Genesis 3:7
And the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons
The state of nakedness wasn’t the ultimate for the first couple on earth. The stage is symbolic of infancy and innocence. It’s a beginning of a journey to the ultimate end: “clothed.” This is attaining the life of God, immortality in life eternal.
God is always working back, for the purpose of the end of man, from His now, even before man came into existence, to the future. Here is our example. In the Eternal, God sees Himself living in and with man; His nature is suffused in creation through man and man alone; He sees Himself through His creation called man. That’s in the Eternal, in the now of Eternal, done! Man’s nakedness was not in the Eternal now; present is the perfection of beauty named man, covered with God’s glory, image and likeness.
When the eyes of the Adams became open after partaking of the tree they were warned against, they “sewed” figs
together. This was an attempt by man to arrive God’s own end through self efforts. What’s God’s end?
God’s end for man in the eternal is that man is a tent or a house, not that he would become a tent or a house for Him but is a tent or house for Him. All the Old Testament stories of temple building, the furniture in the house, sanctification of the vessels or furniture… are all symbols of man in God and God in man – “… know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost…in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not of your own (1 Corinthians” 6:19). Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house…We groan to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked (2 Corinthians 5:1-3). Actually, the true meaning of being naked or to be unclothed is to be mortal, to be undwelt in by God, to be still vulnerable to all that flesh is. To be clothed really means to be clothed with God. ….we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life (verse 4).
It’s for man, in his migration to God, to leave his state of nakedness, babyhood and carnality. His heart is to pant after God “like the hart after the water brook,” eternal life focused. To be otherwise is to remain naked, to be earth bound, unable to fly and devoid of space in us for the complete indwelt of the Holy Spirit, God. It’s being indifferent to God’s longing to fill us with Himself; the word used by the holy scripture is “lukewarm.” …..you say, _I am rich. I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing!’ But ….you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked…buy white clothes to wear so that you can cover your shameful nakedness… (Revelation 3:17-18).
Again, the glorious resurrection body is what the believer will rise with, clothed. The naked body is the natural man, a living soul, in which we have participated; the clothed is spiritual in which we are participating and will participate. And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly (1 Corinthians 15:49).
Father, our hearts pant after You like the hart after the water brook. May our desires for You be realised in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Thank You, Lord
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