). Was it God walking or was it something different? can you show me when i can get the ideas? You read that correctly, the Bible never states that Adam and Eve walked with God in the Garden. On page 57 of Heaven you say Before the Fall, God came to Eden to visit with Adam and Eve (Genesis 3:8). This passage refers to God walking in the Garden after Adam and Eve have fallen, but before God has confronted them. You may be reaching for your Bible right now to prove me wrong. Nothing in that passage says it, and thats the main point of this post. Hi Tim. Required fields are marked *. When Eve gave birth to Seth (at age 130) she viewed him as a replacement for Abel. Here is a portion of what I wrote on page 72 of my book, Fallen. The ESV accurately captures Adams response in verse 10. I clarified my statement about strong wind being a better translation to point out that there are scholars who make this claim, like J.J. Niehaus. Hi Warren, Blessings! Because we are made in Gods image, we are called to image God. Whirlwinds dont speakunless it is God appearing in that form. I think we both agree that God doesnt need to appear in human form to bring the animals to Adam or to perform surgery on him. It is not an issue of molester in the same room with a kid. 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. What was their relationship? Hi Nucc, They hear a sound. Thanks for taking the time to comment. the Word of God walked in Eden. If you want to try to build a case for the possibility, thats fine with me too. Never stop, word will not go void! Can you show me some similar articles? There are several possibilities, such as siblings, nephews, and nieces. 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! Adam doesnt need to know instantly that it is God moving about, but once God speaks to Him (whether out of a whirlwind or appearing in human form or any other form) then Adam recognizes who is addressing Him. Maybe He was physically there throughout the short time that they were in the Garden, but I have my doubts., By a plain reading, Genesis 2:7 and 2:22c reasonably are inferred to imply that the place where God formed Adam, and then Eve, was a place some way *outside* of the garden (and this place likely being that of the shore of a river or a sea). In God's sight they are like filthy rags. It means closeness, intimacy, communion. And they heard the sound of the Lord God, walking in the garden. And therefore, it seems to me familiarity was brought about by regular communion/ communication/ visits from the Lord. Considering that each year subtracted from Cain and Abels ages at the time of Abels murder could be added to Adam and Eves time in the Garden, its quite possible that Adam and Eve spent many years in the Garden, which would make their sin all that more sorrowful. We do see examples of theophanies in the Old Testament where God does appear to people in human form, as He did to Abraham. When they heard the sound of the Lord God walking about in the garden at the breezy time of the day, the man and his wife hid themselves from the Lord God among the trees of the garden (Gen. 3:8). The impression people usually get is that Adam and Eve were in the garden for a long time, enjoying daily walks with God. Hi Ian, Yes, they could have done this if God made a physical appearance (called a theophany), as He did in other places (e.g., Genesis 12:7; 18:1). 10 He answered, "I heard you in the garden. The children of Israel had a great amount of lifestock during the time of their exodus. Here is just one example about working the land 26:1 make no idols. Im pointing out that possible understanding of the text. It seems from Scripture that they lived on manna exclusively. It seems so trivial. What does it even mean? So they hid from the LORD God among the trees. But that is not what it says, so Im trying to help people avoid teaching false ideas about Scripture. Who was Cain afraid of? Ive added that to the article now to help clarify that point. Adam and Eve and God literally walking next to each other in perfect harmony. Of course, since God is capable of making physical appearances, but we need to be careful not to assert that the Bible directly teaches this. For example, the Passover lamb was to be eaten (Exodus 12:8). Im not sure that it necessarily follows that there would be ongoing communion and communication between God, Adam, and Eve. I hope this helps. Yes, Adam and Eve were made in His image (as are all of us), but I would argue that angels are probably made in His image as well, and even the holy angels arent in ongoing (i.e. 4 This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, when the Lord God made the earth and the heavens. This could be literally translated "the wind of that day." Some think this might refer to a strong wind. And how many times is this a supporting argument for a main point or the main point itself? Hi Bob, I have read the account of Creation, Adam and Eve, and the Fall so many times in my lifetime, but I just recently realized that the Bible doesnt say that Adam and Eve walked with God in the Garden. 4. And God created a new animal to be a companion for Adam and Eve. You are essentially appealing to an argument from silence. So it seems there would have been little or no point for God to have EVER been in their presence in the manner that this idea assumes: actually relating to them in the ordinary manner in which one human normally would relate to one or more other humans. When He asked them why they hid they answered Him. "Until the cool of the day when the shadows flee away, Turn, my beloved, and be like a gazelle. Thanks for taking the time to read the blog post and for your kind words. 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. These factors make Adam, and subsequently Eve who was taken out of the man Adam, uniquely designed to perceive the presence of God, and descern His will. Job 38:1 states, The YHWH answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said:. 9 GOD made all kinds of trees grow from the ground, trees beautiful to look at and good to eat. Sin Of Walking. This saddens me. To add to the post above, another theological consideration is the temple. It was always my thought they in fact walked side by side as one would imagine them doing so. The Bible doesnt say that, and that is the point of the article. Genesis 3:8. Here is a link to the Wikicommons page showing that this illustration is in the public domain: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Schnorr_von_Carolsfeld_Bibel_in_Bildern_1860_009.png. They had bone and flesh before they sinned, before they recognized their nakedness. ? So Adam could eat of every tree except for the . No the bible didnt directly say they walked with God. When the shadows flee away, I will go my way to the mountain of myrrh. 00:00. . If God was in spirit form hiding would make no sense, how can you hide from someone you cant see? 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! 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. God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. The phrase "walked with God" first appears in the Bible in Genesis 5:22 and refers to Enoch after He was "raptured" but I understand what you're asking. If Im narrating a scene, I can write that the main character heard a certain sound (e.g., an approaching truck or an army on the march) before the character realizes what it is that he is hearing. 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. 1991 - 2023 Eternal Perspective MinistriesAll Rights Reserved. Verse Concepts. After Adam and Eve sinned, God found them hiding from Him as He was walking in the Garden. Lastly, as scripture verifies scripture, we see the second Adam, known as Jesus Christ in regular and perpetual contact with the same God and Father. Answer (1 of 21): The context once again gives the answer. by Erik Jones. The Tree of Life was in the Garden was it not? is not an accurate analogy. While its true they could have been over 120 years old when Cain killed Abel, they also could have been any age from very young up to 120+. I have been following the comments on this article for several years, and I want to say how much I appreciate your kind and faithful answers. Just because Adam and Eve had no sin they still were not privileged to seeing God in physical form. Then it says that Adam & Eve hid themselves from God's presence and then they confessed that they "heard" His voice and hid themselves from His voice. Maybe it is written somewhere else in other ancient writings? " In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word . It would be accurate if the point of my article was to claim that Adam and Eve did not walk with God in the Garden prior to sin. They were created pre-programmed by God. This just isnt found in the text and seems very unlikely in light of the details given in the post. There isnt a verse like this about Adam and/or Eve. He does indeed come down, but this time for confrontation and judgment, whereas before it had been for fellowship. They may have walked with Him prior to the Fall, but it just doesnt say that. Two things that they did see. One of those commandments was as follows: "And the LORD God gave this command to Adam: 'You may freely eat from every tree in the garden, except you must not eat of the tree of the knowledge of . So they hid from the Lord God among the trees in the garden. If the voice of God walking in the garden caused them to run and hide because of disobedience, sin, judgement. The term used to explain this and other episodes is anthropomorphism (human-forms). Hi Robert, We did not know, nor trained ourselves to do that and now see our own child in the consequences. With this particular issue, the reason I addressed it is because I hear it so frequently. In the later OT the Temple was the place of God's special presence where he made himself known and felt to Israel. I appreciate the encouraging words. He could have done it audibly from the heavens, or He could have spent time with Adam in the garden. Adam blamed the woman, the . Sam. Gen 3:8 And they heard the voice 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 amongst the trees of the garden. He was there, He is everywhere and He was always with them. That is why I have a whole series of commonly misused Bible versesnot to condemn but to encourage believers to elevate Scripture above our own ideas that weve unwittingly added to it. But it would be nice for you or someone else to show me where the Bible ever makes that claim. . To say that life was good in the Garden of Eden would be an understatement. You cant see that Leviticus expounds on how to walk with god? (Gen. 3:8) Adam is placed in the garden to "cultivate (abad)" and "keep (samar)" it (Gen 2:15). Another potential source for this idea is found in the statements made about those who did walk with God. Surely, He wouldve given them the ability to do that right from the start. The Lord can speak out of it and He can perform any other functions, such as making coats of skins, while in that form. In each case, they are basing their ideas on something that isnt stated in Scripture. Hi Greg, The Lord God Walking in the Garden. So if your standard were correct, then that same standard would itself have to be outright affirmed in the Bible. Song of Solomon 4:6. And maybe that is it, people just want to believe they they did as that is such a powerful feeling knowing God is walking with you. For example, Enoch walked with God (Genesis 5:22, 24) and Noah walked with God (Genesis 6:9). But there is no need to make the text say something it doesnt. As I mentioned in the conclusion, God could have walked with them, but the Bible does not tell us that He did. Weve arrived at a very similar conclusion very recently that Adam and his wife or help-meat very possibly disobeyed their creators command not to eat of the fruit of tree in the midst of the garden the first day they were placed there. He put the Man he had just made in it. Tim, thank you for your commentary. I even pointed out that when the Bible speaks of Enoch and Noah walking with God it should be understood in the figurative sense of them living godly lives (as opposed to taking physical strolls with Him). The only mention of walking in that part of Scripture is while Adam and Eve are hiding from God in the garden. However, that fact has very little to do with whether He walked with Adam and Eve in the garden. The adverbial phrase in the cool of the day (NIV, NASB, NJB) or the breezy time of the day (NJPS, NAB) translates the Hebrew phrase wind [rah] of the day. The NRSVs rendering makes the time more explicit, at the time of the evening breeze (also REB). God communicated many things to Adam. They heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden at the time of the evening breeze, and the man and his wife hid from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. I have been studying this part about god walking with Adam when I came across your post. And it was a good animal and God was pleased. 16 I also will do this unto you I will appoint unto you terror consumption burning ague that shall consume the eyes and cause sorrow of heart and you shall sow your seed in vain your enemies shall eat it17 and I will set my face against you 18 and if you still dont listen to Mei will punish you 7 times more for your sins please not that it is sin that seperates man from god. Of course, Adam and Eve walked with God in the Garden, its written right there in Genesisumahis it 3? Room with a kid this passage refers to God walking in the garden the NRSVs rendering the! Nakedness is what caused him to be eaten ( exodus 12:8 ) ability to do that and now our. Read the blog post and for your Bible right now to help people avoid false. Me familiarity was brought about by regular communion/ communication/ visits from the,... And nieces you in the same room with a rushing mighty wind ( Acts )! 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