In Genesis 3, Adam and Eve turn from God’s reign and choose Self-rule. Their entire being is now corrupted and defiled by new-found sin, and they are experiencing things never before felt – fear and shame. Though it seems like it cannot possibly get any worse, it does – God comes to the garden for a visit. The man and his wife heard God walking in the garden and “hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden” (Genesis 3:8). This is silly! They know God is omniscient (all-knowing), but they are like small children playing hide and seek, covering their eyes and thinking they cannot be seen!
God calls out to the man, “Where are you?” He answers, explaining that when he heard God in the garden, he experienced fear and shame at being naked, so he hid himself. The man’s answer is evidence of having eaten the forbidden fruit. God asks, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” Genesis 3:11. God’s question, asking, “Who told you…?”, is a reference to the new character in the story of man, the false god which will now enslave every man and demand his worship – Self.
After being corrupted by sin, man is Self-conscious, Self-aware, Self-driven, and Self-condemned. This was Adam’s story, and this is now our story. As God’s creation, made in His image, this causes great distress for us. When we succumb to the elevation of Self over God’s authority, fear and shame hound our lives. This is very difficult to face. That is why we “hide” in many activities and behaviors. God calls to each of us, “Where are you?” We choose whether to turn a deaf ear to His voice or to humbly confess to Him that we are ashamed and naked.
After choosing Self-rule, the man and his wife each attempt to protect the new ruler (Self) enthroned in their hearts by pointing the finger of blame at others for their actions. God pronounces the devastating consequences for their pride and sin on all of mankind and nature. After God declares His judgment, He addresses Adam and Eve’s greatest immediate need by making the first sacrificial covering for their naked and sinful condition; “The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife, and clothed them” (Genesis 3:21).
To close out this sad chapter of deception, treason, and Self-protection, God drove man out of the garden of Eden. Man could no longer dwell and walk with God in this special place. With man now enslaved in the state of “Self-rule”, God knew that man might “take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever.” Man would remain in this terrible corrupted state for eternity (Genesis 3:22-24), but God would not allow that to happen. Mercifully, God drove man out of the garden and stationed a guard with a flaming sword “which turned every direction” to keep man from accessing the tree of life.
Just as God sacrificed and shed the blood of animals to make coverings for Adam and Eve, He had already crafted a plan to redeem and save you and me. Because of His great love for you, He gave His only begotten Son, Jesus, to die and shed His blood on the cross and to cover you with His robe of righteousness. His sacrifice for all your sin is complete when you first profess your faith in Him, and also as you walk on the narrow way each day as His disciple.
Acknowledging our Self, pride, and sin can be difficult or even agonizing, leading us to fear judgment and to make efforts to conceal ourselves. That is why humility is the essential posture for the Christian. It is in humility that we recognize and acknowledge our complete dependence upon God for everything, and the exposure of our ugly pride and Self propels us to the amazing grace of God and into the open arms of our Savior, Jesus Christ.
Fear and Shame – Offspring of Self-Rule
