after they are posted. Our writers have done an
outstanding job with this series! I know you will
enjoy every single article! We will start at the
very beginning of the Bible:
Fig Leaf Wardrobe
By Sandy Ditoro
"So when the woman
saw that the tree was good for food, that
it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree
desirable to make one wise, she took of its
fruit and ate. She also gave 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 coverings." (Genesis
3: 6-7)
It is interesting to
make a comparison of the three observations recorded
in the Scripture concerning the tree of knowledge of
good and evil before Adam and Eve ate from it. God
called it the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
Satan said, For God knows that in the day you eat of
it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like
God, knowing good and evil.” When Eve looked at it,
she “saw that the tree was good for food,
that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a
tree desirable to make one wise.”
Satan used a trick on
Eve that he still uses today. He uses it especially
on members of the church of Christ. Satan
convinced Eve that God was withholding something
good from her. He told her that she would be
like God. Her eyes would be opened. She would know
the difference between good and evil. She then
looked at the tree and decided that it was good for
food. It was pleasant to the eyes. If she ate from
it, she would become wise. Yes, indeed! God was
withholding something very good from her!
Satan convinces some
members of the church that God is withholding from
them all that is fun in life by commanding them to
abstain from even the appearance of evil. They want
to party like everyone else. They want to drink
alcoholic beverages. They want to go to the beach
wearing very little. They want to wear cute,
stylish, immodest clothing. They
want to dance. They want to ..... And the list goes
on and on.
Adam and Eve
indulged. Members of the church imbibe. Their eyes
are opened. They see good and evil but it is
not a pretty sight on the “after” side of
sin.
Adam and Eve were
suddenly afraid of God. They felt shame. I ponder
what they understood about sin, especially sexual
sin, the sin they seemed to become aware of when
they ate the fruit. I assume they gained some
understanding of sexual sin because they were trying
to cover their bodies with fig leaves. Before they
sinned, they were innocent, like
little children. A young child can run down the
street totally naked and feel no shame but adults
are aware of the shame of a naked body visible to
the public even when they choose to go uncovered in
public.
I heard a preacher
say, tongue in cheek of course, that he wished he
could find the fruit that Eve ate. He said he would
give it to some of his sisters so they could eat it,
their eyes would open, and they would realize that
they were naked.
Ladies, maybe it is
time we start looking for a fig tree. Fig leaf
clothing would have to be better than the styles
that are in the stores today!
Fig Leaf
Wardrobe
Questions
Lesson Text:
Genesis 2:16; 24-25, 3: 4-6; 8-11
1. Tell what God
said about the tree.
2. Tell what Satan
said about the tree.
3. Tell what Eve
said about the tree.
4. From the lesson
text tell what changes took place after Adam and Eve
ate the fruit.
5. What two
questions did God ask Adam and Eve?
6. Why did Adam
say he was afraid?
7. Please read
Genesis 2:24. Adam and Eve did not have a father and
a mother. Why is this verse in the Bible?
8. Some people
teach that a couple are not considered married until
they become one flesh in the sexual relationship.
Please look at Genesis 2:24. When does this verse
say a woman becomes a wife, before or after the
first sexual experience with her husband?
9.
Research Question: Is there shame connected
to the naked human body? One might say, God made our
bodies and they are wonderful, not shameful. The
answer then is "no." There is no shame in nakedness
in the privacy of the bedroom or in the company of
one's mate. Do a Bible Gateway search on "shame"
(include shamefacedness using KJV) through the whole
Bible. List any scriptures you find that connect
shame with nakedness.
10. Then the eyes
of both of them were ______, and they knew that they
were _____; and they sewed _____ _____
together and made themselves coverings. (Genesis 3:
6-7)