AND THE EYES OF THEM BOTH WERE OPENED, AND THEY KNEW THAT THEY WERE NAKED; AND THEY SEWED FIG LEAVES TOGETHER, AND MADE THEMSELVES APRONS. AND THEY HEARD THE VOICE OF THE LORD GOD WALKING IN THE COOL OF THE DAY: AND ADAM AND HIS WIFE HID THEMSELVES FROM THE PRESENCE OF THE LORD GOD AMONGST THE TREES OF THE GARDEN. AND THE LORD GOD CALLED UNTO ADAM, AND SAID UNTO HIM, WHERE ARE YOU? AND HE SAID, I HEARD YOUR VOICE IN THE GARDEN, AND I WAS AFRAID, BECAUSE I WAS NAKED; AND I HID MY SELF. AND THE LORD SAID, WHO TOLD YOU THAT YOU WERE NAKED? HAVE YOU EATEN OF THE TREE, WHEREOF I COMMANDED YOU THAT YOU SHOULD NOT EAT? Genesis, Chapter 3, Verses 7-11.
It was not the physical nakedness of Adam and Eve which was the issue in the above Scripture. After all, it is not a shame for a husband and wife to be naked in front of each other. The problem Adam and Eve was facing was a sin problem. They had sinned against God and their sin had been exposed. They had broken God’s Commandment not to eat of the Forbidden Fruit and found themselves spiritually naked in the PRESENCE OF GOD. In essence, they had committed spiritual adultery.
After Adam and Eve partook of the Forbidden Fruit they hid themselves from the PRESENCE OF GOD. Sin had entered into the GARDEN through their disobedience, and fellowship between them and God had been deferred. No doubt many thoughts were going through Adam’s mind. However, meeting with God for a time of fellowship was not one of them. Adam disobeyed God and sinned by eating the Forbidden Fruit. Sin always separates man from God. Sin always causes man to hide from the PRESENCE OF GOD.
The spirit of man is like a garden. A garden will grow any type of seeds you plant. In Adam and Eve’s Spiritual Garden the Seed of Rebellion had been planted by the Serpent. Now there was a new voice in the Garden of Eden. It was the voice of the Serpent. The Serpent had planted the seed of rebellion and it had already taken root and began producing fruit. Men fall prey to the seeds Satan plants in their Spiritual Garden (their hearts) when they take their focus off the Tree of Life and divert it to the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Unfortunately, this new fruit Satan introduced to Adam and Eve was corrupt and vile and brought the curse of sin and death upon all mankind. The Fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil had produced the Fruit of Unrighteousness in the First Couple. One sin of disobedience will lead to another if we do not repent of our sins.
Many Christians today are partaking of the Fruit from the Forbidden Tree and find themselves naked, ashamed and afraid. They try to hide from the PRESENCE OF GOD because they understand that fellowship with God has been broken and judgment is imminent. However, when we do sin and repent with a sincere heart, God is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins and CLEANSE us from all unrighteousness.
The first question in the Bible was asked by the Serpent. The Serpent questioned the integrity of God’s Word and continued to deceive Eve by lying to her saying, “you shall not surely die.”
After Adam and Eve succumbed to the lies of the Serpent God began asking Adam and Eve a series of questions. Questions might seem a bit unusual for someone who already knew all the answers. After all, God is Omniscient. When God asks questions He is not looking for answers. He already knows everything. He knows the thoughts and intents of the heart of every person. In the Bible God was always asking questions. He was not trying to educate Himself, but those to whom He was asking the questions. God knew Adam had sinned and had eaten of the Forbidden Fruit. Adam’s feeble attempt to hide his sin from God showed his lack of UNDERSTANDING as to what he should do next. Adam knew there would be a penalty for disobeying God’s Command or he would not have tried to HIDE from the PRESENCE OF GOD.
There was and is a lesson to be learned from what Adam was feeling and experiencing, and it would be a very hard lesson to learn indeed. It was the lesson of how sin in our life can lead to spiritual confusion and separation from God. Sin always separates man from God. Adam had sinned and found himself in fear of the judgment of God. He knew the judgment of God was about to be unleashed upon him because of his disobedience. Adam needed a covering for his sin, but did not know what to do in order to obtain it. Above everything else, Adam had need of a High Priest who could offer up a LIVING Sacrifice to cleanse him from the guilt and shame he was experiencing.
God’s first question to Adam was: “Adam where are you?” Of course, God knew where Adam was, just as He always knows where we are and when we sin. Adam had lost his focus. His thoughts were no longer focused on his reasonable service to God, but on the sin he had just committed against God. Adam’s sin bore witness in the PRESENCE OF GOD and exposed his nakedness and shame. God’s Presence was no longer a covering for him.
God asks us questions in order to stimulate our thinking and to bring clarity, understanding and knowledge to us in the same way a TEACHER does. If we do not know the answers to the questions, we can ask the TEACHER, Jesus. However, Adam’s only response was: “I was afraid and naked.” Sin had left Adam afraid and ashamed to be in the PRESENCE OF GOD. Likewise, when we commit sin we are naked in the eyes of God.
In asking Adam questions the Lord was trying to get Adam to ask himself the same questions. When tragedy befalls us because of our own sinful actions, we must always ask the questions: who, what, where, when and why. Who was at fault, and who must take the blame for my actions? What did I do that resulted in the tragic events which have befallen me? What will I do now? What is going to happen to me? Where did I go wrong? Where can I get help, and who will help me? Where am I in my RELATIONSHIP with God and His plan, purpose and will for my life? Where is the Lord in this? When will I be free of this guilt and shame? When will all this confusion and horror be over? Why did I do what I did? Why am I confused, depressed and despondent? Adam was probably asking himself many of these very same questions and many more.
WHO TOLD YOU THAT YOU WERE NAKED?
The second question God asked Adam was: “Who told you that you were naked?” God then immediately asked Adam the third and final question: “Have you eaten from the Tree I Commanded you should not eat?” Adam’s response to God’s questions was not one of sorrow, but one of accusation. Adam knew he had sinned, but would not admit it and blamed his sin on Eve. After all, Eve was the one who had given him the Forbidden Fruit to eat. According to Adam, it was not his fault he had sinned, it was Eve’s fault because she gave him the deadly fruit. Adam could not justify his act of disobedience to God so he placed the blame on a SCAPE GOAT, Eve. Although Adam realized someone other than himself had to pay the penalty for his sin, he had chosen the wrong SCAPE GOAT. The only Scape Goat which was able to pay the penalty for all the sins of mankind was Jesus Christ. Jesus would pay the ultimate price for the sins of all mankind when He would be crucified on a Cross at Calvary many years later.
God was admonishing Adam to search his own heart for the answers to the questions He was asking him. WHO TOLD YOU THAT YOU WERE NAKED? Where did that REVELATION come from? How did you become NAKED? Was it a result of eating the Fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil? Who is responsible for this thing you have done? How will it all end? What is the end result of disobedience?
Nobody had to tell Adam he was spiritually naked before God. He could see that for himself. That is why he was afraid and hid himself from the PRESENCE OF GOD. There was nothing wrong with his natural vision, it was spiritual vision he was lacking. Yes, he could see he was spiritually naked and understood judgment in one form or another was imminent because he had disobeyed God by eating the Forbidden Fruit. What Adam could not see or understand was how fellowship between he and God could be or would be re-established. Adam’s spiritual nakedness had been exposed in the PRESENCE OF GOD, and fear of judgment gripped his heart. Our sin will always be exposed in the PRESENCE OF GOD.
Adam was aware he had sinned, but he could not see or recognize the answer to his sin problem. He was aware that he was naked, but he failed to realize the answer to his dilemma was repentance. Adam also understood there would be a penalty to pay for his sin. That is why he tried to hide himself from the PRESENCE OF GOD.
After God asked Adam three questions, He turned to Eve and asked her one question, “What have you done?” Eve’s response was not any better than the response Adam gave. Eve responded by blaming the Serpent for her sin. She realized there must be a Scape Goat for her sin as well. The Serpent could never pay the price for sin. Only the Blood of the sinless Lamb of God could cover the sin problem by shedding His precious Blood on Calvary.
The answer to our sin problem is not found in blaming someone else for our shortcomings. The only response to the sin problem must always be Godly sorry accompanied by heart felt repentance. When we commit and retain sin in our life, we lose our GODLY FOCUS. When we lose our GODLY FOCUS, we lose our GODLY FELLOWSHIP.
Adam and Eve had never before experienced the feelings of shame, fear and condemnation. They were accustomed to peace, tranquility and security sustained by being in the PRESENCE of their Creator as they walked and fellowshipped with Him daily in the Garden of Eden.
Adam and Eve hid themselves from the PRESENCE OF GOD because they were spiritually naked (ashamed) and afraid. Before they sinned Adam and Eve were not aware, or cognizant, of their physical nakedness before one another. There is no sin connected to being physically naked when two people are united in HOLY Matrimony and become Husband and Wife. This is God’s plan for man and woman. God created the physical institution of Marriage between a man and woman to be a spiritual example of Christ and His Bride, the Church. If a wife commits adultery against her husband, she brings shame upon herself and is guilty of rebellion by breaking her wedding vows. She has exposed her nakedness before another man and committed an UNHOLY act before God and man. I am speaking of the relationship between God and man and using the analogy of a husband and wife as an example. Spiritual nakedness is a result of spiritual adultery.
After Adam and Eve sinned, the Holy Covering of God’s PRESENCE or GLORY departed from them. The lesson the TEACHER is conveying to us is that spiritual nakedness is in a sense similar to physical nakedness. When we sin, our sin is exposed before God. Adam and Eve could SEE after they sinned, and understand that they were naked. No one had to tell them they had sinned and that their sin had been exposed. They were well aware of what they had done. We have to remember that the lesson we learn from eating from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil is a spiritual one and not a natural one.
The fear and shame Adam and Eve were experiencing was not the result of being physically naked, but spiritually naked. It was that spiritual nakedness which made them afraid and ashamed. The Bible says “FEAR HATH TORMENT. 1 John, Chapter 4, Verse 18. The word “torment” in the Greek speaks of pending judgment. Adam and Eve realized they had disobeyed God and knew there would be a consequence for their actions.
Adam and Eve tried to hide their shame (sin) by sewing fig leaves together to make aprons for themselves. However, Adam was still afraid and ashamed when he heard God speaking to him in his Garden. One of the biggest problems in the World today is that people are searching for natural remedies for their spiritual problems. However, Jesus and His finished work at Calvary, is the only answer for the sin problem.
AND THE LORD SAID UNTO CAIN, WHERE IS YOUR BROTHER ABEL? AND HE SAID, I KNOW NOT: AM I MY BROTHER’S KEEPER? Genesis, Chapter 4, Verse 9.
After Cain murdered Abel he made no attempt to hide himself from the PRESENCE OF GOD. He boldly lied to God and answered God’s questions with impudence and total disregard for His authority. Cain was not ashamed of his sin. Cain did not try to hide himself from the PRESENCE OF GOD as Adam did because he did not fear God OR the consequence of his sin. However, Cain did try to hide the sin of killing his brother FROM God. When God asked Cain a question, Cain responded with a question rather than an answer. However, Cain was not searching for an answer, but he was questioning God’s authority. His question was a grandiloquent or rhetorical one. In other words, Cain was suggesting he HAD NO SIN.
Unlike Adam and Eve, Cain did not try to blame someone else for his sin. Cain did not even admit a sin had been committed. Cain tried to HIDE his sin from God and portrayed a lack of responsibility for his own actions. “AM I MY BROTHER’S KEEPER” is not the response the TEACHER wanted to hear. Cain was not sorry he sinned and did not care what the TEACHER thought of him. He had his own agenda and nothing else mattered to him. Consequently, Cain was driven from the PRESENCE OF GOD to WANDER aimlessly in the land of Nod throughout his life without purpose or plan. The word “NOD” means “vagrancy.”
Strength and purpose is found in unity with God and His plan and purpose for our life. We can never be truly happy or spiritually prosperous outside of the will, plan and purpose of God for our life. Sin will always separate us not only from the PRESENC OF GOD, but also the plan and purpose of God for our life. If we are not experiencing the fullness of God and His many blessings, it could be that we are hiding from HIS PRESENCE because we have sin in our life.
A lack of knowledge and/or understanding of God’s plan and purpose for our life can and will separate us from experiencing every blessing our Heavenly Father has purposed for our life. Sometimes we allow our minds to WANDER from the Truth and from our reasonable service to God. We fail to become LIVING SACRIFICES which, outside of our praise, is the only sacrifice ACCEPTABLE to God from US as believers. Yes, we are saved by Grace through Faith because of the SACRIFICE of Christ and the Blood He shed at Calvary for our sins. However, we have the responsibility of reconciling ourselves and others to God by keeping our focus on Him and His plan and purpose for our life.
Cain failed to recognize HE WAS HIS BROTHERS KEEPER, or guardian. When we do not love God above all else, and our brother as our self, we cannot dwell continuously in THE PRESENCE OF GOD. If we are going to experience the fullness of the blessings GOD has set aside for us, we must seek to consistently dwell IN HIS PRESENCE. We must ask ourselves the question, “Am I dwelling consistently IN HIS PRESENCE?” If the answer is no, it could be because we are feasting more on the Fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil than we are from the Fruit of the Tree of Life.
Jesus seeks to fellowship daily with us in the GARDEN of our Spirit (our heart) just as He did with Adam and Eve. The Tree of Life and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil stand in the midst of that Garden (our heart). We must always be sensitive to the voice of Christ we hear in the Garden which bids us to COME AND DINE with Him. We must never entertain the “SEED” thoughts the Serpent tries to plant in our Garden. Every thought which exalts itself against the Knowledge of God is a SEED designed by the Serpent to separate us from the PRESENCE OF GOD. We must be ever vigilant to GUARD and PROTECT our Garden from the schemes and traps of the Serpent in order that we can cast out every thought which exalts itself against the Knowledge of God.
Taking our focus off the Tree of Life and placing it on the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil will always result in disastrous consequences. Always keeping our focus on the Tree of Life will assure us that the blessings of God’s Grace and Mercy will follow us all the days of our life.