Review by Joel_Schorn -- Who Told You That You Were Naked?
Posted: 06 Mar 2018, 11:58
[Following is a volunteer review of "Who Told You That You Were Naked?" by William Combs.]
3 out of 4 stars
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Williams E. Combs’ book Who Told You That You Were Naked? A Refreshing Reexamination of the Garden of Eden (Carpenter’s Son Publishing , 2016) takes its main title from the question God asked Adam and Eve in the biblical Book of Genesis after they had eaten the forbidden fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Combs explores the meaning of this question both in the Bible and for Christians today and makes what he sees to be a “refreshing reexamination” that differs from many conventional interpretations of this story. In doing so he traces almost the entire scriptural story of salvation that was the aftermath of the primordial couple’s act, with chapters not only on the Genesis story but also on walking in the way of faith, overcoming obstacles the way of faith, how faith sets one free from sin and death, how one can rest in the finished work of Christ, and how Jesus calls Christians to deny themselves.
Combs is a retired Presbyterian minister, and his training and experience show in the book. Throughout the text he offers personal stories, short fictionalized vignettes, and creative retellings of biblical stories to illustrate passages of scripture, much like a preacher who takes a Bible story and relates it to his or her congregation. Befitting his seminary education, he brings knowledge of the original Hebrew and Greek of the Bible. He also offers some helpful tips for reading the Bible, such as comparing translations and doing research, and cautions against misinterpreting scripture by reading the wrong things into it. “When I attended Fuller Theological Seminary,” Combs writes, “our professors constantly reminded us how critical it was to let the text divulge its meaning with the help of the Holy Spirit rather than interpreting it in light of our particular biases.” Another useful feature is the author’s reproduction of entire biblical passages he talks about rather than giving only a citation which readers—unless they have the Bible memorized!—would have to look up. Each chapter concludes with study questions for discussion.
It is in chapter 4 that Combs gets to the core reasons why his approach “stands in stark contrast with a number of [biblical] commentaries that describe the third chapter of Genesis as a litany of rebellion and judgment.” Here he gives—and critiques—three standard interpretations of the scene when God discovered what Adam and Eve had done. One: The couple resented God’s restriction on eating the fruit. Combs sees inconsistencies with this theory and also a contradiction because “people who experience a close encounter with the Lord report how loving, gracious, and caring He is.” Two: that Adam and Eve’s desire to be “like God” was a temptation to sin. Not so, says Combs. “Such a desire on their part is not rebellion; it is just the opposite. Adam and his wife were no different. They too wished to be more like their loving heavenly Father.” Three: Adam’s fear came from his shame and guilt over disobeying God. “Instead,” Combs writes, “the Lord asked him, ‘Who told you that you were naked?’ to help him realize his own perspective of their relationship had precipitated his fearful reaction—an ability gained by his newly acquired knowledge of good and evil.”
Combs sees this knowledge of the difference between good and evil to be the chief consequence of what Adam and Eve did. Sin comes from this knowledge and takes the form of wrongful acts following on that knowledge. The key word is difference. The couple’s nakedness was not a sense of deficiency nor a source of shame. Rather it was an awareness that a break had occurred in their relationship with one another and with God. These ruptures Combs calls relational and spiritual death. “Relational death occurs,” he says “when the insecurities and self-deprecation brought on by an inner sense of nakedness alienates the participants from each other by replacing trust, compassion, unconditional love, and acceptance with suspicion and a shattered self-worth. Spiritual death occurs when we are separated from the Lord. Adam and his wife did indeed experience relational and spiritual death that fateful day, and this alienated them from each other and from the Lord.”
An advantage of the book is that takes the Old Testament seriously. “It is said the genesis of all biblical revelation has its roots in the first book of the Bible. My own knowledge of sin, salvation, and faith had been largely shaped through the lens of the New Testament.” Combs’ audience is Christian, but as he says, the Old Testament is not a shadow of the truth the gospels reveal or an introduction the reader can skip over.
The author is a competent writer, and his clear and lively language help to make this book attractive. The occasionally careless layout, however, can be distracting. While there are very few typos, in general the fonts and design have an amateurish feel. The callouts could have been better selected and formatting done more carefully. In places there are extra lines and spaces between characters.
Combs has done his homework and has provided some thoughtful conclusions. Whether one agrees with his interpretations, his retelling of the biblical story of salvation as well as his positive and constructive wisdom for make this book worth reading. 3 out of 4 stars.
******
Who Told You That You Were Naked?
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
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3 out of 4 stars
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Williams E. Combs’ book Who Told You That You Were Naked? A Refreshing Reexamination of the Garden of Eden (Carpenter’s Son Publishing , 2016) takes its main title from the question God asked Adam and Eve in the biblical Book of Genesis after they had eaten the forbidden fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Combs explores the meaning of this question both in the Bible and for Christians today and makes what he sees to be a “refreshing reexamination” that differs from many conventional interpretations of this story. In doing so he traces almost the entire scriptural story of salvation that was the aftermath of the primordial couple’s act, with chapters not only on the Genesis story but also on walking in the way of faith, overcoming obstacles the way of faith, how faith sets one free from sin and death, how one can rest in the finished work of Christ, and how Jesus calls Christians to deny themselves.
Combs is a retired Presbyterian minister, and his training and experience show in the book. Throughout the text he offers personal stories, short fictionalized vignettes, and creative retellings of biblical stories to illustrate passages of scripture, much like a preacher who takes a Bible story and relates it to his or her congregation. Befitting his seminary education, he brings knowledge of the original Hebrew and Greek of the Bible. He also offers some helpful tips for reading the Bible, such as comparing translations and doing research, and cautions against misinterpreting scripture by reading the wrong things into it. “When I attended Fuller Theological Seminary,” Combs writes, “our professors constantly reminded us how critical it was to let the text divulge its meaning with the help of the Holy Spirit rather than interpreting it in light of our particular biases.” Another useful feature is the author’s reproduction of entire biblical passages he talks about rather than giving only a citation which readers—unless they have the Bible memorized!—would have to look up. Each chapter concludes with study questions for discussion.
It is in chapter 4 that Combs gets to the core reasons why his approach “stands in stark contrast with a number of [biblical] commentaries that describe the third chapter of Genesis as a litany of rebellion and judgment.” Here he gives—and critiques—three standard interpretations of the scene when God discovered what Adam and Eve had done. One: The couple resented God’s restriction on eating the fruit. Combs sees inconsistencies with this theory and also a contradiction because “people who experience a close encounter with the Lord report how loving, gracious, and caring He is.” Two: that Adam and Eve’s desire to be “like God” was a temptation to sin. Not so, says Combs. “Such a desire on their part is not rebellion; it is just the opposite. Adam and his wife were no different. They too wished to be more like their loving heavenly Father.” Three: Adam’s fear came from his shame and guilt over disobeying God. “Instead,” Combs writes, “the Lord asked him, ‘Who told you that you were naked?’ to help him realize his own perspective of their relationship had precipitated his fearful reaction—an ability gained by his newly acquired knowledge of good and evil.”
Combs sees this knowledge of the difference between good and evil to be the chief consequence of what Adam and Eve did. Sin comes from this knowledge and takes the form of wrongful acts following on that knowledge. The key word is difference. The couple’s nakedness was not a sense of deficiency nor a source of shame. Rather it was an awareness that a break had occurred in their relationship with one another and with God. These ruptures Combs calls relational and spiritual death. “Relational death occurs,” he says “when the insecurities and self-deprecation brought on by an inner sense of nakedness alienates the participants from each other by replacing trust, compassion, unconditional love, and acceptance with suspicion and a shattered self-worth. Spiritual death occurs when we are separated from the Lord. Adam and his wife did indeed experience relational and spiritual death that fateful day, and this alienated them from each other and from the Lord.”
An advantage of the book is that takes the Old Testament seriously. “It is said the genesis of all biblical revelation has its roots in the first book of the Bible. My own knowledge of sin, salvation, and faith had been largely shaped through the lens of the New Testament.” Combs’ audience is Christian, but as he says, the Old Testament is not a shadow of the truth the gospels reveal or an introduction the reader can skip over.
The author is a competent writer, and his clear and lively language help to make this book attractive. The occasionally careless layout, however, can be distracting. While there are very few typos, in general the fonts and design have an amateurish feel. The callouts could have been better selected and formatting done more carefully. In places there are extra lines and spaces between characters.
Combs has done his homework and has provided some thoughtful conclusions. Whether one agrees with his interpretations, his retelling of the biblical story of salvation as well as his positive and constructive wisdom for make this book worth reading. 3 out of 4 stars.
******
Who Told You That You Were Naked?
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Like Joel_Schorn's review? Post a comment saying so!