they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings

When I was diagnosed with prostrate cancer, which by the way is now in remission, I had to undress in the presence of female nurses. I was told a number of times “I’m not seeing anything I haven’t seen before!” Well, this was certainly true of Adam and Eve too, but after they had eaten of the forbidden fruit, they nevertheless felt the need to cover themselves. And fig leaves were likely the only thing at hand! But why? Well, when we are covered in guilt or shame, the natural thing seems to be the need to hide. Before the fall they were naked but not ashamed (Genesis 2:25), but now? In Revelation 6:16 we read that on that day, the unbeliever will say to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb!” But as we will see in the verse following the one quoted above (Genesis 3:8), they were not yet hiding from God. So from what or whom were they hiding?

Well, they were hiding from each other, and actually from themselves. Somebody once jokingly wondered what would happen in the autumn, when the leaves were falling. But behind the joke is the truth, that anything with which we (as opposed to Him) try to cover ourselves, is inadequate. The Scripture tells us for example “He who covers his sin will not prosper” (Proverbs 28:13). There is a recovery saying to the effect that we are only as sick as our secrets. The point is that in the darkness of hiddenness shame, guilt and the like simply grow and grow. But it cannot be hidden forever, since sooner or later, our sin will find us out” (Numbers 32:23). It was soon to happen with Adam and Eve, and it will happen with you and me!

But what is the cure for that debilitating feeling that if anyone ever found out what I did, or what happened, I would simply die? As we shall see, there are early glimpses of the solution in this very chapter. But jumping ahead, the cure for guilt, is to be forgiven. And the means by which God could be still be just and forgive us (1 John 1:9) was to be found in the substitutionary sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. But the work on the cross, was not restricted to purchasing our forgiveness (the cure for guilt). In particular, as part of the process of crucifixion, the victim was stripped naked. Shame and humiliation was part of the punishment. And part of what it means that He cleanses us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9 again) is another substitution, it is the substitution of our shame for His full acceptance with the Father.

Father, the second part of Proverbs 28:13 quoted above says “but whoever confesses and renounces them will find mercy.” Thank you Lord, that there is now therefore no condemnation to those who are in Christ (Romans 8:1). And thank you Father that included in Your redemptive plan, is the provision for our healing, for the abundant life, for life in all its fullness (John 10:10b). As I know full well Lord, this is not automatic, and I ask You to continue to help me on this journey of recovery to fullness of life. And I will continue to give You all the honour and glory and praise in Jesus Name Amen

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Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked

The tempter had come, he had made the forbidden fruit look desirable (Genesis 3:6). She had yielded and eaten of the fruit, given some to her husband and he had eaten. And now they had the devil to pay! The honeymoon was over, their eyes were opened, and the realization that they were naked suddenly dawned on them (Genesis 3:7). As we said earlier, the nakedness that is being talked about here, is not so much physical nakedness, it is the nakedness of openness and vulnerability which, in a fallen world, can be very, very scary!

Before their eyes were open to know good and evil (Genesis 2:17), they had let each other into the deepest places of their hearts. They knew each other’s vulnerabilities well. He knew she thought her nose was ugly, she knew he needed to be respected. He knew she like to be touched in a nonsexual way, to be cherished, to be shown much affection. She knew that when she stepped back, he would come running. There had been no walls separating them. There had been no shame in their vulnerabilities, there was nothing hidden, there had been no need to hide! There had been nothing but open loving, respectful, intimate communion. But now the honeymoon was over.

Since they knew each other’s vulnerabilities, they now knew how to hurt each other. He could hurt her by telling her what an ugly nose she had. She could withdraw respect, and punish him with distances and silence. But not only could they see the others vulnerabilities, they could also see their own!. As we shall see next day, this caused them to go into hiding, to build high towering walls cutting themselves off from each other and from God. Eve had been deceived into thinking that eating the fruit would make her wise, and while certainly she gained knowledge, it was very far from something to be desired (Genesis 3:6). Likewise for us, the pleasures of sin for a season (Hebrews 11:25) looks so tempting, so desirable, but always, always, always there are undesirable consequences. As we said earlier, sin takes you further than you want to go, keeps you longer than you want to stay, and cost you more and you want to pay! It is never worth it!

Father, I keep coming back to the thought that when You say no, You do so for our provision and protection. And though we know it is not worth it, still the tempter knows our weaknesses and our vulnerabilities. And it delights him when we sin, because sin separates us from each other and from You. But he doesn’t know everything! He did not know that when he provoked the crowd to cry out for the crucifixion of the Lord of glory (Luke 23:21; 1 Corinthians 2:8), that this was the very thing that would purchase our redemption. I want to thank You again this morning Lord that You so loved me and the world, that You sent your One and only Son so that those who believe in You should not perish, but have everlasting life (John 3:16). Hallelujah Amen

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She took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband and he ate

On my journey of transition from being an unbeliever to becoming a believer, I decided after I was convicted of sin, that I need to turn over a new leaf. But I still had my old ungodly appetites, and I wanted to do what I wanted to do! I remember asking myself in a journal entry, if what I wanted to do was going to harm anyone. I was still trying to figure out right and wrong all my own. I was shocked when I came back to the Journal entry some months later, when I realized at that point in time I could care less whether it hurt anybody or not. But quite apart from my rampant selfishness, I had yet to realize that we do not sin in a vacuum, and that in one way or another what we do affects others for either good or for evil.

In the lead up to this quote from Genesis 3:6, we have been talking about the temptation that Eve was encountering (verses 1-5, see also the last 2 days posts), and to which we now read she succumbed. We are told later that Eve was deceived but Adam was not (1 Timothy 2:14). But when Eve offered him some of the fruit, Adam had a problem. In particular the choice to accept or reject the fruit had implications about his relationship not only with Eve, but also with God. So he was not only choosing to eat or not, he was choosing sides. We can think of this as the very first peer pressure. And if we are to resist our own peer pressures which we will encounter sooner or later, even if we haven’t already, then it is helpful to understand the dilemma Adam was facing, and to feel his pain!

This first mention of the idea that our sin negatively affects others, is expanded on throughout Scripture. In particular, we read over and over that when this or that king did evil in the sight of the Lord, the people inevitably followed his lead. It seems to me, that the reason that Paul could think of himself as the chief of sinners (1 Timothy 1:15), was that he realized that in his position of incredible influence, his smallest sin had repercussions that went on, and on, and on! Saying something similar, James tells us that we should not be many teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment (James 3:2).

Father, I am well aware this morning, of my responsibility while writing these blog posts. Help me father, to take this responsibility seriously. And please Lord, nudge me by your Holy Spirit whenever I am in danger of saying or writing something that is not of You. And have mercy upon me Lord for my mistakes. In Jesus Name Amen

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in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die

The “it” in this quote from Genesis 2:17 is the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, the single unique prohibition God gave Adam and Eve. In the 24 hour period following the fall however, neither Adam nor Eve died, at least physically. So if you come to the Bible thinking that the Bible contradicts itself left right and centre, you will look no further. But if you take the Scriptures seriously, you will look for a plausible explanation. I have to confess that I have heard many implausible explanation of apparent contradictions from Christians. But I have found as I keep an open mind and continue to think, pray and study, I find many apparent contradictions simply disappear.

For me, the resolution to this particular conundrum comes in realizing that the Hebrew word “yom” is translated differently in various places. Most translated it here as “day,” but a number of translations, including the NIV, have “when you eat it.” In 1 Kings 1:1 yom is translated “years, ” and eight times in the Old Testament it is translated “age.” In fact after much thought of this and other considerations, I have come to understand the verse to mean “When you eat of it, you will enter into the season where you will start to die spiritually immediately, and where you will eventually die physically, and, if we reject the gift of His salvation (Ephesians 2:8,9), the torment of eternal separation from God (Revelation 21:8).”

With a similar meaning James, in talking about the end result of yielding to temptation says “Sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.” Sin is all about falling short of God’s glory (Romans 3:23), or failing to live up to his standards. So often, we think we know better, and make up our own rules, our own morality. Good luck with that! I had to learn the hard way, that when God says “no,” He does so for our provision and protection. We cannot break His laws, His laws finish up breaking us. You cannot break the law of gravity, try jumping off the roof! But the consequences of trying to break His moral laws though equally serious, are not quite so immediate. We reap what we sow (Galatians 6:7). And be it vegetables, fruit trees, or the consequences of sin, it takes time for these things to grow to maturity. Similarly it is only when sin is full-blown, that it brings forth death in all the ways described above.

Father, the more I know about Your Word, one more I am in awe of it. It shows us the path we need to take, it shows us when we are off the path, it shows us how to get back on the path, and it shows us how to stay on the path to (2 Timothy 3:16). I am aware this morning Lord, that because consequences are delayed (Ecclesiastes 8:11) it is far too easy to lose the fear of God (Romans 3:18). And I need Your help this morning Father to consistently walk Your paths. At the end of my yom I so want to hear “Well done good and faithful servant.” Even so You will deserve all the honour, glory and praise in Jesus Name Amen

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Did God really say ....? You shall not surely die!

In this first picture we are given of the tempter in this extract from Genesis 3:1,3, we see that he is subtle, and that he is a liar. And in this first temptation, we see the basic three types of temptation, the lust of the flesh (food here representing all bodily appetites), covetousness (it pleased the eyes) and it involved pride (it was desirable to make one wise (all this in verse 6 see also 1 John 2:16). But as with all temptations, there are consequences to yielding, that are totally undesired. Someone once said that sin takes you further than you want to go, keeps you longer than you want to stay, and cost you more than you want to pay!

Satan also comes to confuse and to plant doubts which we all have at one time or another, and the evil one plays on them. The antidote, is to hear and believe the Word of Truth, the Bible (John 17:17). We can then answer "Yes God really did say!" But also as here, before the temptation is yielded to, the consequences are minimized or dismissed (you shall not surely die!). As we shall see, afterwards our yielding to temptation allows the devil to do what he does best, that is to be the accuser of the brethren and to plague us with guilt and shame (Revelation 12:10). However, as we shall also see in the days to come, the seeds of our redemption, of our deliverance, are also found here in this chapter. In particular God does not leave us without hope!

Some have found the fact that Adam and Eve did not immediately die physically, as something of a puzzle. But there are many forms of death. In particular they died spiritually on that day. We read for example, that before salvation we were dead in our trespasses and sins (Ephesians 2:1). They also begin to die physically on that day. The good news however, is Jesus came in order that we could enter into the life of the Kingdom. That is life in all its fullness in the here and now (John 10:10b), and life with Him forever in the hereafter (John 11:25, 26).

Father, thank You that He who is in us (the Holy Spirit) is greater than he that is in the world (1 John 4:4). And we cannot be good if we do not resist the temptations of he who is in the World. Thank You too that as long as we have breath it is not too late to turn to You in repentance and be forgiven. Thank You for the reckless love You showed in sending Your Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins (1 John 2:2). Let me never take this for granted, and help me live for You in Jesus Name Amen

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They were naked and they were not ashamed

Many years ago now, I had it in mind to write a book with the title “Thy kingdom come on earth, you’ve got to be joking!” My thinking was that we have been praying this prayer (Matthew 6:10) for almost 2000 years, and nothing has happened. So we need to get on with making it happen. Secondly I was thinking that in order to understand what the Kingdom on earth would look like, we need to look back to the pre-fall situation described in Genesis 1 and 2. I came to see that my thinking was problematic in two areas. Firstly, I was still thinking it was all up to to us to make the Kingdom come. And while we certainly have a part to play, the lion’s share of the work has to come from Him. Secondly, since you cannot unscramble scrambled eggs, it is naïve to think that on earth we could return to the pre-fall innocence. Nevertheless there are still things to say.

The discussion of morning’s quote from Genesis 2:25, follows the discussion on leaving, holding fast and becoming one flesh (see URL of archived posts below). Nakedness here is a picture of innocence, openness and vulnerability, no hidden agendas, no manipulation, no power struggles no selfishness etc., etc. Post - fall, there is much work to be done to keep these things out of our relationships. And we may not even know we have them. Our hearts are deceitful (Jeremiah 17:9), and we are likely to hide these things even from ourselves. Someone I know and love told me not that long ago “I did not realize how selfish I was until I got married.” There is much hope for a marriage like that, especially when both parties come to such a realization and want to deal with it!

I said earlier that for Christians, marriage is God’s primary tool to make is more like Christ. And we will never enter into the promised fullness of life (John 10:10b) if we do not cooperate with Him in dealing with the issues. We will also need to learn to negotiate, to establish good and healthy boundaries, and in humility learn to think more highly of the other than we do of ourselves (Philippians 2:3). None of us can do that without Him, not one of us! But I am fully convinced that in mutual respect and submission, we can with His help, move closer and closer, even in the here and now, to that pre- fall state of innocence, peace and joy. It’s hard work, incredibly hard work, and it will not happen overnight.

Father, though it is unfortunately quite rare, I have seen what I described above in relationships in others. And I am provoked by such examples to seek these things in all my relationships (Hebrews 10:24). I am fully convinced, that it is worth all the tears and hard work! Help me Father, to do my part as I pray Kingdom of God come, will of God be done in my life and in my relationships, on earth as it is in heaven in Jesus Name Amen

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Therefore a man shall leave, hold fast to his wife and the two shall become one flesh (3 of 3)

I am very aware this morning, that what I need to say is out of sync with most of the world. However, In accordance with the importance of the Biblical principle of the importance of first mention, we see here in Genesis 2:24 (a) God’s intended partner for our sexuality (his wife), (b) the intended time for the opening of the gift (you leave, you hold fast only then do you become one flesh) and (c) the intended place (the safety of the marriage bed).

An unbelieving musician friend of mine told me years ago, that to get any of the above three things out of sync was akin to the symbols being played in the wrong place in a symphony. The symbols are only appropriate as the music builds to a crescendo. I thought it was quite an insight! In particular in an age of instant gratification, we have lost the value of delayed gratification, of periods of longing, of the joy of anticipation and hence of the deeper appreciation of the gift that these things bring when opened in the right setting, God's intended setting. In addition, every time we make and break such a union, we weaken the intended bonding mechanism of this incredible gift. As a result, we have debased, devalued and twisted the precious gift of sexuality. I and many others have learned the hard way that when God says “no,” He does it for our provision, and our protection. We cannot go against His laws without consequences!

There is a tendency to think of the phrase “becoming one flesh,” as being restricted to the physical act. But whether we acknowledge it or not, we are made in the image of God, and for better or worse, sexual union unites us in body soul and spirit. In other words in all sexual unions, in all three of these areas of our being, something is taken and and something received from the other person (see 1 Corinthians 6:16). When this is outside of God’s intention for us (i.e. outside of marriage), such unions are described in Christian circles as ungodly soul ties. And part of the process of becoming whole, is to confess and forsake such unions, and in prayer give back what was taken, and take back what was given.

Father, increasingly our culture is believing the lie that we can jump in and out of bed with others without consequences. And it’s happening even in the church! Wake us up Lord. Thank You Lord for redemption, thank You that with You we can start over again even when we have so completely blown it. Even so Lord as I know full well, consequences remain, and I need Your help to continue to work through the wreckage of my sinful past. Thank You that I know that You who have begun a good work in me will bring it to completion (Philippians 1:6), and I give You all the honour and glory and praise this morning in Jesus Name Amen