When the first man Adam heard the voice of God walking through the Garden of Eden, he hid himself. The Bible says that he hid himself because he was naked.
To uncover a good application, let's examine the word naked. May I suggest that he hid himself because he was unprepared, misinformed, or simply not ready? He was perhaps (as are many men today) not in place nor proper form. He was not dressed. He was not adorned with a sense of power or purpose. He had no strength or motivation! Perhaps he was in a position of authority, but powerless to perform the expectations and duties of the position he held. He was supposed to make things better, but he made a mess of almost everything he touched, because he did not understand his purpose! He did not understand his relationship to what he touched, nor did he understand himself.
Adam hid himself then, as many men hid themselves today. Adam was not functioning according to his created purpose. What was his created purpose and why did he cover himself with fig leaves? I will answer the question of his created purpose directly in chapter 3 of this book. For now, let's talk about the fig leaves.
Today's man covers himself with fig leaves called crime; theft, murder, rape, and domestic violence to name a few. They end up incarcerated, imprisoned, and extricated from the place of purpose! Today's man hides from child support or they hide themselves from the child and family altogether! Some become career criminals, effectively wasting their lives away. All too often, men seem to seek and discover ways to be absent.
When he does not fix the problem, the problem fixes him. What he will not control begins to control him. What he refuses to master now masters him, and thus begins the societal reality and the sad plight of fatherless young men. Women are left alone to rear and train and to raise them!
God asked the question, "Adam, where art thou?" So with the same intention of calling men out of obscurity and into accountability and presence, I now also ask, "Men, where are you?"
