1 Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, "Has God indeed said, 'You shall not eat of every tree of the garden'?"
2 And the woman said to the serpent, "We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; 3 but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, 'You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.'"
4 Then the serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die. 5 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."
6 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. 7 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 3:1-7)
A farmer friend and leader in my church grows figs. The figs are delicious and are harvested in August and September. My children worked for him through high school, picking berries and grapes, but they told me that the figs were the most difficult to pick. The reason is because the juices from the tree is toxic and very caustic to the skin. It causes blisters and irritations for a day or so which is why it is essential to wear a pair of gloves when picking figs. Because of this, few like to pick them. However, if one can get past the idea of the distastefulness of picking figs, the fruit is delicious; especially when made up in preserves.
I find it interesting in this passage how Adam and Eve sewed fig leaves together when they ate of the forbidden fruit. They looked at one another and discovered their nakedness. The fig leaves were abrasive and toxic to the bare skin. They must have been miserable- hiding the thing that no one can hide: a fellowship with God that was broken.
The nakedness of Adam and Eve is not only a physical perception; it is a spiritual one. Adam and Eve felt like they needed to hide from God. But not only did they hide from God, they also began to hide from one another. Adam and Eve would never know one another again the way they once did before they were overcome by temptation. Because of their sin, they placed a barrier between them as husband and wife that they never knew before- a barrier that exists to this very day. This barrier has fostered mistrust and misunderstanding between them. Each has tried since that time to understand and to relate to one another. Some couples have done very well, but their relationship will never be perfect because their sinful natures keeps their guard up. Sin causes us to withhold part of ourselves. Not only do we not want God to see everything about us, but we become irritated and defensive when we are questioned by our spouse. Why? Because if he or she really knew what we were doing or what we were thinking, it would cause us to become ashamed, or cause us to feel guilty. Therefore we withhold that part from them- a part we don't want them to see. And we will find that it is that part we don't want the other spouse to see will always be the part that will cause us trouble or bring about problems in our marital relationships. It will bring about problems with communication. It will create misunderstandings about sex. It will bring up differences about how money is to be spent, how the children should be raised, and how the house is to be kept.
Since that time married couples have had to manage the barriers of misunderstandings, and accept that those barriers will always be there, and have been there since the day they ate of the forbidden fruit and looked at one another, and began sewing fig leaves together for coverings. Fig leaves make for a poor covering. They put those coverings on not only for each other, but in the likelihood that they would be confronted with their nakedness before God: hence the barriers. When there are fig leaves in our relationship with God, there will be fig leaves in our relationships with one another- especially in marriage.
Where are there "fig leaves" in your life or relationships? Its probably a sign that you are not honest or are trying to hide something- either from yourself, your spouse, your children, or from God. Use this lesson today to identify where the fig leaves are and ask God to show you not only where they are but why are they are there. May God help you be transparent so that your relationships may grow in as many levels as possible. You will not only grow but you will also be happy and most of all, free.
Prayer: God, help me with the fig leaves where I am hiding behind. My relationship with You is suffering. When that happens, God, everybody suffers. Help me Lord to identify them and lay these fig leaves before You. In Jesus Name, Amen.
Have a blessed day!
No comments:
Post a Comment