Genesis 3:7–10
‘Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realised that they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.’ (v7)
Having eaten from the forbidden tree of the knowledge of good and evil, their eyes are opened and they see their nakedness, a vulnerability of which they’d been unconscious in their former state of innocence. Always seeing what was around them, now they had sight of their inner makeup, conscious of wrong and right. Things once seen can never be unseen. As humans we learn that if we pursue unhelpful, often unhealthy, experiences, then we cannot erase their memory and their effects on us are long-lasting. For some this is the source of their addiction, for others the start of living a life of regret. Consciously naked, they felt the first shame (v10) and had the first encounter with guilt.
Guilt drives us towards confession or deceit. Now ‘afraid’, a consequence of sin, they attempt to deceive God by hiding, for they cannot ignore God’s voice. God’s beautiful mission is to send Jesus who sets us free from shame and guilt, inviting us into a friendship that rescues us from our nakedness and provides deliverance from all our fears. We must daily ask ourselves, surrounded by temptation, how is it we want to live?
Decision made, our schooling in discipleship begins. Jesus lived as human and divine, demonstrating how we might live in obedience to God. Disobedience will always open the door beyond which our self-destruction is guaranteed. God promises to encourage us wherever and whenever we choose obedience, though the price for our return to Paradise will prove costly.
SCRIPTURE TO CONSIDER: Deut. 30:11–20; Isa. 30:19–26; Rom. 5:12–21; Gal. 6:1–10.
AN ACTION TO TAKE: Far from God and ashamed of your nakedness? Choose to return to God and benefit from His fully comprehensive rescue plan.
A PRAYER TO MAKE: ‘Lord, may I daily choose to enter by the narrow gate and avoid the wide gate that so easily leads to my destruction. Amen.’ (Matt. 7:13)
Photo by Sergiu Vălenaș on Unsplash
