While it may seem odd for the Lord to ever ask anyone a question, since He already knows the answer, we often do the same thing.

• A policeman may pull you over in your car and ask you, “Do you know how fast you were going?”
• We might ask our child at bedtime, “Do you know what time it is?”
• We might ask our spouse during a romantic dinner, “Do you love me?”

These are questions we may ask just to solicit an answer from the conscience, the intellect, or the heart of the one we ask…even though we already know the answer.

The first three questions the Lord ever asked are found in Genesis 3:9-11, “And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, WHERE ARE THOU? And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself. And he said, WHO TOLD THEE THOU WAST NAKED? HAST THOU EATEN OF THE TREE, WHEREOF I COMMANDED THEE THAT THOU SHOULDEST NOT EAT?” Adam and Eve had sinned against God by eating of the forbidden fruit. Now, as the Lord walks in the Garden of Eden, the guilty pair try to hide from Him. When Adam told the Lord that he hid because he was naked, the Lord asked him how he knew he was naked. He then asked Adam if he had eaten of the forbidden fruit. Surely the Lord knew the answers to the questions, but He wanted to draw the answers from Adam to give him a proper since of his sin and guilt.

Let’s consider a couple more questions that the Lord asked and consider why He asked them.

• Jeremiah 32:27, “Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh: IS THERE ANY THING TOO HARD FOR ME?” The Lord is encouraging Jeremiah that even though the city of Jerusalem had been destroyed, and the people had been carried away captive, the Lord was able to return them again to their own restored city. Rather than make the statement, the Lord asks Jeremiah this rhetorical question that would elicit a proper answer from Jeremiah’s heart…NO, there is NOTHING too hard for the Lord to do!
• Matthew 27:46, “And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAST THOU FORSAKEN ME?” This heart-breaking question was asked by the Lord Jesus as He hung on the cross of Calvary. God forsook Him as He hung there for our sakes, and in matchless agony the Lord Jesus cried out, asking Him why. Did Christ not know that He would be forsaken? Yes, He know, as we read in John 18:4, “Jesus therefore, knowing all things that should come upon him, went forth, and said unto them, Whom seek ye?” It was just prior to the Lord being betrayed by Judas and put on trial that we read that the Lord knew all these things would happen. Actually, the Lord Jesus knew WHY He was forsaken by God. It was written prophetically in Habakkuk 1:13, “Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity…” With our sins laid upon His blessed Son, God turned away and forsook Him there because of His own holiness. So why did Christ ask the question? So that you and I would ask ourselves the very same question. Why did God forsake His only begotten Son? It was part of His judgment on His Son so that you and I might be saved. We read in Colossians 1:14, “In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins.”

There is a very pointed reason for each time the Lord asks a question. I encourage you, that as you study His Word, take time to consider each question the Lord asks and seek to learn its purpose. There will be great benefit to you to understand each one. (292.4)