Naked, Afraid & Ashamed!
“then the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked;
and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves apron-like girdles. And
they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of day, and
Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the
trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, Where are
you?
He said, I heard the sound of You walking in the garden, and I was afraid because I
was naked and I hid myself.” - Genesis 3:7-10
THEN...their eyes were opened! What's going on here? In the chapters before there was no fear, no
shame, no sense of guilt…now in one split second something terrible has happened deep inside the
first couple. The way they think and perceive everything around them has gone through some awful
cataclysmic shift. All confidence in the love and acceptance of the One Who made them seems to be
wiped away, like someone pushed the “delete” button in their brain. Suddenly, they are sickeningly
aware that they've done something awful and believe they are being judged, or watched by the same
One Who’d lovingly walked with them and shown only delight towards them. Now, simply hearing His
footsteps they tremble in terror. They don’t recognize that He is still the same; that is they who have
changed. Somehow He is now perceived in fear…like the great and terrible wizard, from the Wizard of
Oz. There’s something else; they’ve suddenly become aware that they are naked. They were never
wearing clothes before but suddenly they’re ashamed of being naked. Why??
Can’t you almost hear their labored breathing and thumping hearts as they jump from tree to tree,
trying to find one that will hide them? Anxiety, fear, shame and guilt are now the motivation to do
whatever they do from here on out. Can you see them fumbling with leaves to cover up? What are they
covering up? And who are they covering up from? It’s only the two of them. Suddenly aware that
another human being is going to see them in all their nakedness, they’re determined to hide not just
from God, but from each other. Most important, they are now driven to cover up for the perceived
displeasure of the One Who made them.
We’ve reduced this incredible passage down to what is known as “The Fall.” Oftentimes, we refer to it
in the early days of our faith; pack it up neatly like storage boxes in the attic, only to dust it off for little
ones in Sunday School. Look again, though! You will never understand yourself, others and the world
around you if you do not understand what took place there. More importantly, you will never understand
the magnitude of what was done through Jesus Christ on our behalf if you don’t recognize what
happened in the garden. Answers to life’s deepest wounds and most desperate cries begin here.
and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves apron-like girdles. And
they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of day, and
Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the
trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, Where are
you?
He said, I heard the sound of You walking in the garden, and I was afraid because I
was naked and I hid myself.” - Genesis 3:7-10
THEN...their eyes were opened! What's going on here? In the chapters before there was no fear, no
shame, no sense of guilt…now in one split second something terrible has happened deep inside the
first couple. The way they think and perceive everything around them has gone through some awful
cataclysmic shift. All confidence in the love and acceptance of the One Who made them seems to be
wiped away, like someone pushed the “delete” button in their brain. Suddenly, they are sickeningly
aware that they've done something awful and believe they are being judged, or watched by the same
One Who’d lovingly walked with them and shown only delight towards them. Now, simply hearing His
footsteps they tremble in terror. They don’t recognize that He is still the same; that is they who have
changed. Somehow He is now perceived in fear…like the great and terrible wizard, from the Wizard of
Oz. There’s something else; they’ve suddenly become aware that they are naked. They were never
wearing clothes before but suddenly they’re ashamed of being naked. Why??
Can’t you almost hear their labored breathing and thumping hearts as they jump from tree to tree,
trying to find one that will hide them? Anxiety, fear, shame and guilt are now the motivation to do
whatever they do from here on out. Can you see them fumbling with leaves to cover up? What are they
covering up? And who are they covering up from? It’s only the two of them. Suddenly aware that
another human being is going to see them in all their nakedness, they’re determined to hide not just
from God, but from each other. Most important, they are now driven to cover up for the perceived
displeasure of the One Who made them.
We’ve reduced this incredible passage down to what is known as “The Fall.” Oftentimes, we refer to it
in the early days of our faith; pack it up neatly like storage boxes in the attic, only to dust it off for little
ones in Sunday School. Look again, though! You will never understand yourself, others and the world
around you if you do not understand what took place there. More importantly, you will never understand
the magnitude of what was done through Jesus Christ on our behalf if you don’t recognize what
happened in the garden. Answers to life’s deepest wounds and most desperate cries begin here.
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