2:25 — 25The man and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.
[T - OL ]
Here the author returns to his account of events in the Garden of Eden, and now he reports that they were both naked, and they felt no shame.
The intrinsic one-ness and intimacy between the man and the woman is emphasized by this report, the only reference in the OT to nakedness that is not accompanied by shame. Shame is the sense of humiliation or vulnerability we feel because of our perception that we are, or are made to feel, in some way, inferior or disadvantaged in relation to others around us. But between the man and the woman in the Garden there was no inferiority or disadvantage between them to speak of. They could, therefore, be naked—each knowing and knowing about the other openly and without barrier—and be their true selves. Nothing else can speak of the wholeness and security of the life they shared and were made for. For the author, as is already evident from his reflection in the last verse, this is what was meant to be for all human couples. This, however, remains now only an ideal. In our broken world as it now is, it should be noted that it is sometimes important for a couple, e.g., to keep secrets from one another, not so much to hide things from one's spouse, but to protect him/her. Do we want to share our sinful thoughts that can corrupt our spouse? Do we want to share sinful thoughts or confessions others have shared with us in confidence that can shear our spouse's purity? Do we want to share with our spouse matters confidential to our professions that could put them in danger because what we share is only part of a larger story of which we know only in part? We don't and we should not. That said, it is possible in Christ to redeem a very large part of that "shamelessness"—that naked but not ashame—that Adam and Eve shared. It will take a great deal of work, but it is a gift waiting for those who pursue it. Praise God for that.
You may wish to read the following commentaries-expositions:
Low Chai Hok
©Alberith, 2016