Adam . . . Where Art Thou?
When Adam and Eve were in the Garden of Eden they were commanded not to partake of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. To do so would be a transgression of God’s law given them. When God returned to the garden they hid themselves.
In Genesis 3:9 we read; The Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, “Where art thou?”
Some time ago my mother shared with me the following story about my childhood. Even after these many years there was no concealing the fact that she still found a great deal of humor in retelling it. My brother Dan (age 1), our mom, dad and I (age 3) were living at the time in our first home on Rudnick in Canoga Park, Ca. I would run up to her and excitedly say, “come find me.” Pretty much the three year old version of hide and seek. I’m sure you all know how the game is played, while they counted slowly out loud I ran into the next room to hide. I stuck my head under the couch so that I could no longer see them and was certain they couldn’t see me either. (In my defense, there really weren’t a lot of great hiding places to begin with.)
When they finished counting they walked around ‘trying’ to find me. “Where’s Dean?” they asked repeatedly. “He’s such a good boy where could he be?” Of course I giggled. Funny thing, even with all of my giggling, not to mention my hind end sticking out from under the couch, it always seemed to take them a long time to find me. Or at least that’s what I thought.
Have you ever played this same game or a similar one called “peek-a-boo” with your children or siblings? They cover their eyes - in essence hiding, meanwhile remaining seated in their car seat. You call out their name and from underneath their tiny little hands you see them beaming, finding great joy in knowing that you are searching for them. Then suddenly they remove their hands and you say, sounding surprised, “peek-a-boo! I see you.”
Playing "Peek-a-boo" with their 6 month old twin brothers.
Have you ever wondered what Adam and Eve were thinking as they were hiding? Or pondered the significance of God’s first question to Adam?
God is omniscient—all knowing. He knew where Adam was hiding, just as He also knew why Adam was hiding. The purpose of God's question was not to become informed, educated or to gain knowledge He was lacking. His question was intended to cause Adam and Eve to consider the seriousness of what they had done and why they were hiding. In essence to give an accounting for their actions.
Adam is representative of all mankind, and therefore the question, “Where art thou,” applies equally to each of us.
“Where art thou?”— Where do we stand in relationship to God and Jesus? It is perhaps the most important question and indeed the core of all other questions asked of us by deity. Since this is such a vitally important question, and remembering that God and Jesus already know the answer, then the purpose for answering it becomes clear. The resulting self evaluation is for our own enlightenment, understanding and most importantly it provides the impetus for a renewal of our efforts to return unto Them.
Over the years I have observed responses to this question and other similar questions that may be worded differently, but are essentially calling for the same introspection. Real life situations involving honesty, integrity, charity, morality and fidelity pose the same question only in different settings and relationships. And how we respond becomes our answer, even our declaration to God where we are in our personal relationship with Him.
As you might imagine the responses are as varied as the persons involved. For some, at first glance, it may seem like a very difficult question to answer. If we are not careful we find ourselves minimizing our shortcomings by concluding, “It’s complicated.” Or that somehow the uniqueness of our situation justifies a little transgression.
Depending on the stakes—the consequences—the added temptation to rationalize or place blame on others can kick into high gear. Permitting the fear of consequences to deter us from repentance or change is problematic. It leads one to move from hiding place to hiding place, each hideout becoming darker and more distant from the light of Christ and God.
We must always keep in mind,
“because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ we can learn from our mistakes and not be condemned by them.”
In reality the answer to the question where art thou—where are you in relationship to God—is neither unique nor complicated. No matter the situation, the temptation, or the trial there are only two answers. Think about it. At any given moment we are either with Him or we are not. We are either following His teachings and examples or we are not. We are either moving towards Him or we are not.
Pretty basic, there can be no middle ground. The currents of secularism and moral relativism are swift and treacherous. If we pause or lift our paddles out of the water we will be immediately swept downstream.
Equally destructive are today’s trends towards self-fulfillment, self-satisfaction, entertainment and recreation. Don’t get me wrong, all of these can have a proper place in our lives as we earnestly and conscientiously move towards God. But the trends to which I’m referring can, if we are not careful, become all consuming. And before we know it our vision blurs and we lose sight of the things that are of lasting value and most importance for our eternal happiness.
In the deepest sense, God’s first question to Adam and therefore to each of us is not intended to elicit a list of our shortcomings and sins. I believe it’s purpose is to prompt us to pause and reflect, to check the direction we are facing, the way we are moving, the intent and even the desire of our hearts. Again, God already knows the answers. But He wants us to recognize our innermost thoughts and desires. Why? Because meaningful improvement, the desire to repent and lasting change must come from within.
If you listen carefully you can hear the question “where art thou” repeated in these other questions; What think ye of Jesus Christ? Where are the nine? Do you have faith in Jesus Christ? Are you a full tithe payer? Do you keep the law of chastity? Are you honest in all your dealings? . . . . As we humbly and honestly answer these questions we begin to see a pattern unfold. We gain a clearer view of the path we need to be following, of our progress towards and our relationship with deity.
“What think ye of Jesus Christ?”—Do we strive to always remember Him and take His name upon us? “Where are the nine?”—Are we grateful for the cleansing and healing power of His atonement in our lives? “Do you have faith in Jesus Christ and are you willing to be obedient to his commands?”—Will we show our faith by our actions or will we by default be enlisted in the ranks of the indifferent?
God’s second question to Adam—all mankind—was also intended to encourage introspection`. “Who told thee thou wast naked?” (Genesis 3:11) Or in other words, “whose voice were you listening to?” Once again God already knew the answer. He knew it was Satan who had been the originator of this thought as well as the prompter to run and hide. But God wanted Adam and Eve to reflect, not only on where they were at that very moment, but also from what source they were getting their information. Who had their ear? Who were they listening to? Whose promptings had they followed?
Are we listening to the still small voice? Are we listening to the voice of the Lord’s mouthpieces—the living prophets and apostles? If not, then whose voice are we following?
It is the familiar mantra of secularists to insist that God and religion be excluded from decisions having to do with personal freedoms like marriage, families and parenthood. Some who profess belief in God and faith in Jesus struggle to discern whose voice they should listen to when making decisions pertaining to situational ethics, moral dilemmas and social problems? When the world clamors for compromise of moral values and individuals attempt to dictate to God the future standards by which right and wrong are to be judged, do we step back and pause to assess where we are? Do we reflect on whose voice we are listening to?
Interestingly the scriptures record the Lord’s reminder to His people in the last days,
“Whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same.”
Since the fall of Adam revelation has been passed down through living prophets and apostles to His people. And the same pattern for communicating with man continues today. We have a living prophet and apostles on the earth.
Elder Bruce R. McConkie asked, “Do you desire to hear the voice of the Lord?” He then continued to explain, “His voice comes to us in many ways. He may speak audibly to attuned ears. His voice may come by the power of the Spirit. It may also be given by the mouths of his servants as they recite the words revealed to them. All of the Saints are entitled to hear his voice in each of these ways.”
So whether it's an admonition to make the temple and temple attendance the symbol of our membership, or to make study of the Book of Mormon a part of our daily routine, or the reassurance of the equal and yet different roles of a man and woman in the family, the questions we must ask ourselves remain the same, “Where art thou?” and “Who told thee thou wast naked?”
Do we hear the voice of the Lord in the whisperings of the spirit? Do we hear His voice reaching out to us in the counsels of our Bishop, the concerns of a parent or the pleadings of loved ones?
When the Lord comes calling, as He surely will, do we feel frustrated or angry when we are found hiding (not literally, but figuratively) from what we know we should be doing? In our embarrassment or shame do we make excuses or lay the blame for our actions on others? Difficult questions to be certain, but definitely worth taking the time to reflect upon and answer for ourselves.
Are we like the child hiding with his head tucked under the couch? Or the infant with his hands over his eyes? Childishly supposing if we can’t see God, he can’t see us either. Or if we look away from Him and stop seeking Him, that He will look away and stop calling after us?
Life can be difficult and even overwhelming at times. Unfairness, unkindness, illness, sadness and frustration are part of our mortal existence. The “Mists of Darkness” described in Lehi’s dream were not an anomaly or glitch in God’s master plan. The Mists of darkness—the temptations, misinformation and lies of the devil are part of the opposition that we must all pass through on our journey back to God. We learn from Lehi’s account that it is during these dark times we must continually hold fast to the words of God, as they are recorded in the scriptures by ancient prophets and uttered from the mouths of today’s living prophets.
In his vision of the Tree of Life, Lehi saw himself standing near the tree partaking of the atonement of Jesus Christ and beckoning for his family to join him. Decades later, near the end of his life, Lehi answered God’s question “where art thou?” when he declared, “the Lord hath redeemed my soul from hell; I have beheld his glory, and I am encircled about eternally in the arms of his love.” (2 Nep 1:15
If we hope to someday be “encircled about eternally in the arms of His love” and to hear the words of our Savior, “well done thou good and faithful servant, . . . . enter into the joy of thy Lord,” then we too must regularly check whose voice we are listening to and ask ourselves, “where art thou?”