I play now, for me, a scene taken from the book of Genesis Chapter three:
I read from the book of Genesis Chapter three.
6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.
7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.
8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden.
9 But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?”
10 He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.”
11 And he said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?”
12 The man said, “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.”
13 Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”
I identify this piece of Scripture as one of the initial pieces of evidence that was written to indicate the entry of shame into man.
This right here, is a very interesting piece. It is why I have chosen this piece as my case study to dig deeper into the topic of shame. I do find the topic of shame to be an interesting one for study, especially when reviewing it through the frame of faith.
Shame is a very universal experience; it can be witnessed and experienced by all of man. There is absolutely no one who has at one point entered into the world through the birth of a mother’s womb, lived his life and died and has not experienced shame. Shame is an inevitable experience.
From the very beginning of man’s life, he is born fully naked and unclothed. He is born for all to see him. Never is man born with a robe, fine attire or something to cover him. It is through that same womb, man is born in his sin; the two events happening at exactly the same time. The moment sin entered man, was the same moment that shame entered his spirit. The same moment man is born from his mother’s womb is the very moment he has entered his shameful journey called life.
Though little is talked much about shame, it is a very real experience and is quite influential; influencing what man does and what he does not do. It also influences what man believes and what he just cannot believe. Shame adds colours and textures that work to alter man’s very perception changing for him what he sees and what he is just not able to see. Such is the influential power of shame.
It is for this reason, I choose these few verses to sit with myself and just study this topic called shame. For I reflect on Life’s own Genesis to see what really are the elements that I can glean from the passage to re-formulate in my mind my own issue with shame. I begin.
Now, I think to myself, I would like to pull out certain key words. There are a few words that really do stand out for me. I mean, there are many more words that I can choose from but I just only want a few. I list these words below in the exact order.
Saw
Heard
Hid
Called
Heard
Was afraid
Wow! There is a lot of action words going on here. Let me slow it down even more.
First of all, it seems to me, as though sin caught quite the attention by ALL parties, I mean ALL. Every actor, no matter who it was, every actor seemed to have some kind of involvement where sin was concerned. It must mean, then, that sin is EVERYBODY’S business. Sin is everybody’s business.
Let me push it further. I am quite sure, that there is a ninety-nine percent guarantee that most likely Adam and his wife never imagined that this one act is still being talked about even to this very day. Imagine that. Though one act happened so many generations ago, it is still spoken about to this very day. That must be something to still talk about something that happened many ages ago. Sin IS everybody’s business.
Now, let me stretch this thought even further. Sin does rest in the DNA of man. Sin accompanies man from the time he has made it into the world through his mother’s womb. Sin passes on from generation to generation through the mother’s womb. Each birth draws on the sins of that one’s ancestors. Sometimes the sins of one generation bears on the sins of another. What one generation has done in a previous time later shows or bears fruit at a later date through the successive generation. Man still carries Adam’s (and Eve’s) mark of sin through the mother’s womb.
Now let us go to the action words. This is where it begins to get exciting!
The first word: saw
Such an important word, even for this day right now!
“To see”, “sight”, very important words to consider.
How did Eve get deceived?
Was it not by sight?
But, wait, what is the primary definition of faith? Let me review this definition one more time. I begin.
I read from the book of Hebrews Chapter eleven:
1 “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”
3 “By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.
7 “By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household...
13 “These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth
So, now I ask myself, when Eve decided to receive the offer of the fruit to eat, in all that she saw, was she actually doing this act in faith? No. The answer is no. In fact, the type of work that was demonstrated by Eve may very well have been considered a dead work. But why? I ask myself. Well, it’s simple. It is because the act was done out of alignment of faith. The only living and true acts are done in full accordance with faith. And the works of faith are done outside of sight’s way. So, Eve, acted out of alignment with faith, for she first saw and then she acted.
Contrastingly though, one can glaringly notice that the presence of the Father is distinguished by His unseen characteristic nature. No one could see the Father. He can only be heard. This feature does fall in alignment with faith’s definition. And in this interaction, the act of hearing contrasts with the act of seeing.
This is a very crucial point and sight is the first point of man’s way of being deceived. The bodily senses may or may not act in alignment with faith’s way. I express this entry point of sin. The body, then, with all its sensing should NEVER be trusted when one considers working through faith. I consider much!
I take note that what I see or what I feel, or even what I hear is much less important to rely on than what was already written. For I know God’s laws are sure and true, which stand the test of time. To act in faith is to more readily cling to or rely on the Father’s Word, especially in a space and time where darkness is now starting to grow and grow weightily.
It is work then, for the believer to hold on to the Word despite all that is being shown and talked about. For all that is being shown by the world represents very much the apple that Eve was able to see. The apple represents all the world’s knowledge and ways of life. To eat of the apple is to die, for it is the same as partaking in the ways of death.
I go on to highlight a few more words here:
Pleasing to the eye
Desirable for…
So, now let me do a practise question to carry this point across.
I read from the book of Genesis Chapter three.
6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.
7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.
8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden.
9 But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?”
10 He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.”
11 And he said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?”
12 The man said, “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.”
13 Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”
I identify this piece of Scripture as one of the initial pieces of evidence that was written to indicate the entry of shame into man.
This right here, is a very interesting piece. It is why I have chosen this piece as my case study to dig deeper into the topic of shame. I do find the topic of shame to be an interesting one for study, especially when reviewing it through the frame of faith.
Shame is a very universal experience; it can be witnessed and experienced by all of man. There is absolutely no one who has at one point entered into the world through the birth of a mother’s womb, lived his life and died and has not experienced shame. Shame is an inevitable experience.
From the very beginning of man’s life, he is born fully naked and unclothed. He is born for all to see him. Never is man born with a robe, fine attire or something to cover him. It is through that same womb, man is born in his sin; the two events happening at exactly the same time. The moment sin entered man, was the same moment that shame entered his spirit. The same moment man is born from his mother’s womb is the very moment he has entered his shameful journey called life.
Though little is talked much about shame, it is a very real experience and is quite influential; influencing what man does and what he does not do. It also influences what man believes and what he just cannot believe. Shame adds colours and textures that work to alter man’s very perception changing for him what he sees and what he is just not able to see. Such is the influential power of shame.
It is for this reason, I choose these few verses to sit with myself and just study this topic called shame. For I reflect on Life’s own Genesis to see what really are the elements that I can glean from the passage to re-formulate in my mind my own issue with shame. I begin.
Now, I think to myself, I would like to pull out certain key words. There are a few words that really do stand out for me. I mean, there are many more words that I can choose from but I just only want a few. I list these words below in the exact order.
Saw
Heard
Hid
Called
Heard
Was afraid
Wow! There is a lot of action words going on here. Let me slow it down even more.
First of all, it seems to me, as though sin caught quite the attention by ALL parties, I mean ALL. Every actor, no matter who it was, every actor seemed to have some kind of involvement where sin was concerned. It must mean, then, that sin is EVERYBODY’S business. Sin is everybody’s business.
Let me push it further. I am quite sure, that there is a ninety-nine percent guarantee that most likely Adam and his wife never imagined that this one act is still being talked about even to this very day. Imagine that. Though one act happened so many generations ago, it is still spoken about to this very day. That must be something to still talk about something that happened many ages ago. Sin IS everybody’s business.
Now, let me stretch this thought even further. Sin does rest in the DNA of man. Sin accompanies man from the time he has made it into the world through his mother’s womb. Sin passes on from generation to generation through the mother’s womb. Each birth draws on the sins of that one’s ancestors. Sometimes the sins of one generation bears on the sins of another. What one generation has done in a previous time later shows or bears fruit at a later date through the successive generation. Man still carries Adam’s (and Eve’s) mark of sin through the mother’s womb.
Now let us go to the action words. This is where it begins to get exciting!
The first word: saw
Such an important word, even for this day right now!
“To see”, “sight”, very important words to consider.
How did Eve get deceived?
Was it not by sight?
But, wait, what is the primary definition of faith? Let me review this definition one more time. I begin.
I read from the book of Hebrews Chapter eleven:
1 “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”
3 “By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.
7 “By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household...
13 “These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth
So, now I ask myself, when Eve decided to receive the offer of the fruit to eat, in all that she saw, was she actually doing this act in faith? No. The answer is no. In fact, the type of work that was demonstrated by Eve may very well have been considered a dead work. But why? I ask myself. Well, it’s simple. It is because the act was done out of alignment of faith. The only living and true acts are done in full accordance with faith. And the works of faith are done outside of sight’s way. So, Eve, acted out of alignment with faith, for she first saw and then she acted.
Contrastingly though, one can glaringly notice that the presence of the Father is distinguished by His unseen characteristic nature. No one could see the Father. He can only be heard. This feature does fall in alignment with faith’s definition. And in this interaction, the act of hearing contrasts with the act of seeing.
This is a very crucial point and sight is the first point of man’s way of being deceived. The bodily senses may or may not act in alignment with faith’s way. I express this entry point of sin. The body, then, with all its sensing should NEVER be trusted when one considers working through faith. I consider much!
I take note that what I see or what I feel, or even what I hear is much less important to rely on than what was already written. For I know God’s laws are sure and true, which stand the test of time. To act in faith is to more readily cling to or rely on the Father’s Word, especially in a space and time where darkness is now starting to grow and grow weightily.
It is work then, for the believer to hold on to the Word despite all that is being shown and talked about. For all that is being shown by the world represents very much the apple that Eve was able to see. The apple represents all the world’s knowledge and ways of life. To eat of the apple is to die, for it is the same as partaking in the ways of death.
I go on to highlight a few more words here:
Pleasing to the eye
Desirable for…
So, now let me do a practise question to carry this point across.
Which is the safest path to walk across?
So, though it may seem as though one may be easier than the other to pass through, the best answer is simply ‘I do not know’. The best route to take is the one taken by faith. For there can be the third option to just not walk across at all.
If the command given is to walk a very precipitous road, then it is to walk, for one pays less to little attention to the distractions of the many pitfalls along the road and he just walks as he is instructed to walk. It is much the same as a road appearing as a clear passage and seems quite safe to walk, but if the instruction given is to wait, one waits in faith. One learns to never rely on what he sees. More so, one acts in faith when he listens to the Father’s commands.
Now this what I am saying here may seem as though it has very little to do with what I am talking about when it comes to shame, but it is very much entwined with the topic of shame. Obedience to the Father is so much more important that what may be pleasing to the eye. The body’s default is to be drawn to what most pleases the eye. Faith on the other hand, is simply to listen to what the Father says. This is faith. It is not about probability or about taking chances. To act out in faith is simply to listen to the Father’s commands. Whatever the Father says holds truth and trumps whatever else can be possibly seen or heard or talked about. If one learns this definition, one remains steady in mind and firm in heart no matter the changing circumstances. Man simply holds little thought to generate further beliefs, despite his own experiences. He holds on to his Father's Word no matter what, for His Word is sure and true and must come to pass. Man holds out on faith.
Now I go on to the word ‘hid’.
The act of hiding is the same as an act of guilt, which is evidence of shame.
Let’s face it! Man hides what he is just not proud of. Man has a default act of ‘hiding’ whatever he assesses a need to be hidden. When sin entered man, he received enough knowledge in his heart to know that he had something to hide in the first place. Interestingly, man can sin and yet not hide the sin, for he never thought it to be sin in the first place. When man now receives knowledge that the act is indeed sinful, shame is the product. It is the knowledge of sin that makes shame what it is.
This is a very interesting point. Very interesting!
Shame can be used as a very influential and potent tool to cause one to act or react. Yes, indeed. It is true. According to the rule of social life, practically anything can be considered a shameful act. If one dresses in a manner outside of his fragment of time or era, it is considered a shameful act. One may even get ridiculed for it. It is just not going with the time. It is not trending. Man automatically becomes shamed when he looks nothing or does nothing that resembles what the ‘norm’ may seem to be doing. Shame is the ruler or iron rod that beats him back into a shape that somewhat tries to resemble the shapes and figures to his world.
But how did this even begin. Well… I said “according to the rule…” This is knowledge. One must first know before one even enters into a shamed frame of mind. If one remains ignorant of something, how can he truly be ashamed? He must first be informed that it is indeed shameful, then he becomes ashamed.
So first sight, then knowledge.
Now, this is interesting. For if knowledge came before sight, then perhaps the sin may have been avoided in the first place. If man lives by faith and not by sight, it may be so much easier to circumvent the sin in the first place. And faith is operating under the commands of the Father. There should be no question or doubt when operating through faith.
Listen! No one wants to sin. It is not the sin that man should focus on. It is the act of first being deceived that should be man’s greatest concern. It is the act of first being deceived that should take the highest priority in man’s mind. Man simply cannot tell when sin enters, especially just by sight. Apart from the womb, sin enters man through deception. By the time man starts to feel the pain and weight of sin, he literally had no clue what was entering him. This is life and this is real. Man certainly does not beg for sin. Sin enters through deception. I pin this point. This is a high point. For if man knows this, then he would have so much less to feel ashamed about.
So, first deception. Then sin. Then shame.
Shame is the tail end and condemning piece of sin and Deception is the head of it. Always remember this!
But now, I go back to the act of hiding.
When I re-read the verses, Adam and Eve thought it wise to cover themselves. I highlight another point here. Through their eyes, they both perceived as a cover the materials of the fig leaves. Through their own judgment, they thought it wise that the cover of the leaves be sufficient… for a time, that is.
But if one goes on to read, from the time that they heard the Father’s voice, they hid themselves even further. Through their own wisdom, they found little cover in the leaves and sought after a much bigger cover. But did any of this actually cover them? No. Nothing was able to cover all that was already done. This is another teaching point.
There is nothing at all that can cover the sins of man. It shows. Man thinks he is cleared but it still shows. Sin shows in the way he walks, in the way he talks, in the way he hides himself, in the way he exaggerates himself, in what he says and in what he does not say. There is no separation from sin when it comes to human behaviour. Man’s habits and general disposition speak words that man himself chooses to hide. Yet sin is in no way hidden in this man. The more one holds in much shame, the more he reveals himself. He just simply does not know it yet. It is only a matter of time that all which is hidden becomes revealed. Man’s only work is to endure through the shames of his life. Man can in no way avoid shame, he must grow through it. For this is man’s cross and burden to walk with throughout his entire life.
The ways of the world go in opposition to the ways of life. So, man’s work is to fight the tides of resistance in trying to abide in the laws of life. Man’s soul work is to first know and then abide in the vine of life. But man must first know.
So, now I go on to the next word, ‘called’. From this verse, there is great evidence to show that the Father was indeed present through it all. He was always there. He never moved. Have you noticed that He only called AFTER the act was done. He never intercepted along the way. Hmm… I pause for much thought.
The Father sees everything. There is nothing that escapes his eyes. Yet it seemed as though He was never present when the act was committed. I wonder why? I do not have that answer. I remain silent. For it is God’s Wisdom who thought it best for life to play out in the way that it did. Interestingly though, it was only after the Father called out that Adam and his wife decided to go to a space to be further hidden and far removed from the Father. However, escaping from the Father is such the impossible task and Adam was left to respond with words.
This is another teaching point. The Father is always present and is always going to be present. He cannot be escaped. Though one is just not able to see Him, or feel Him, or even hear Him, He is still present. It takes a great deal of faith to remain in faith as to know what the Father wants from his children. It is work to keep in faith of the Father’s commands. The Father’s commands can only be kept in faith, which is by His Spirit. Even if one is not able, it is His Spirit that makes the works of faith completed. Everything is done in faith. Man rests on God’s Spirit to complete the work for him. The Father is always there and when man falls through his flesh, He is right there to pick man back up through His Spirit. This is the love of the Father. Man’s flesh may fail but all is accomplished through God’s Spirit.
Sin brings to light God’s glory. For though man may live for his flesh, when he dies, it is God’s light and ways that resurrect this man to see and appreciate true life; that is, life in the Spirit. Man falls, but it is God’s Spirit who revives and upholds him. In man’s much weaker states, God’s glory becomes man’s greater strengths.
It is in the shame that God’s glory is able to shine through man.
I now go on to link the thoughts.
Though man sins and experiences the weight of his sin and though shame be the consequence of his sin, the Father utilizes the work of shame to bring about his greatest glory. This falls under the Law of Humility.
So, what is actually happening here?
Well, shame is the penultimate phase in the manufacture and development of man. Man becomes whole when he starts to let go of the ego; the part that keeps him bound to the flesh and the shame. Man becomes a new creation when he passes his test of shame. For in using the Law of Humiliation, it is man’s shame that catapults him into God’s glorious light. The shame of man becomes his anointing oil to be able to access the powers that the Father wishes to be released upon the earth.
It is this knowledge that keeps man’s mind firm in the wake of shame. Man may indeed be faultless, yet anything can be labelled shame. It is for man to endure regardless, as he walks through the flames and torches of this life. Man rests on God’s Spirit to get him through the toughest of his tests.
When He created man in the beginning, He left Him free to make his own decisions. If you wish, you can keep the commandments and it is in your power to remain faithful. (Sirach 15: 14, 15)
My children, keep my teaching and live in peace. Of what use is hidden wisdom and unseen treasure? It is better for a man to hide his foolishness than to hide his wisdom. Therefore, feel shame according to what I say. It is not always fitting to feel shame, but this is not understood by everyone. Be ashamed of licentiousness before your father and mother, and of a lie before a ruler or an important person. Be ashamed of criminal behaviour before a judge, and of iniquity before an assembly of people. Feel ashamed of dishonesty before your partner or friend, and of theft in the place where you live… (Sirach 41: 14-19)
Do not be ashamed of the law of the Most High and His Covenant… (Sirach 42:2)
Not even to his holy ones has the Lord given full knowledge of all his marvelous works. The Lord, Master of the universe, has ordained that all should stand firm in his glory. He penetrates both the depth of the abyss and the human heart and knows their secrets. (Sirach 42: 17, 18)
No thought escapes Him, no word is hidden from Him. (Sirach 42: 20)
One loses his soul out of false shame; he loses himself for fear of what a foolish man thinks. Out of false shame he wants to win a friend; he gets an enemy, in fact, for nothing. (Sirach 20: 22,23)
For human reasoning is timid, our notions misleading; a perishable body is a burden for the soul and our tent of clay weighs down the active mind. We are barely able to know about the things of the earth and it is a struggle to understand what is close to us; who then may hope to understand heavenly things? Who has ever known your will unless you first gave him Wisdom and sent down your Holy Spirit to him? In this way, You directed the human race on the right path; they learned what pleases You and were saved by Wisdom. (Wisdom 9: 14-18)
With You is Wisdom that knows your works, that was present when you made the world and is aware of what is pleasing in your eyes and what is right according to your commandments. Send her from the holy heavens, dispatch her from your holy throne to work beside me so that I may know what is pleasing to you. (Wisdom 9: 9,10)
Human eyes saw the splendor of the Glory of God; their ears heard the grandeur of his voice. He said to them, “Keep yourselves from all wrongdoing,” and to each of them He gave commands regarding his neighbour. Their conduct is always before the Lord; they cannot escape His sight. He has placed a leader over each nation, but Israel is the Lord’s own portion. Their deeds are as clear as the sun to Him, He always observes their ways. Their misdeeds cannot be hidden from Him, all their sins are before the Lord. (Sirach 17: 13-20)
The deeds of all are before Him, nothing is hidden from His eyes; He sees all from eternity to eternity and nothing surprises Him. (Sirach 39: 19,20)
Painful is the lot of all humans, a heavy yoke is upon the sons of Adam, from the day they leave their mother's womb to the day they return to the mother of us all. (Sirach 40: 1)
Now this what I am saying here may seem as though it has very little to do with what I am talking about when it comes to shame, but it is very much entwined with the topic of shame. Obedience to the Father is so much more important that what may be pleasing to the eye. The body’s default is to be drawn to what most pleases the eye. Faith on the other hand, is simply to listen to what the Father says. This is faith. It is not about probability or about taking chances. To act out in faith is simply to listen to the Father’s commands. Whatever the Father says holds truth and trumps whatever else can be possibly seen or heard or talked about. If one learns this definition, one remains steady in mind and firm in heart no matter the changing circumstances. Man simply holds little thought to generate further beliefs, despite his own experiences. He holds on to his Father's Word no matter what, for His Word is sure and true and must come to pass. Man holds out on faith.
Now I go on to the word ‘hid’.
The act of hiding is the same as an act of guilt, which is evidence of shame.
Let’s face it! Man hides what he is just not proud of. Man has a default act of ‘hiding’ whatever he assesses a need to be hidden. When sin entered man, he received enough knowledge in his heart to know that he had something to hide in the first place. Interestingly, man can sin and yet not hide the sin, for he never thought it to be sin in the first place. When man now receives knowledge that the act is indeed sinful, shame is the product. It is the knowledge of sin that makes shame what it is.
This is a very interesting point. Very interesting!
Shame can be used as a very influential and potent tool to cause one to act or react. Yes, indeed. It is true. According to the rule of social life, practically anything can be considered a shameful act. If one dresses in a manner outside of his fragment of time or era, it is considered a shameful act. One may even get ridiculed for it. It is just not going with the time. It is not trending. Man automatically becomes shamed when he looks nothing or does nothing that resembles what the ‘norm’ may seem to be doing. Shame is the ruler or iron rod that beats him back into a shape that somewhat tries to resemble the shapes and figures to his world.
But how did this even begin. Well… I said “according to the rule…” This is knowledge. One must first know before one even enters into a shamed frame of mind. If one remains ignorant of something, how can he truly be ashamed? He must first be informed that it is indeed shameful, then he becomes ashamed.
So first sight, then knowledge.
Now, this is interesting. For if knowledge came before sight, then perhaps the sin may have been avoided in the first place. If man lives by faith and not by sight, it may be so much easier to circumvent the sin in the first place. And faith is operating under the commands of the Father. There should be no question or doubt when operating through faith.
Listen! No one wants to sin. It is not the sin that man should focus on. It is the act of first being deceived that should be man’s greatest concern. It is the act of first being deceived that should take the highest priority in man’s mind. Man simply cannot tell when sin enters, especially just by sight. Apart from the womb, sin enters man through deception. By the time man starts to feel the pain and weight of sin, he literally had no clue what was entering him. This is life and this is real. Man certainly does not beg for sin. Sin enters through deception. I pin this point. This is a high point. For if man knows this, then he would have so much less to feel ashamed about.
So, first deception. Then sin. Then shame.
Shame is the tail end and condemning piece of sin and Deception is the head of it. Always remember this!
But now, I go back to the act of hiding.
When I re-read the verses, Adam and Eve thought it wise to cover themselves. I highlight another point here. Through their eyes, they both perceived as a cover the materials of the fig leaves. Through their own judgment, they thought it wise that the cover of the leaves be sufficient… for a time, that is.
But if one goes on to read, from the time that they heard the Father’s voice, they hid themselves even further. Through their own wisdom, they found little cover in the leaves and sought after a much bigger cover. But did any of this actually cover them? No. Nothing was able to cover all that was already done. This is another teaching point.
There is nothing at all that can cover the sins of man. It shows. Man thinks he is cleared but it still shows. Sin shows in the way he walks, in the way he talks, in the way he hides himself, in the way he exaggerates himself, in what he says and in what he does not say. There is no separation from sin when it comes to human behaviour. Man’s habits and general disposition speak words that man himself chooses to hide. Yet sin is in no way hidden in this man. The more one holds in much shame, the more he reveals himself. He just simply does not know it yet. It is only a matter of time that all which is hidden becomes revealed. Man’s only work is to endure through the shames of his life. Man can in no way avoid shame, he must grow through it. For this is man’s cross and burden to walk with throughout his entire life.
The ways of the world go in opposition to the ways of life. So, man’s work is to fight the tides of resistance in trying to abide in the laws of life. Man’s soul work is to first know and then abide in the vine of life. But man must first know.
So, now I go on to the next word, ‘called’. From this verse, there is great evidence to show that the Father was indeed present through it all. He was always there. He never moved. Have you noticed that He only called AFTER the act was done. He never intercepted along the way. Hmm… I pause for much thought.
The Father sees everything. There is nothing that escapes his eyes. Yet it seemed as though He was never present when the act was committed. I wonder why? I do not have that answer. I remain silent. For it is God’s Wisdom who thought it best for life to play out in the way that it did. Interestingly though, it was only after the Father called out that Adam and his wife decided to go to a space to be further hidden and far removed from the Father. However, escaping from the Father is such the impossible task and Adam was left to respond with words.
This is another teaching point. The Father is always present and is always going to be present. He cannot be escaped. Though one is just not able to see Him, or feel Him, or even hear Him, He is still present. It takes a great deal of faith to remain in faith as to know what the Father wants from his children. It is work to keep in faith of the Father’s commands. The Father’s commands can only be kept in faith, which is by His Spirit. Even if one is not able, it is His Spirit that makes the works of faith completed. Everything is done in faith. Man rests on God’s Spirit to complete the work for him. The Father is always there and when man falls through his flesh, He is right there to pick man back up through His Spirit. This is the love of the Father. Man’s flesh may fail but all is accomplished through God’s Spirit.
Sin brings to light God’s glory. For though man may live for his flesh, when he dies, it is God’s light and ways that resurrect this man to see and appreciate true life; that is, life in the Spirit. Man falls, but it is God’s Spirit who revives and upholds him. In man’s much weaker states, God’s glory becomes man’s greater strengths.
It is in the shame that God’s glory is able to shine through man.
I now go on to link the thoughts.
Though man sins and experiences the weight of his sin and though shame be the consequence of his sin, the Father utilizes the work of shame to bring about his greatest glory. This falls under the Law of Humility.
So, what is actually happening here?
Well, shame is the penultimate phase in the manufacture and development of man. Man becomes whole when he starts to let go of the ego; the part that keeps him bound to the flesh and the shame. Man becomes a new creation when he passes his test of shame. For in using the Law of Humiliation, it is man’s shame that catapults him into God’s glorious light. The shame of man becomes his anointing oil to be able to access the powers that the Father wishes to be released upon the earth.
It is this knowledge that keeps man’s mind firm in the wake of shame. Man may indeed be faultless, yet anything can be labelled shame. It is for man to endure regardless, as he walks through the flames and torches of this life. Man rests on God’s Spirit to get him through the toughest of his tests.
When He created man in the beginning, He left Him free to make his own decisions. If you wish, you can keep the commandments and it is in your power to remain faithful. (Sirach 15: 14, 15)
My children, keep my teaching and live in peace. Of what use is hidden wisdom and unseen treasure? It is better for a man to hide his foolishness than to hide his wisdom. Therefore, feel shame according to what I say. It is not always fitting to feel shame, but this is not understood by everyone. Be ashamed of licentiousness before your father and mother, and of a lie before a ruler or an important person. Be ashamed of criminal behaviour before a judge, and of iniquity before an assembly of people. Feel ashamed of dishonesty before your partner or friend, and of theft in the place where you live… (Sirach 41: 14-19)
Do not be ashamed of the law of the Most High and His Covenant… (Sirach 42:2)
Not even to his holy ones has the Lord given full knowledge of all his marvelous works. The Lord, Master of the universe, has ordained that all should stand firm in his glory. He penetrates both the depth of the abyss and the human heart and knows their secrets. (Sirach 42: 17, 18)
No thought escapes Him, no word is hidden from Him. (Sirach 42: 20)
One loses his soul out of false shame; he loses himself for fear of what a foolish man thinks. Out of false shame he wants to win a friend; he gets an enemy, in fact, for nothing. (Sirach 20: 22,23)
For human reasoning is timid, our notions misleading; a perishable body is a burden for the soul and our tent of clay weighs down the active mind. We are barely able to know about the things of the earth and it is a struggle to understand what is close to us; who then may hope to understand heavenly things? Who has ever known your will unless you first gave him Wisdom and sent down your Holy Spirit to him? In this way, You directed the human race on the right path; they learned what pleases You and were saved by Wisdom. (Wisdom 9: 14-18)
With You is Wisdom that knows your works, that was present when you made the world and is aware of what is pleasing in your eyes and what is right according to your commandments. Send her from the holy heavens, dispatch her from your holy throne to work beside me so that I may know what is pleasing to you. (Wisdom 9: 9,10)
Human eyes saw the splendor of the Glory of God; their ears heard the grandeur of his voice. He said to them, “Keep yourselves from all wrongdoing,” and to each of them He gave commands regarding his neighbour. Their conduct is always before the Lord; they cannot escape His sight. He has placed a leader over each nation, but Israel is the Lord’s own portion. Their deeds are as clear as the sun to Him, He always observes their ways. Their misdeeds cannot be hidden from Him, all their sins are before the Lord. (Sirach 17: 13-20)
The deeds of all are before Him, nothing is hidden from His eyes; He sees all from eternity to eternity and nothing surprises Him. (Sirach 39: 19,20)
Painful is the lot of all humans, a heavy yoke is upon the sons of Adam, from the day they leave their mother's womb to the day they return to the mother of us all. (Sirach 40: 1)
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