Intimacy With God and Others: Getting Naked

By David Ryser

Reading the Bible, I am struck by how often God likens His relationship with His people to the relationship between a man and his wife.  Especially in the Old Testament, the biblical writers use explicit, sexual images to describe God’s passion for His people and His desire for an intimate experience with them.  Time and again, while confronting them with their unfaithfulness to their covenant with Him, God expresses His outrage as One who has been betrayed by an unfaithful lover.

And He uses language we don’t use in church.

How did I miss this?  In Bible College, and later in Graduate School, I had been taught that in the Old Testament God revealed Himself as a Lawgiver and a Judge.  The people of God lived under the Law of Moses, judged mercilessly based upon their obedience/disobedience to the Law.  A relationship with God was unavailable to them because Jesus had not yet come to pay for our sins and bring us into right relationship with Him.

What a crock.

The Old Testament records the stories of men and women who knew God, walked with Him, and experienced Him in intimate relationship…both before and after the giving of the Law.  And when God’s people broke their covenant with Him, He did not react as an offended judge.

He reacted as a cuckolded husband.

Intimacy in the marriage relationship expresses itself in many ways.  Among them is the physical union of husband and wife wherein they become one flesh and their hearts are joined together in a way that is denied to all others.

And this involves getting naked.

In the Genesis account of Adam and Eve, the word “naked” plays a central role in the narrative.  Or more accurately, three Hebrew words that can be translated “naked” are used to tell the story of the intimacy of the relationship with God that was lost when man sinned.  And how much God desired to restore that relationship with us.

And the price He would pay for it.

The first occurrence of the word “naked” is found in Genesis 2:25.  The Hebrew word translated “naked” here simply means “unclothed.”  The man and woman were created by God without clothing…and they were not ashamed.

Naked means unclothed?  Who knew?  What else could it mean?  I’m glad you asked.

The second incidence of a word that can be translated “naked” refers to the serpent, and occurs in Genesis 3:1.  The Hebrew word means “smooth” or “slick” and describes someone who is disingenuous or crafty.  We express this concept in our own language when we refer to someone as a “smooth operator” or as “slick.”

When we use these terms, they are not meant as a compliment.

The third use of the word “naked” is found in Genesis 3:10 (cf. Genesis 3:7 & 3:11).  Man has sinned.  Adam and Eve are hiding from God.  They’ve made clothing from fig leaves for themselves.  God is looking for them.  He cries out, “Adam, where are you?”

This is not a geography question.

God knows where Adam is hiding.  And what he is wearing.  And what he has done.  God’s cry for Adam is akin to someone who senses a distance in a once-intimate relationship and says to the other person, “I can’t reach you.  I don’t know where you’ve gone.”

Even if the other person is right there in front of them.

Adam’s response to God is that he is hiding because he knew he was “naked” and he was afraid.  This Hebrew word for “naked” is perhaps better translated “exposed” and carries with it the sense of guilt and shame that comes with such exposure.

It wasn’t sin that kept man from God.

Sin caused man to be separated from God.  But guilt and shame caused man to hide from God.  What would have happened had Adam not hidden himself?  What if Adam, in his sin and shame, had run to God instead of away from Him?

We’ll never know.  And it no longer matters for Adam.  But what about us?

When we sin, or fail God in some other way, do we run to Him or away from Him?  Do we try to hide and cover up what we’ve done?  What about when we sin against, or fail, other people?  Do we face up to what we’ve done?  Or do we try to hide and cover up our shortcomings?

And how will we ever experience intimacy with either God or with people if we hide ourselves from them?

Why hide from God?  Jesus paid an awful price to restore an intimate relationship with God (Genesis 3:15b).  Why would we run from this kind of love?

How many people do you know who would die just to hang out with you?

We will never know intimacy with God until we get naked with Him.  Turn to Him in our failure and shame…exposed.

And allow Him to clothe us with His love and forgiveness.

Likewise, we will never experience intimacy with people unless we become emotionally and spiritually naked/vulnerable before them.  In the New Testament we Christians are told to encourage, admonish, and pray for one another.  How can we do any of these things effectively when we are hiding from each another?  Intimacy with God, our spouse, and with other people requires that we get “naked.”

We yearn to be loved and accepted.  Just as we are…how we really are.  How will this ever happen if we are hiding from everyone?

If you want intimacy, you have to get naked.

Responses to this article are welcomed.  You may contact the author at drdave1545@yahoo.com