I find the next part of the story interesting. Although God established a clear boundary, He didn’t micromanage Adam or force him to be obedient. If it had been me, I would have put that tree on the far side of the Garden, 500 feet in the air and surrounded by heavily armed angels. Every time Adam got close to it I would have reminded him it was off limits, yelled at him to get away, or just moved it where he couldn’t reach it. But not God—He established the boundary and the consequences, and He was willing to allow a bad choice to be made. There would be severe consequences, but God would use those consequences to further His plan for the human race.
Adam and Eve made what was probably the worst choice in all of history. They blatantly rebelled and ate from the forbidden tree. When they did, they found themselves feeling emotions they had never felt before—fear, shame, and guilt. What is instructive is how God responded to their rebellion. Instead of exploding in righteous anger, God was calm and began asking them questions. Adam and Eve hid they knew they had done something wrong. Before delivering the consequence, God asked them, “Where are you?” Obviously He hadn’t lost track of Adam and Eve; He knew exactly where they were. So why did He ask? We believe the reason is that He was asking them the question for their sake, not for His. He knew the answer, but God was helping His children develop insight about their motivations. When God asked Adam where he was, Adam had to think about the fact that he was behind a tree, and that he was “hiding.” He had never hidden from God before; now God was asking him about it. I imagine he had to go through the whole scenario again in his mind before he could answer. He said he was naked and “afraid”—why? That response had to prompt a lot of soul searching. And that was just the first question. God continued, “Who told you that you were naked?” “Have you eaten from the tree?” “What is this you have done?”
With every question and answer, Adam and Eve had to think about and own up to what they had done. They had to acknowledge their bad choices had caused tremendous harm and that a severe consequence was due. This is where God’s example is even more daunting. He had established the consequence for crossing the boundary and it was time to keep his word. Adam and Eve would have to die for their transgression, not immediately, but eventually. And they could no longer live in the perfect environment of the Garden. I can’t imagine what it was like to have to deliver a consequence like that. God could have avoided the dilemma by allowing Adam and Eve a do-over or by wiping them out and starting over with another couple. He chose neither option. Instead He delivered the consequence that he promised. He was true to His word, establishing that His word was trustworthy.
In delivering the consequence, God gives us one more example of His perfect parenthood. He delivered the consequence, but in an incredibly empathetic way. Rather than throwing them out of the Garden in anger and letting them stew about their new reality, He walked them out and explained how their lives would be different. He recognized the shame they felt because of their nakedness, so He fashioned clothes for them out of animal skins to cover their shame. He made it clear that although life would get tougher, He still loved them and would provide the ultimate solution to their predicament (see Gen. 3:15). And He gave them another chance to obey—to go out, multiply, subdue the earth, and to love Him.
What a wonderful blueprint for parenting. As parents in the image of God, we can assume the authority God gives us, yet also take the time to establish and enjoy a relationship with our kids. We can give our kids clear boundaries, allow them to make lots of choices within those boundaries, and still enjoy the process with them. When our kids make a bad choice, we can let them know we love them, yet empathetically deliver consequences that will teach them to make better choices in the future. We can cover our kids’ shame by forgiving them, and then change their environment to make compliance easier and give them another chance. We can remain a calm, strong presence in our kids’ lives, never leaving or forsaking them. That’s what parenting is all about.
