Fear No Fear

(All scripture from the World English Bible, ebible.org, all rights reserved)

“The man called his wife Eve because she would be the mother of all the living. Yahweh God made garments of animal skins for Adam and for his wife, and clothed them.”
Genesis 3:20-21

Back in Genesis 1:26-27 humanity was made in God’s image. God called them Adam (Genesis 5:2), making no NAME difference between them. Here, just after the consequences for their rebellion have been explained, the male PROVES that he is just like God because he chooses to name the female. He recognizes her ability to bring forth life and he celebrates that. Adam accounts for the woman’s role as child-bearer and in giving her this designation, confirms God’s positive gift of the woman’s role in his life. Instead of being bitter, he was called on the carpet for his attempt to blame her and here chooses to be gracious. He affirms that she is good and a good part of life on Earth. In his own mind he returns her to her rightful place at his side as his equal partner – a place God never removed her from.

In this same way, God ALSO chooses to be gracious and clothes them. He gives them coverings better than the ones they made. They removed themselves from their rightful place with Him, and He shows them that He is not giving them up. He STILL cares. HE STILL provides. Even in their sin He cared for them. He also seems to have used it as an opportunity to point out a few things. First, sin results in death. Animals needed to die in order to clothe them. Death was part of the world and this is what it looked like. Second, shed blood covered their shame. Their sin. In this way clothes become an ever-present reminder of what they had done and what was needed to cover them. This is a physical picture of what Jesus would do for us – Hebrews 9:22. It’s a brutal lesson, but rebellion is a brutal sin.

Tradition teaches that these clothes God made them were FANTASTIC. In fact, there is a myth that they were so fancy that Nimrod (the descendant who ended up with Adam’s clothes) used them as the first royal robes. It claims that they were passed down from person to person, becoming the clothes Esau was hiding at his mother’s place (that Jacob used to impersonate him) and also the robes Achan stole at Jericho. Why would God make Adam and Eve such magnificent clothes when they had just sinned so terribly? God doesn’t treat us how we deserve. In His mercy and grace He is ALWAYS showing us His love. He doesn’t hold our actions against us, He seeks to show He is willing to cleanse us of our sin if we will come to Him. And we won’t come to Him if we don’t realise that He loves us. These clothes – magnificent or not – were a sign of His love, His mercy, and His desire to HELP US.

It is only after Adam names Eve that God starts using individual names for humanity.

The sage Steinsaltz teaches that Adam ‘chose this name because she was the mother of all living [ḥai]. There is much affection and love in the selection of this particular name. Adam could have chosen many other names; he could even have given her a name that reflected some resentment toward her. Despite everything, he called her ḥavva, as if to say to her: From you life will come to the world.’ Further, he writes: ‘The Lord God made for Adam and for his wife hide tunics and clothed them. God took into account the shame and vulnerability that Adam and Eve felt in the wake of their sin. He wished to assist them on their new path, so He clothed them.’ It is from SIN that we get our feeling of vulnerability. It is NOT a positive. It is a feeling that is PROOF you are separated from God. We are meant to be HUMBLE and protected in every way by God, not VULNERABLE and seeking self-service.