Biblical Contradiction: God is or is not everywhere:

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Biblical Contradiction Explained: God is or is not everywhere:

God is everywhere:

“For His eyes are upon the ways of a man,
And He sees all his steps.
“There is no darkness or deep shadow
Where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves.

Job 34:21-22

Where can I go from Your Spirit?
Or where can I flee from Your presence?
If I ascend to heaven, You are there;
If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there.
If I take the wings of the dawn,
If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea,
Even there Your hand will lead me,
And Your right hand will lay hold of me.

Psalm 139:7-10

The eyes of the LORD are in every place,
Watching the evil and the good.

Proverbs 15:3

God is not everywhere:

They heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. Then the LORD God called to the man, and said to him, “Where are you?”

Genesis 3:8-9

The LORD came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built.

Genesis 11:5

And the LORD said, “The outcry of Sodom and Gomorrah is indeed great, and their sin is exceedingly grave. I will go down now, and see if they have done entirely according to its outcry, which has come to Me; and if not, I will know.”

Genesis 18:20-21

Explanation:

We will begin with Genesis 3:8-9. One might ask: If God is everywhere why would he have to ask Adam and Eve where they are?  The answer is that God did not have to ask. There are plenty of occurrences in the Bible where God asks questions. This does not demonstrate a lack of knowledge. It is simply an opportunity for the person answering the question to either repent and answer honestly or to continue in their sin and lie.

As far as God “coming down,” this is obviously a literary tool, and cannot be assumed to be a literal, physical act. These passages are simply referring to God focusing his attention. However, it is said in a manner that is anthropomorphic as to allow man to better relate to and understand these events; a common literary practice found in both the Old and New Testament.