DWDP: Gen 3-8 "Adam, Where Are You?"

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Have you ever found yourself hiding from God? That's exactly what we explore in this intimate devotional reflection on Genesis 3:8, where Adam and Eve hide among the garden trees after their disobedience.

Dr. Robert Jackson (affectionately known as "Dr. Papa") takes us on a heartfelt journey through the garden of Eden, examining that pivotal moment when the sweet fellowship between Creator and created was fractured by sin. Through beautiful reflections on the hymn "I Come to the Garden Alone" and thoughtful biblical exposition, we discover how the voice of God—once a source of delight—became something Adam and Eve feared.

This pattern of hiding continues today. Dr. Papa shares touching observations from his medical practice, noting how some patients react when offered a Bible—"as if handed a snake or hot coals." Many of us hide from God's presence in our work, hobbies, entertainment, and daily activities, foolishly believing we can escape His all-seeing gaze.

Yet hope remains in this garden story. As Dr. Papa explains, God continues calling us throughout our lives—in youth, marriage, parenthood, illness, success, and aging. Each call represents an opportunity to step out from hiding and experience what he beautifully terms "the great exchange," where Jesus takes our sin and offers His perfect righteousness.

The question that echoes from Eden to our hearts today remains: "Where are you in relation to God?" Will you continue hiding, or will you answer His persistent call? Join us in this soul-stirring devotional that bridges ancient Scripture with our modern tendency to hide from divine presence.

Follow Devotions with Dr. Papa and discover more resources from Jackson Family Ministry at jacksonfamilyministry.com. Your spiritual journey doesn't have to be walked alone—step out from hiding and join our community of seekers.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome to More Than Medicine, where Jesus is more
than enough for the ills thatplague our culture and our
country.
Hosted by author and physician,Dr Robert Jackson.
Papa, can you tell me a story?

Dr. Robert Jackson (00:19):
Do you really want me to tell you a
story?
Well, you go, get your brotherand your sisters and I will tell
you a story.
Well, you go, get your brotherand your sisters and I will tell
you a story.
Welcome to Devotions with DrPapa.
I'm your host.
Dr Robert Jackson, gather around, grab your Bibles and let's
look into the written word,which reveals to us the living

(00:42):
word, which reveals to us theliving Word which is our Lord
Jesus Christ.
Today.
We are now in Genesis, chapter3 and verse 8.
Let me read that for us todayGenesis, chapter 3 and verse 8.
They heard the sound of theLord God walking in the garden

(01:08):
in the cool of the day, and theman and his wife hid themselves
from the presence of the LordGod among the trees of the
garden.
One of my favorite songs is ICome to the Garden Alone, which
goes like this I come to thegarden alone, while the dew is
still on the roses and the voiceI hear falling on my ear the
Son of God discloses.

(01:29):
Listen to Alan Jackson singingthe first verse and the chorus.

Speaker 1 (01:38):
I come to the garden alone, while the dew is still on
the roses and the voice I hearFalling on my ear, the Son of

(02:05):
God discloses and he walks withme and he talks with me and he
tells me I am his own and thejoy we share as we tarry there,

(02:38):
none other has ever known, hasever known.

Dr. Robert Jackson (02:47):
Now, isn't that one of the sweetest songs
you've ever heard?
I just love hearing that songsung and I love singing it
myself.
I try to imagine how sweet andpleasant the fellowship with God
the Father must have beenbefore Adam and Eve sinned To be

(03:08):
able to walk with God inperfect harmony, without any sin
barrier, to know Him withoutsin's disruption, without sin's
disrupting influence, to be ableto walk and talk hand in hand
with one's creator, to love andbe loved without any

(03:31):
interference or friction.
What must that have been like?
I imagine it was heaven onearth.
Now, verse 8 tells us theyheard the sound, the voice of
the Lord God.
Now, was he speaking?
Was he singing?
Was he humming?

(03:53):
What did they actually hear?
Now, we know from the prophetsexperience in the Old Testament
that the voice of God was not inthe whirlwind, nor was it in
the fire, but it was a stillsmall voice.
Whatever they heard, it was theWord of God, it was the voice

(04:14):
of God and it frightened them.
For the very first time, theWord of God brought fear into
the heart of man, into thehearts of Adam and Eve.
Why?
Well, you know they had sinnedagainst God.

(04:37):
How many times have yourchildren, hidden from you in a
closet with a bag of cookies ora bag of chips, knowing they had
done wrong?
How many times has your guiltyconscience wished that you could

(04:57):
hide from God?
But can we really hide from him?
To hide from him, from whoseeyes all things are open and
laid bare?
We know that Jonah couldn'tflee from God.
Jonah couldn't hide from Godand neither could Adam and Eve.

(05:20):
Even lost people today try tohide themselves from the voice
of God, from the Word of God.
They refuse to listen to gospelpreaching in churches or on the
radio or on TV.
Preaching in churches or on theradio or on TV?

(05:44):
Listen.
I often will give a littlesmall Bible to my patients who
are lost and I'll ask them toread a portion of it before they
come back to see me at theirnext visit.
And when I hand them that Bibleyou would think I was handing
them a snake or hot coals,because they often refuse to
even put it into their hands.

(06:04):
And if they take it the nexttime I see them I will say have
you read that portion ofscripture?
And they'll just look at me asif I have two heads.
And of course they haven't readit because they're afraid.
They're afraid of the voice ofGod, they're afraid of the Word

(06:27):
of God.
They actually are fearful ofcoming into a church service or
coming into contact with theWord of God.
Now, why is that?
It's the same as Adam and Evethey fear the sound of the Lord,

(06:57):
god.
And for the very same reasonthat Adam and Eve hid themselves
it's because there's sin intheir life that they don't want
to be exposed in the presence ofHoly God.
So they hide in their workplace, they hide in their hobbies,

(07:25):
they hide in their familyactivities, they hide in their
entertainment and they pretendGod can't see them Hiding in the
bushes, like Adam and Eve.
But get this there was someoneelse in the garden beside Adam

(07:46):
and Eve.
There was someone in the gardenbeside Lucifer.
There was someone in the gardenbesides God, and that someone
was their guilty conscience, andtheir guilty conscience was
convicting them, speaking tothem.
But here's the thing there washope for Adam and Eve because

(08:08):
they were listening to theirconscience.
As long as people areresponsive to their conscience,
there's always hope for them.
The ones that I worry about arethe ones who have a calloused,
insensitive conscience, thosewho no longer listen to their

(08:29):
conscience.
If their conscience iscalloused and seared as with a
hot iron, there's no remedy,there's no hope for them, and
you and I all know people whoseconscience is no longer
sensitive, no longer responsive,and they sin with brazenness,

(08:52):
not caring what God thinks ofthem, not caring what other
people think of their sin, andfor them there is no hope.
God called to Adam and Eve andI want you to know that God is
always calling sinners.
The Bible says seek the Lordwhile he may be found, call upon

(09:17):
him while he is near.
I want you to know that Godcalls us many times in our lives
.
He calls to us when we areyoung and healthy and full of
ourselves, reminding us that itis he who gives us life and

(09:37):
strength.
God calls us when we marry,reminding us that marriage is a
picture of that mystical unionbetween Jesus and His church.
God calls us when our childrenare born, reminding us that
those precious children arefearfully and wonderfully made

(10:00):
and our soul knows it very well.
God calls us when our childrenare nearly injured, and perhaps
seriously so, and we know thatHis angels are watching over our
little ones.
God calls us when you and Iface serious illness later in

(10:22):
life and we realize that JehovahRapha, the Lord who heals, is
the Lord that heals us.
God calls you when, later inlife, you look at your
retirement account and your paidoff mortgage and you remember
that it is the Lord who givesyou the power to make wealth.

(10:45):
And God calls you and me laterin life, when we're old and
feeble and we realize that ouryears on this earth are nearly
done and we understand that lifeis but a vapor.
And God calls us and reminds usthat our life does not consist
in the abundance of one'spossessions, but life, and life

(11:10):
eternal is in knowing God's Sonand knowing Him aright.
But here's the question.
The question is will you comeout of hiding, confessing your
sin and receiving the Son, ourSavior, as your only hope, or

(11:31):
will you continue to fear thevoice of God, continuing to hide
?
God calls each of us personally, asking where are you?
Where are you today in relationto God, the Father?
Are you hiding and pretendinghe doesn't know, you, doesn't

(11:53):
see you, pretending he doesn'texist?
You know that's foolishnessthat won't last long.
There is a day of accountability.
The Bible says it is appointedunto man once to die, and then
comes the judgment, we all willface the judge of all the earth
and give account of ourselves tohim.

(12:14):
You cannot hide forever.
When that day comes, the lastthing you want to do is stand
before holy God clothed in yourown righteousness, which amounts
to nothing more than filthyrags, amounts to nothing more

(12:35):
than filthy rags.
Here's what you really want.
What you really want is thegreat exchange when Jesus takes
your sin upon himself and givesyou his righteousness as a free
gift.
Then, and only then, can youstand before God clothed in the
righteousness of Jesus Christ,wearing a snow-white robe of His

(12:56):
righteousness.
For you see, the Bible saysthat God made Him, who knew no
sin, to be sin on our behalf,that we might be made the
righteousness of God in Him.
That is the great exchange.
How does that happen?

(13:18):
It happens by confessing yoursin and receiving Him as your
only Savior and the true King ofyour life.
Humble yourself under themighty hand of God and he will
lift you up.
Next week, we'll talk aboutAdam's response when God asked

(13:43):
where are you?
But today, my concern is whereare you, dear listener, in
relationship to God, the Father?
He calls us often in the courseof our life.
Will you answer Him when hecalls Follow, like or share or

(14:06):
download.
If you like what you hear,please tell your friends and
neighbors about Devotions withDr Papa.
I would like to remind you thatJackson Family Ministry has
multiple books that we offer.
My first book was the FamilyDoctor Speaks the Truth About
Life, which is a book, apro-life book.

(14:27):
My second book is the FamilyDoctor Speaks the Truth About
Seed Planting, equippingBelievers for Evangelism, which,
of course, is an evangelismbook.
The third book is the FamilyDoctor Speaks Turkey Tales and
Bible Truths, a book aboutturkey.
Hunting and deer hunting, buteach story immediately segues

(14:51):
into Bible teaching hunting, buteach story immediately segues
into Bible teaching.
And then my fourth book is onLaughter, silvered Wings, which
is a biography about my father,who was a family doctor, a
Vietnam War veteran and a socialactivist and, of course, a
really good dad, and I thinkmany of you would really like

(15:12):
that book, which was publishedearlier this year.
All right, All of those bookscan be found at Amazon or at
Jackson Family Ministry.
The first book, the pro-lifebook, is at Zulon Press.
You're listening to Devotionswith Dr Papa.
I'm your host, dr RobertJackson.

(15:34):
I thank you for listening and Ipray that the Lord will bless
you real good.
We'll be back again next week.

Speaker 1 (15:44):
Thank you for listening to this edition of
More Than Medicine.
For more information about theJackson Family Ministry, dr
Jackson's books, or to schedulea speaking engagement, go to
their Facebook page, instagramor their webpage at
jacksonfamilyministrycom.
This podcast is produced by BobSlone Audio Production at
bobslone.
com.