Naked and Shameless

 DEVOTION

GENESIS

NAKED AND SHAMELESS

Gen 2:23-25

23 The man said,

"This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called 'woman,' for she was taken out of man." 24 For this reason, a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh. 25 The man and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.

NIV

Now that God took the rib from the side of man and made a suitable helper for him, he brought her to the man, who, just as he named all the living things on the earth, he named her 'woman' for she was taken out of man. Some would say that her identity is associated with the man, or that the woman exists from man, and therefore was made for man. However, in the context of the scripture, it clarifies the exact relationship. Although at the time of this beginning, the account was put into words, there were many fathers and mothers; yet, at the time woman was taken out of man, there were none. Yet the truth remains that the two shall become one flesh. This Hebrew word, translated as "flesh," can mean exactly one body, but it is also used to refer to blood relatives, kindred. The idea is that the two should become one person, united. This would indicate that there are not two individuals, each with their own agendas, plans, or goals; they would be living as one, united. Because of further instructions given by God regarding the family structure, God has given the man the responsibility for the woman, or husband and wife. Because the husband is held accountable to God for his wife, he has also been given authority over his wife. That is not the most popular concept in our modern age, where, in the most recent years, the push for equal rights has been at the forefront.  However, in light of God's word, the two are one; they are already equal, for one cannot be divided into two with one half trying to be more than the other, but they would only be half of one, not one. The other truth we should consider is that Adam and Eve, man and his wife, were both naked and felt no shame. That is how God intended them to be, naked and without shame. Of course, we now wear clothes, but the idea is that we should be living bare before God, naked, exposed, hiding nothing from God, and living with no shame. At this point in their lives, Adam and his wife had not committed any act of disobedience or sin, so they had no reason to feel shame. We cannot say that we have not committed sin or that we do not continue to have sin in our lives. However, when the Holy Spirit convicted us of our need to repent, to change the way we think about God, our lives, and sin, we turned from a sinful life to believing the truth of God and accepting Jesus as our Lord and Savior. When we did that, it did or does not mean we are now sinless, but because of Jesus, we are still able to live without shame, for God has declared us innocent, or holy and pleasing in his sight. Because our sin is covered by the blood of Jesus, shame has been covered. Let us live bare, naked, and shameless before God.