What Genesis 1-3 Teaches About Marriage

What Genesis 1-3 Teaches about Marriage:

Nakedness * PCJB PP Presentation devised and prepared at Gujranwala Theological Seminary may be copied for non-commercial use only September 2008

Genesis 2:25

. The man and the woman were both

naked, and they felt

no shame.

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

Nakedness and Shame Nakedness speaks of the total sexual awareness (leading to the arousal of desire and the act of union) between a man and a woman within marriage - which is

Nakedness without Shame

Song of Songs is the most positively erotic text in Scripture, extolling the physical (naked) beauty of the beloved. “Your temples behind your veil… Your two breasts are like two fawns…” (- S of S 4:5,7)

Nakedness without Shame

Song of Songs demonstrates that “human passionate exclusive sexual love between a man and a woman may be a beautiful and morally good experience.” (Ash p.195)

Nakedness and Shame 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 nakedness (outside of marriage)

Nakedness and Shame “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.”

Nakedness and Shame “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.” * This does not mean that the couple were

Nakedness and Shame Nakedness within marriage is still the beautiful expression of the sexuality that God created in man and woman. Only outside of marriage is nakedness shameful.

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.

Nakedness and Shame “The first reason is that 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

Nakedness and Shame “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 “The second reason that the couple’s marriage is significant is that it means their nakedness occurs within established boundaries.”

Nakedness and Shame “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

Nakedness and Shame “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

Nakedness and Incest The Bible teaches that only those in different families may marry, Sexual relations within the family circle, except between husband and wife, are forbidden. “None of you shall approach anyone near

Nakedness and Incest “None of you shall approach* anyone near of kin to uncover nakedness.” * to make advances towards Sexual intimacy usually has “a history in the imagination and the desires,

Nakedness and Shame

After the Fall nakedness (outside of marriage) became something that required covering up. Sexual arousal (outside of marriage), in whatever form, becomes a thing of shame.

Nakedness and Shame What did the word "naked" signify to the original Hebrew readers of this text? Among the Hebrews, the state of nakedness was most often associated with humiliation.

Nakedness and Shame “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

Nakedness and Shame In short, for the Hebrews nakedness was not considered to be a good thing.

Nakedness and Shame 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.”

Nakedness and Shame “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.”

Nakedness and Shame “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

Nakedness and Shame “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

Nakedness and Shame 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

The End