Do you know what was the first word of this gospel preaching? It was the question found in Genesis 3:9: "Where art thou?" In the earlier years of my ministry when I preached the gospel I used this question as my topic several times. I asked people, "Where are you? Gentlemen, where are you? Ladies, where are you? Young people, doctors, professors—where are you? You must know where you are." This question is not the pronouncement of a judgment; it is the opening proclamation of the glad tidings. God was seeking man, asking, "Where art thou?"
After the fall, man was no longer sincere and honest. If Adam had been honest when God asked him where he was, he would have confessed his transgression immediately, but he did not do this. However, in his answer he acknowledged that he was naked (v. 10). Then God asked him, "Who told thee that thou was naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?" Adam should have made an honest confession, saying, "Yes, God, I did eat of it. Please forgive me." However, instead of forthrightly confessing his own transgression, he discharged himself of the responsibility by placing it upon the woman. Adam said, "The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat" (v. 12). His answer implied that he blamed God for giving him the woman who gave him to eat of the fruit of the tree. Only then did he admit that he ate it. Adam seemed to be saying, "It's not my fault, God. You must bear the responsibility for the trouble caused by the woman You gave me. If You hadn't given me the woman, I would never have eaten of that tree. You gave me the woman, she gave me to eat, and I ate." Nevertheless, God did not rebuke him, because God had not come to judge but to save. God came to man in the garden in the same way that His Son was to come many centuries later: He came to save, not to judge (John 3:17).
Then God turned to the woman asking, "What is this that thou hast done?" (v. 13). Like Adam, Eve did not forthrightly confess her fault. She said, "The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat." Ever since the time of man's first fall, human beings have acted in this way. Whenever little children misbehave, they never confess, but always blame someone or something else. A child may even place the responsibility on the pet cat, saying, "Mommy, if you did not have a cat, I would never have done that thing. It's not my fault. It's yours for having a cat."
It is very clear that as God dealt with the first fall of man He was seeking the lost man as His Son was to do many years later in seeking to save man (Luke 19:10). God did not seek him to condemn man, but to preach the gospel to him.
When God came to Adam and Eve He asked them questions, but when He turned to the serpent He asked no questions at all. He immediately condemned the serpent. God did not ask the serpent, "Serpent, have you done this?" When God came to Adam He asked him, "Where art thou?" (v. 9). He also asked him, "Who told thee that thou wast naked?" and "Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?" (v. 11). God also asked the woman, "What is this that thou hast done?" (v. 13). God did not ask Adam and Eve all these questions because He had the intention of condemning them. God asked these questions to lead them to confession. However, when God turned to the serpent He did not ask him anything. Instead, God said to the serpent, "Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life" (v. 14). This was God's judgment upon the serpent.