6 The woman saw that the tree was good for food and delightful to look at, and that it was desirable for obtaining wisdom. So she took some of its fruit 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 knew they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.

Genesis 3:6-7

Cosmic Treason (Genesis 3:6-7)

Today, we continue investigating the account of the first temptation and original sin in Genesis 3.Following the tempter's lies about God's character and his intention to hold out on Adam and Eve, Eve is left to her physical desires and appetites. Verses 6-7 tell us that the woman SAW that the tree was:

• GOOD for food (Physical Practicality)
• DELIGHTFUL to look at (Aesthetic Beauty)
• DESIRABLE for obtaining Wisdom (To be "in the know")

The combination of the tempter's lies and the desires of the woman lead to the act of rebellion against God. The moment she ate the fruit, everything changed. The author will indeed emphasize this act of disobedience as it is the focus of verse six and much of chapter three. The action of disobedience, TO EAT (אכל, ahkal), is repeated 11 times in chapter three. It is important to note that our first parents did not disobey because they were in need.

The man and the woman ate not because they were hungry but because they were arrogant. They sought to pursue life independent of God.

Said another way, they wanted to be like God, without God. Instead of representing God, they're rivaling God. Instead of choosing God's way, they're choosing their own way.The results are surprising. The humans realize they are naked and experience shame. They attempt to cover this shame by covering themselves with fig leaves.This is one of the most fascinating verses in all of scripture. Why would they recognize they were naked following their rebellion against God? I would argue that before their act of independence before God, they were so enamored with God, so aware of his splendor and glory that they had no recognition of their nakedness. As they turned away from God and chose themselves instead of looking to God, they looked to themselves, and in this shift of perspective, they realized their shame and their brokenness. This shame bleeds into every corner of our world.Verse 7 tells us that they realized they were naked. Ray Ortlund explains,

"Whenever we walk away from God, we walk toward something inhumane, unsafe, life-depleting. To put it yet another way, the only alternative to heaven is hell. There is no neutral ground of our own making, under our own control. That world exists nowhere."

While we no longer sew literal fig leaves together, we attempt to cover our sin and shame with 21st-century vices. Maybe it's beauty, brawn, fame, achievement, or proving others wrong; we long to cover our brokenness.Today, may we acknowledge the weight of our self-independence and turn back to Christ.