The Bible’s very first story involving humankind . . .

The Bible’s very first story involving humankind is perhaps its most telling.  Adam and Eve are placed in a garden paradise, and given everything that two people could possibly want or need.  “You are free to enjoy yourselves,” declares God.  “The only thing I ask is that you stay away from this one tree—the tree of knowledge.”

But of course, telling your children that something is off-limits is the surest way to spark their curiosity, and it isn’t long before Adam and Eve are seduced into thinking that, since knowledge is power, it might be beneficial to acquire some.  The result is literally an “eye-opener” for them!  They realize that they are both naked; and even though that wasn’t the least bit embarrassing before, it now fills them with shame.

They quickly sew together fig leaves to conceal their nakedness—or is it more to cover up what they have done?  Either way, it represents an uncomfortable choice.  Fig leaves have approximately the same texture as medium-grade sandpaper.  Plus, they tend to dry out and tear easily, which means poor Adam and Eve will soon be experiencing a series of “wardrobe malfunctions.”  Apparently, eating from the tree of knowledge did not give either of them much fashion sense!

But then again, that might be the point.  Maybe the fig leaves represent the fact that sin is a slippery slope, and one bad choice often begets another.  Take lying, for example.  You tell one lie to escape a troublesome situation, and then you tell another to hide the first, and before you know it, you are hopelessly entangled in a web of deceit.  As I sometimes tell my children, “If you dig yourself into a hole, the first rule is to stop digging!”

Simply put, if Adam and Eve could just have admitted their fault and sought God’s forgiveness, then they may have avoided a whole lot of discomfort.  But instead, they wind up standing before the Lord, frantically trying to keep their scratchy fig leaves in place, and looking rather silly in the process!

Those familiar with the story know the consequences that follow.  Adam must start earning bread by the sweat of his brow; Eve must contend with the pangs of childbirth; and the serpent must spend the rest of its days slithering through the dust.  But the part of this story we sometimes overlook is that it doesn’t end with these punishments.  God immediately gives them something decent to wear.  It’s almost as if the Lord says, “Take off those ridiculous fig leaves and let me clothe you in something that will actually work!”

In other words, if the fig leaves represent our own futile attempts at solving the problem of sin, then God’s provision of animal skins represents an act of grace.  Granted, I may be reading too much into the story.  But this much is certain: Whenever we try to cover up our own mistakes, we usually end up making the situation worse.  It is only when we allow God to clothe us with mercy and grace that we no longer need to be ashamed!