And they heard the sound of Jehovah God walking about in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of Jehovah God among the trees of the garden. And Jehovah God called to the man and said to him, where are you?
Genesis 3:8-9
Then Abimelech called Abraham and said to him, what have done to us? And how have I sinned against you, that you have brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin? You have done to me things that ought not to be done. And Abimelech said to Abraham, what were you thinking, that you have done this thing?
Genesis 20:9-10
After we became believers, chosen vessels of the almighty and eternal God, creator of heaven and earth, did we instantly and completely stop all forms of sin, pride, lust, and lies? Even out of fear or anxiety have we ever done anything that would benefit us, maybe to the potential detriment of others? Sometimes it seems as though we become worse people after we believe into the Lord than before! Although this usually isn’t true, Paul helps to bring clarity when he says that he did not know sin except through the law (Rom. 7:7). However, in non-believers and believers alike, we think that the moment we become saved that we should be perfect persons and never fall short of the glory of God again (Rom. 3:23). This concept, deeply rooted in all of us, based on our own self-love, usually causes us to view the short-comings of others more harshly that we view our own. We fly into a rage whenever we see someone driving while using their cellphone, only to commit the same act barely two miles down the road. We can so easily identify the splinter in our brother’s eye, yet completely miss the beam in our own (Matt. 7:1-5). This lack of self-awareness and hyper sensitivity to the sins of others is shown in a picture throughout the Old Testament by the command of the Lord to, not have “differing weights or scales” (Deut. 25:13-16, Prov. 20:23), which were used as a means to deceptively benefit a person when they were buying versus selling. Now I say all of this merely as an introduction and to help highlight the differences between these two questions seen in Genesis.
After the fall of all of humanity, not only through the flood but also through the scattering of the people at the tower of Babel; God came in to have a new move within man. In Chapter 12 He calls Abram out of Ur of Chaldea, out from his relatives and to a land that God would show him, in order to make him a great nation and to bless him (Gen. 12:1-2). This calling of Abram is a type of our own calling from God, who through the next number of chapters has many experiences, successes, failures, dealings and learning’s from God. However, the very first trial that he experiences was related to a famine, going into Egypt, and lying concerning his relationship with his wife out of fear for his life (Gen. 12:9-13). This is an easy failure to overlook. We can chalk this one up as a “learning lesson” and simply an opportunity for him to learn to live by faith in God.
As Abram goes on, eventually his name is changed to Abraham, he continues to learn more and more lessons. He helps rescue his nephew Lot, twice (Gen. 14:13-17, 18:23-33). He attempts to fulfill God’s promise for a child and seed through his wife’s maidservant, Haggar, but still experiences God blessing in the promise of his son, Isaac (Gen. 17:15-27). After all of these situations, after being called out of Ur, called out of Haran, after receiving the promise concerning his seed, after rescuing Lot, after praying for Lot and saving him from the destruction of Sodom, and after already once learning the hazardous lesson of traveling south and telling people that Sarah was his sister instead of his wife, he did it again. He did it again! He told Abimelech that Sarah was his sister (which she kind of was), to which Abimelech asks what we all are already thinking and the first question – What were you thinking? Maybe even some of us – What in the hell were you thinking? How could he have done such a thing?
The question arising from our concept, on the surface seems correct and even appropriately justified. However, it’s usually asked of persons that still have some confidence in their flesh (Gal. 2:16, Phil. 3:3). They still believe if they work at it enough, through self-improvement, or through grit and determination, or maybe through mindfulness they can be better and do better. It’s through this lens Peter asks the Lord how many times that he should forgive his brother, thinking that seven was a pretty high mark (Matt. 18:21-22). It’s through this perspective that we can build up a religious and righteous indignation towards others. We have to see that no matter how old we are, no matter what experiences we have of the Lord, if we leave the position of watchfulness and fellowship with God then we are all capable of the exact same thing. Even king David, which the bible calls him a man after God’s own heart (Acts 13:22), during a time of peace and ease committed murder and adultery (2 Sam. 12:9). Don’t ever think that your flesh is going to ever improve, cause it ain’t!
Now I do not advocate that we who have been called by God and are under his grace take sin lightly, or even continue in sin (Rom. 6:1-2, 15). I am not condoning sin, but simply highlighting the question and its source. Oh, how each of us needs to learn to remain with the Lord, to be so fearful of ourselves and what we think we are capable of, and have no confidence in our flesh (Phil. 3:3). This is the source and view of the second question. It’s a question based not on man’s ability to be independent, but dependent on God Himself. After the fall of Adam and Eve, God doesn’t ask – What were you thinking, but Where are you? In this question we find the real heart of God towards our failures and short-comings. We find the very first preaching of the gospel and the real prioritization of God towards fellowship, relationship, presence and sins. The first question, asked through the fallen concept of man brings in condemnation where the second brings in glad tidings.
The difference between these two questions should help each of us to apply the precious blood of Jesus, which can cleanse us from every single sin (1 Pet. 1:19, 1 John 1:7). Big sins, little sins, all sins! There is nothing that you can do that falls outside of His marvelously efficacious blood. Even the amount of time that we take before we deem it okay to come back to the Lord is a lie from hell itself. That’s just your self-effort and concept thinking that you have to do a certain “amount of time” away from God before He will forgive you. Brothers and sisters, where are you? Where are you? We have to realize that our overcoming isn’t by doing “penance”, not by our promising to do something we weren’t unable to do the first time around. It’s by the blood of the Lamb! It’s by the word of our testimony (Rev. 12:11), which is not I but Christ (Gal. 2:20). He alone is able to save us to the uttermost, those who come forward to Him (Heb. 7:25). We aren’t saved through our staying away, but through our coming forward! He is the one who will finish what He has begun and will perfect us in every good work for the doing of His will (Heb. 13:21). Stop looking at yourself! Stop asking yourself that question and consider, where are you? You have not received a spirit of slavery bringing you into fear again, but you have received a spirit of sonship in which we cry, Abba, Father (Rom. 8:15). Call on Him, cry out to Him, come forward to Him! He is our city and tower of refuge for all of our mistakes and against our enemy (Num. 35:6, Psa. 61:3).
COMING FORWARD 