Genesis 3:8

(3 min)

Listen to the context here 🎙️🎧

A 4-Part Series 👀

Creation sets the stage for the entire biblical story. This month we'll focus on passages showing us this truth: God's deep desire is to be WITH us in fullness.

At a high level here's how we’ll track the "location" or manifested presence of God over the next few weeks:

Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:8) -> Tabernacle -> Temple -> Jesus -> Holy Spirit -> Garden City

Historical Context 🤓

• Genesis is the first book of the Bible and of what’s known as the Torah (aka the Law of Moses - Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy).
• Original Audience: Genesis is traditionally attributed to Moses, written to the Israelites around the time of their 40-year wilderness journey after being liberated from slavery in Egypt (~1440–1400 BC).

Original language ('āḏām) 🗣️

• The Hebrew word for 'man' in verse 8 ('āḏām) is also translated as 'mankind' and 'Adam' elsewhere in the Bible.

Creation and the fall isn’t just a story about one man. It’s about all of mankind. This isn’t just Adam’s story - it's the human story.

The Big Picture: God's Presence 🌳

• Gen 3:8 says God was walking in the Garden - God's good and original intention when He created us was for us to be with him.
• But humans sin (Gen 3:6). They choose to not trust God (the Creator) and instead trust in an object of creation (the serpent). As a result, they hide.
• A perfectly holy and just God cannot allow sin to go without consequence. So Adam and Eve are kicked out of the garden of Eden (Gen 3:24).

The point: After the fall, humans could no longer be fully in God’s presence.

..But God Pursues 🏃‍♂️

The vast majority of the Bible (Genesis 12-Revelation 20) is the story of redemption - of God pursuing His people.

And despite our sin, God demonstrates His commitment to restoring the union we originally had with Him in the Garden.

Seek, Don't Hide: The True Glory of the Garden 🏝️

As you memorize Genesis 3:8 this week, choose to seek God rather than hide.

Meditate on the significance of The Garden:

• The Garden conjures up images of tropical vacations in exotic locations.
• But the true beauty - the true glory - of The Garden was not just in its paradise-like qualities.

The true glory of the Garden was God Himself.

Praying that you sense God's presence with you this week,

The Malachi Daily Team 🙏

P.S. Next week, we continue this 4-week series of passages on the theme of God's presence. Invite a friend! 💬 If they sign up by Saturday night, they'll get to journey with us through the rest of the series.

P.P.S. The Bible Project put together a helpful video tracking God's presence throughout the Bible. Tap here to watch or listen. (6 min).