Mind you, this piece may appear like a Bible Study lesson. Well, you won't regret reading it.
And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed. Genesis 2:25 ESV
Some say that the nakedness in the above quoted scripture means transparent, open minded, unveiled, vulnerable (to each other) and somewhat defenseless. Well, I agree with the position and this is what makes me think so. Genesis 3:1-7 (NLT) says:
"The serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild animals the Lord God had made. One day he asked the woman, “Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?” “Of course we may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,” the woman replied. “It’s only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God said, ‘You must not eat it or even touch it; if you do, you will die.’”
“You won’t die!” the serpent replied to the woman. “God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.” The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too. At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves"
Eve was transparent, she was open. She didn't eat and hide some. She didn't eat and become selfish with it. She ensured her husband "enjoyed" from the new knowledge she had gotten from the serpent and the sweetness from the fruit. She was open and transparent. Just to make things clear, the Bible says Eve was deceived but Adam rebelled. So don't blame Eve, she was deceived. "For Adam was formed first, then Eve; and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor." 1 Timothy 2:13-14 ESV
Well, that's not my focus. Here is my focus
Genesis 3:1-7 (NLT) says that “…At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves.”
I have come to realize that transparency and openness in relationships and marriages disappear when one partner or both partners have erred against themselves, or the relationship, or God. So we start keeping some financial information, some job information, and some external family information. We start hiding our chats, and our calls. We all of a sudden realize that we are naked and vulnerable.
Well, that nakedness isn't really our privacies but our distinctness. Our nakedness isn't the ugly parts of our body that we want to hide. Nah, it is the parts of our bodies in which we are distinct and different from our partner, our spouse. So Eve covered her boobs and vagina and Adam covered his penis. Not because they were ugly but because of something we haven't really paid attention to.
What makes a relationship awesome is when we are open. Transparent. Open. No secrets. It is not when we share all of our dreams and fears with our partners. But whenever we err against the relationship or against God, we automatically realize that we are "naked" and become too open, too transparent. But that's not the problem, the openness isn’t the problem.
Black or white
Know that the moment you start becoming/getting secretive, "private", "personal", no longer open-minded in your relationship, then you have most likely erred against God or your partner, or your relationship.
Adam and Eve thought that their nakedness was the issue and tried to cover it but the issue was that there was a problem in their relationship with God and with themselves. They started blaming each other. And even God. No, the problem wasn't because Eve had a vagina and Adam had a penis. Nah. The problem was that they had violated their relationship, the one they had with God. And instead of Adam to find how to fix it, he was busy harbouring contempt for God and his wife. That was what caused the problem.
This is it.
How transparent, open and naked are you in your relationship/marriage?
Think about these things.
My name is Earl, and I am Alright.
