Genesis 3:10 English Standard Version (ESV) And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.” 

“You should ashamed of yourself!”

Sound familiar? We were talking about lust yesterday and made the argument that the definition is broader than most people think. The issue here is the attitudes of sin within our personal experience. Adam does a great job in confessing his condition.

First there was a treat of exposure. He heard God coming.

Second was self-awareness as expressed by fear.

Third was the evidence of sin, he was found naked.

Lastly was shame, he hid.

How does shame enter into the equation? There is the legal, the moral and the religious instruction. We learn how to be ashamed by instruction. The legal varies because laws change from place to place and from time to time. Laws are legislated. What is moral changes even faster and with much more complex controls because society decides what is moral without any arbitrary rules. Morality changes because society changes.

Religious instructions vary according to the mandates of the order in which it is applied. Islam has different mandates than Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism, etc. etc. etc.

Even within Christianity there are variants which differ as each sect distinguishes one aspect of ordinances to be more important than another. Strict adherences can often be used to shame applicants into submission. What those differences are can be as simple as a dress code or as complicated as how worship is to be observed. People seek to be comfortable.

Should we allow others to dictate what we should be ashamed about? Adam gave us the perfect example of shame in original sin. His relationship with God was at risk. Adam hid his face from God because of shame.

If we are afraid that God is watching, then maybe we shouldn’t do what we are thinking.

Exodus 15:9 King James Version (KJV) The enemy said, I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil; my lust shall be satisfied upon them; I will draw my sword, my hand shall destroy them.

Using the first use definition for lust I discover the Hebrew word nephesh. Rather than give the sixty-two uses and the varieties of definitions I would like to focus on one simple and well-hidden definition found within the Gesenius’ Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon.

An odor which is exhaled. One cannot obtain a lust for anything without first tasting of it. The exhale is directly related to the breath of life given to all God’s creatures. What we consume will indicate our loss of innocence not only by the odor of our exhale but the very words we use.

Genesis 3:10-11 English Standard Version (ESV)

¹⁰ And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.” ¹¹ He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?”

Lust occurs because of loss of innocence. Adam’s words, his exhale, betrayed his sin. If you should go to Blue Letter Bible organization and look up H5315 you will see a long list of definitions associated with lust. The simple explanation is loss of innocence. It often happens to the individual even before there is a proper understanding of what innocence means. Any good lawyer will point out to you that being found not guilty is not the same as being innocent. That is how they make their living.

What is innocence?

I think a clue is given to us by God in His question to Adam. “Who told you that you were naked?” As parents we laugh at the toddler that streaks through the back yard. That is innocence. Someone will take a different attitude about that same toddler heading for the front door in the buff. How we approach those innocent children and instruct them in socially acceptable behavior sets the tone for self-awareness.