'Naked and Ashamed'

*Genesis 3:10

"Jehovah" Self-existent, Eternal

*Deuteronomy 33:26-27, "There is none like the God of Jeshurun, who rides the heavens to your help, and through the skies in His majesty. The eternal God is a dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms; and He drove out the enemy from before you, and said, 'Destroy!'."

Lives can be shattered in a moment of time. When the doors close in a loud reverberating echo to our hopes, to our dreams, to our plans it shakes the foundation of our lives. Rejection can cause us to turn inward to a mind full of confused and scattered thoughts. Leading to despair and nowhere to run or hide. We become hostile and aggressive, usually with those we are close to, causing them to back away in anger and confusion.

God created man to live eternally; however, what happened in a moment of time changed the course of the lives of all mankind who would be born in the likeness of Adam.

Genesis 3:1-7 "Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, "Indeed, has God said, 'You shall not eat from any tree of the garden?'" And the woman said to the serpent, "From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, 'You shall not eat from it or touch it, lest you die.'" And the serpent said to the woman, " You surely shall not die! For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin coverings.

The choices we make can bring fear and condemnation to ourselves, to our families, and to those we are close to. The choice that Adam made brought the fear of death and the curse of sin to all mankind. God did not curse Man but man, through his own disobedience, brought the curse of sin upon all mankind.

*Romans 5:12 "...By one man sin entered into the world and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned."

In Genesis 1:27-28 it is recorded that God blessed the man and woman and said, "be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth and subdue it." He gave them dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and the beasts of the earth. But in a moment in time man relinquished his right of dominion to the prince of darkness altering the course of mankind's life in the process.

Looking back at what transpired over 6900 years ago we can easily say we would have done things differently. Our 20/20 hindsight is always clearer than our foresight. The truth is, we never really know what we would do in any circumstance until we are faced with the same decision. There are too many variables to consider. The most rational of individuals can make the most rash decisions at the most impromptu moments. The decisions we make today can cause repercussions that can create adverse effects from our lives to a whole nation. It could be something as simple as what to eat for dinner or as complicated as changing our loyalties from one firm to another.

In Chapter 3 of the Book of Genesis we see the woman speaking to " the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan" (Revelation 12:9) at the tree of the knowledge of good and of evil. She saw it was good for food, a delight to the eyes, and desirable to make one wise. "For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world," (I John 2:16). Then she took the fruit and gave it to her husband who was with her. "...but the woman being quite deceived, fell into transgression" (I Timothy 2:14).

Genesis 3:16 "To the woman He said, 'I will greatly multiply your pain in childbirth, in pain you shall bring forth children; Yet your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you'."

We see the man with her accepting the fruit and he also ate of it, blatantly disobeying the commandment of God. "For it was Adam who was first created, and then Eve. And it was not Adam who was deceived...". (I Timothy 2:13-14)

Genesis 3:17-19 "Then to Adam He said, 'Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, 'You shall not eat from it'; Cursed is the ground because of you; In toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field; By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground. Because from it you were taken; For you are dust; and to dust you shall return'."

We see the serpent, through subtle words, deceiving the woman, "You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature; for he is a liar, and the father of lies. (John 8:44).

Genesis 3:14-15 "And the LORD God said to the serpent, 'Because you have done this, cursed are you more than all cattle, and more than every beast of the field; on your belly shall you go, and dust shall you eat all the days of your life; And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise Him on the heel'."

Because of what they had done they were evicted from the Garden of Eden and forbidden to return, *Genesis 3:22 "...lest he stretch out his hand, and take also from the tree of life, and eat and live forever"-. To be condemned to an eternity in sin separated from God would be a hopeless situation.

*Romans 5:14 "Nevertheless death reigned from Adam until Moses, even over those who had not sinned in the likeness of the offense of Adam,...".

A very bad decision made in a moment of time can change the direction in the way we live our lives. It can destroy and ruin the very infrastructure of our family's lives. It can also lead to poor decisions made by our offspring as well. The phrase, "You did it so why can't I," can cut to the core of our heart.

*Genesis 4:1 "Now the man had relations with his wife Eve, and she conceived and gave birth to Cain,...". *Genesis 4:2 "And again, she gave birth to his brother Abel..." Cain was a husbandman while Abel was a shepherd. Both gave tithes to the LORD but Cain's was rejected. Cain became angry and despaired because of this rejection and told his brother. Whatever they spoke together caused Cain to become so angry that he rose up against Abel and killed him. When the LORD approached Cain about his brother Abel's whereabouts the only response he gave was, "Am I my brother's keeper."

God had heard the voice of his brother's blood crying from the ground and because of what Cain had done he was cursed from the ground which he tilled. He would become a vagrant and a wanderer and was driven from the presence of the LORD forever. He was marked for his transgression and moved to the land of Nod which was in the east of Eden. Cain also had a son, Lamech, who killed a man and then boasted about it, "For I have killed a man for wounding me; and a boy for striking me; If Cain is avenged sevenfold, then Lamech seventy-sevenfold" (Genesis 4:23-24).

*Genesis 4:25 "And Adam had relations with his wife again; and she gave birth to a son, and named him Seth, for, she said, 'God has appointed me another seed in place of Abel; for Cain killed him'." Eve had heard the promise but did not understand that the seed that would bruise the head of the serpent would not be born into the world for another 4000 years when Mary, a young virgin engaged to a man named Joseph, would receive that promise spoken to her by Gabriel, an angel sent from God, "And behold, you will conceive in your womb, and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus," (Luke 1:31).

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*John 1

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being by Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. There was the true light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man. He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came unto His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us and we beheld his glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth."

God never leaves us in a hopeless situation. No matter what mistakes we make in a moment of time there is a light of hope that shines in the darkness and His name is Jesus Christ. He is our only hope in time of trouble. He is a friend that sticks closer than a brother. And He will never leave us nor forsake us even until the end of the earth.

All it takes is faith and belief in Him. The gift and promise of God are free for the asking. It costs you nothing for He has already paid the price for your redemption through His death on the cross where His heel was bruised. He took on all our sins and our transgressions that we might have peace with God. Through His obedience He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation. He arose from the dead that through Him we receive life everlasting without condemnation. He is our mediator that ever stands before the Father to intercede for us whenever we do make a mistake. He has been given a name above every name and all things have been put under His feet that every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.

So put your trust in Him because He loves you no matter what you have done. His love is unconditional and forever.

P Adam's children were defined as being in his own likeness and according to his image. The likeness was sinful. The image was flesh. 235 years after creation Adam's son Seth begat Enos. Enos in Hebrew is defined as 'mortal'. At that time it is recorded 'then man began to call by the name of the Lord' (Genesis 4:26). Transliterated this means their names began to reflect, incorporate, or invoke the name of God. Man had begun to realize how insignificant his own mortality was in view of the divine nature of an everlasting God.

*February 12, 2006