A Questioning God

God is omniscient and omnipresent. He is all-knowing and ever-present. But have you ever noticed how many times God asks people questions in the Bible?

If God knows everything, sees everything, and is everywhere, why does He ask so many questions? There must be a reason. In order to answer this we’ll start by looking at a few examples from Scripture to see what is at the center of these questions.

In The Garden

After they had eaten from the tree, Adam and Eve heard God walking in the cool of the day and they hid themselves. God called out to Adam, “Where are you?” (Genesis 3:8-9).

Adam admitted he was hiding from God because he was naked (Genesis 3:10). Adam gave God a straight answer, but then God asked two more questions. “Who told you that you were naked?” and, “Have you eaten from the tree…?” Adam’s answer was interesting. He blamed Eve and God rather than taking responsibility for his actions (Genesis 3:11-12).

Do we really believe God couldn’t find Adam? God knew where he was, and He knew the answers to the questions. God wasn’t seeking answers, but reactions. He was giving Adam the chance to examine his heart. Adam had the opportunity to confess his sin and repent. Instead he chose to point the finger and make excuses.

Cain

The next question we’ll look at comes shortly after the fall. Cain was angry because God had rejected his sacrifice. God asked Cain, “Why are you angry?” God was giving Cain the chance to look inside of himself. God then warned Cain that sin was crouching at the door, but that he must rule over it (Genesis 4:5-7).

Cain ignored God’s warning and he killed Abel. God then asked Cain, “Where is your brother?” (Genesis 4:9). When Cain said he didn’t know, God had another question, “What have you done?” (Genesis 4:10).

God knew the answer to these questions. God wanted Cain to look inside of himself. He was giving Cain the chance to confess and repent. Cain claimed ignorance instead.

Elijah

In 1 Kings 19:9, God’s prophet Elijah was hiding in a cave. God asked him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” Elijah admitted to God that he was hiding because he was afraid the people were going to kill him. God showed Elijah a display of his power, followed by a still, small voice (1 Kings 19:11-12).

How did Elijah respond? He got up, covered his face, and then looked out from the entrance of the cave. God asked him again, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” Elijah repeated the same answer (1 Kings 19:13-14).

God knew where Elijah was, and he also knew why he was hiding. He asked the question to draw Elijah out. Unlike Adam, who was afraid because he had rebelled against God, Elijah was hiding because he feared for his life. But he was still hiding.

Jonah

There are many examples of God questioning people in Scripture, but we are going to look at just one more, Jonah.

Jonah was an unwilling prophet who tried to run away from God. Eventually he went to Nineveh. When the people repented, Jonah became angry at God for forgiving them. God then asked Jonah, “Do you do well to be angry?” (Jonah 4:4). God was inviting Jonah to look inside himself.

Scripture doesn’t tell us if Jonah answered God, but it does tell us he left the city. That’s an answer in itself. Later, when it got very hot, God caused a plant to grow up to shield Jonah. When the plant died, Jonah became angry again and wanted to die. God asked him if it was well for him to be angry at the plant. Jonah replied that yes, indeed he should be angry (Jonah 4:5-9).

God knew how Jonah would answer, but He still gave him a chance to reflect on his heart. Jonah gave God a straight answer. Yes, he thought it was okay to be mad at a plant. Jonah apparently didn’t see anything wrong with his anger because his heart wasn’t in the right place.

When God Asks Questions

When God asks questions He is not gathering information in the same sense we do when we ask questions. He asks because our answers will reveal to us what is in our hearts. He wants us to see ourselves as He sees us.

Has your boss ever asked you a question about something that happened at work, and you knew he had the answer? Why did he ask you? He wanted to see what you would say. If you had done something wrong, this was your one chance to admit it before being called out on it. If you lied to your boss, the repercussions would be worse.

Your boss was looking for your reaction. This is similar to what God was doing. When He asked Adam and Elijah where they were and why they were hiding, it wasn’t because He didn’t know. When God asked Cain what he had done, He already knew. And when God asked Jonah about his anger, he wanted Jonah to reevaluate himself.

These four instances have similarities, but they also deal with four different issues of the heart: guilt, anger, fear, and selfishness. These are four struggles that we face in our daily lives even today.

The Most Important Question

Jesus asked many questions during His ministry. Many times He asked people if they wanted to be healed. He knew people wanted to be healed. He was looking to see if they had the faith in their hearts to trust Him.

He also asked questions like: “Why are you afraid?” (Matthew 8:26), “Why did you doubt?” (Matthew 14:31), and, “Where is your faith?” (Luke 8:25). Jesus was using these questions to invite people to probe their hearts.

The Scriptures record Jesus asking hundreds of questions, but there is one that is more important than all the others. He asks this to every single one of us.

When Jesus looks you in the eyes and asks, “Who do you say I am?” What will your answer be? Your answer will reveal what is in your heart.

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