ʿārôm: Naked Vulnerability
“And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.” (Genesis 2:25)
Such an enviable scene.
Completely bare - ʿārôm - with no insecurity or embarrassment or disgust or judgment.
They were at peace with their bodies and one another as they existed within a land called “Delight.”
But they weren’t alone.
As it was, “the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the LORD God had made” (Genesis 3:1), and it was near.
Or perhaps, man had drawn near.
The Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowledge seem to rest adjacent to one another “in the midst of the garden” (Genesis 2:9), arguably representative of the Holy of Holies later portrayed in the Temple.
It was a sacred place of deep connection and closeness.
And as the naked two wandered inward, the crafty one made its move. What unfolded was premeditated deception - malicious forethought.
The serpent was described as crafty, a word most commonly used in the Proverbs to depict the prudence of the wise, yet was designated among devils as prudence gone awry.
This craftiness is the Hebrew word ʿārûm (notice how unmistakably similar it is to the word for nakedness).
The message was clear: nakedness is a state of vulnerability, and vulnerability makes us susceptible to pain - particularly that of cunning exploitation and trickery.
In other words, great hurt often befalls those who are greatly exposed.
But here’s a stronger word: there is no intimacy without vulnerability.
Like trying to have sex while fully clothed, our souls are unable to enter into closest attachment and warmest affection while concealing our most authentic, basic, and hidden parts.
True love strips away every mask that hinders trust and hides the truest self.
It is a weighty reality of life, that opening ourselves up in relationship will inevitably bring about a hurt that might easily have been avoided had we not allowed ourselves to be fully seen; however, it’s worth remembering that the risk of recoiling and hiding is always far greater.
When Adam and Eve were deceived, they hid. They lost trust in their Creator and they clothed themselves.
They were ashamed.
It was in this shadow of shame they departed Eden, for where shame exists, fullness of delight cannot.
Shame is the great liar. Like a parasite, it embeds itself deep beneath the surface.
But shame too shall perish.
The Creator has made a way beyond shame, a redemptive path of renewed thinking and restored dignity and repaired relationship.
Down to the last neurotransmitter, we have been instilled with a design made for healing - an identity inundated by glory as children of the divine King.
In our Maker’s vulnerability, that which once accused and deceived was conquered. He who knew no shame took upon Himself our shame.
As it would later be said, “Everyone who believes in Yeshua will not be put to shame.” (Romans 10:11)
May we embrace the opportunity to trust the unseen God with our nakedness and vulnerability, knowing His heart has no desire to put our bodies or soul or spirits to shame.
