Hiding in Paradise 8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?” 10 He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.” 11 And he said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?” The first thing the human couple finds after eating from the Tree of Knowledge is that they are naked. Interestingly, the Hebrew word translated here as “naked” is different than the first naked we encountered when the Bible tells us that “…they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed”-- Gen 2:25. In this passage, naked carries a second implication of being vulnerable and helpless. We begin to feel helpless when we don’t feel in control, when we are dependent on someone else’s power for security. In this new landscape of “good” and “evil”, being naked is definitely not a desirable place to be! Not only did they feel helpless, but the interaction between YHVH and man was no longer natural. Adam and Eve could now understand their limited power in comparison with the Almighty and they began to fear their inability to protect themselves against such an awesome power. It reminds me of the moment that YHVH reveals himself to every man, woman and child at Mount Sinai with the result that everyone became afraid and cried out that GOD should hide himself from them and let Moses speak instead-- Exd 20:18-22. Adam and Eve had good reason to fear. They both had committed an act of defiance doing what YHVH asked them not to do. In this beautiful paradise, the first reaction is to hide. Yet, again, there is the more subtle meaning. Adam and Eve don’t want to feel helpless and naked, so they sew fig leaves together. In one sense, they are merely covering naked flesh with the closest thing to hand, perhaps so that they won’t feel shame at their nakedness. On the other hand, fig leaves are the ultimate symbol of peace and happiness, the final goal of mankind. Adam and Eve are far from peace and happiness in the Garden. They are in hiding, fearful for their lives. John tells us that fear and love don’t sit at the same table. Thus, the fear Adam and Eve are expressing has diminished their love for him, just as it replaces our love for each other. YHVH knew the moment the man expressed his fear that he had consumed the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ View the article with links here: utopianidealists.yuku/reply/300/3-Genesis-The-Fall#reply-300
Posted on: Sat, 03 Aug 2013 16:48:49 +0000
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