Marriage - 1.9 Nakedness Oh

Marriage OH 1.5 (Screen Reading version)

What the Bible Teaches about Marriage

Intimacy Genesis 2:25 Nakedness without Shame The man and the woman were both naked, and they felt no shame.

* This does not mean that the couple were “crafty” – only that the word used for “naked”, having the same sound as “crafty”, draws our attention to the following verse. Nakedness within marriage is still the beautiful expression of the sexuality that God created in man and woman. Song of Songs is the most positively erotic text in Scripture, extolling the physical (naked) beauty of the beloved.

Adam’s Response The earthy sexual appreciation of the perfect woman standing naked before him. Adam is overcome with delight (at Eve) and desire (for union) - a good and joyous thing (he feels no shame).

Nakedness and Shame “It is not just anybody who is naked here - it is the man and his wife, a married couple. The fact that the man and the woman are married is significant for two reasons.

Adam and Eve were not ashamed, because they were not aware of evil and had no sinful thoughts. The “knowledge of good and evil” had not entered into Adam's and Eve's lives, though the potential danger was there, (v.17).

1. The previous verses have described marriage in covenant terms. The phrases "bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh" and "one flesh" (Gen 2:23-24) are often used in Scripture to denote and seal covenant relationships (e.g, David with the tribes of Israel 2 Sam 5:1-3). Thus, in this verse there is a solemn bond between the man and the woman that invokes reciprocal promises and obligations. Only in that solemn context does their nakedness take place.

Nakedness and Shame Nakedness speaks of the total sexual awareness (leading to the arousal of desire) between a man & a woman within marriage - a beautiful and good thing. But the writer of Genesis 2:25 in speaking of “no shame” (before he comes to recount the Fall), alludes to the feeling of guilt that would be attached to it after the Fall. To Discuss Where is verse 25 placed in the total passage (Chapter 1 to 3)? What significance can you see in it being placed here (rather than earlier, or later perhaps)? “The verse serves as a transition. Not only does it close the preceding narrative about creation and marriage, but also it provides a general contrast to Chapter 3, which describes the tragedy of sin and its consequences.” Note: “The Hebrew word for ’naked’* is a play on the Hebrew word for ‘crafty,’ a word used to describe the serpent in the next verse, Gen 3:1. Thus, as a transitional verse, Gen 2:25 is loaded with meaning.”

2. The couple’s marriage is significant is that it means their nakedness occurs within established boundaries. In Gen 2:24 we are told that

• first a man leaves his father and mother, • then he marries a woman, and only then • do the man and woman become one flesh (in the sense not only of covenant, but also of sexual union). Just as this sequence in verse 24 establishes a boundary of marriage for intercourse (sexual union), verse 25 also emphasizes that same boundary for nakedness (the appreciation of the sexual aspect of marriage ). After the Fall nakedness (outside of marriage) became something that required covering up. Sexual arousal outside of marriage, in whatever form,

becomes, what it as never intended to be, a thing of shame. What did the word "naked" signify to the original readers of this text? Among the Hebrews, the state of nakedness was most often associated with humiliation. It was used as •a description of poverty (Job 24:7),

•a reference to sexual offences (Lev 20:18-19), •an indication of indecency (Gen 9:20-27), • a recognition of being under God’s judgment (Deut 28.48), •a sign of guilt as well as shame (Gen 3:7,10-11; Exod 28:42-43; Hos 2:3).” For the Hebrews nakedness was not considered to be a good thing. How “all the more shocking for the original readers of this verse to learn that the man and his wife were naked and not ashamed. For the Hebrews, this revelation would have been a dramatic indication of how deeply into sin the human race had fallen. Pre-Fall Innocence In marked contrast to the shame and humiliation associated with nakedness, we see a married couple perfectly at ease with one another. In their relationship there was no hint of greed, lust, or exploitation because God had provided them with everything they could possibly need - food, abundant resources, companionship, and Sabbath rest in His presence in His tabernacle (the Garden itself). The relationships between God and Man, Man and Woman, and Man and Creation were in perfect harmony.” Modesty Modesty in dress, speech and behaviour now becomes the antidote of all forms of shameful nakedness By saying neither the man nor the woman felt any shame, the writer introduces the idea of a future sense of guilt associated with any form of sexual immorality.

Note: The absence of any such feeling does not mean no guilt is attached to such (extra-marital) “nakedness”. Next Session Having Children The Purpose of Marriage: Procreation? Assumption: The purpose of having male and female, the reason for the existence of sex and the essential goal of marriage, is the creation of children. True? Or not?