18 - The Founding Trauma

The Founding Trauma

It genuinely is PTSD. Adam and Eve have experienced trauma. For the first time, they experience malicious manipulation. An individual with more power has for the first time used it against them. This is completely outside their prior experience in which God has only used power in their interest and for their benefit. As it often is in incidents of abuse, confusion and consternation yield to shame. Adam and Eve realize they are vulnerable. They realize that they are naked. The obvious is realizing that they are actually physically, which would not even mean anything before this. For what do they have to be ashamed of in their nudity? However the physical nakedness is a manifestation of the true nakedness that they feel. They have been exposed as vulnerable, naked, targets for power to take advantage of.

They also have had doubt put into their minds concerning the nature of God’s relationship with them. Despite experiencing a relationship with God that is completely opposed to these doubts, they feel their vulnerability. Facing the power of God, which now clearly means something to their relationship, they are faced with the question of whether God will use power against us. You will surely die if you eat of the tree becomes I will surely kill you if you eat of the tree. They are naked before God, never had knowingly been vulnerable before, and now needed to cover their weakness confronted with power. So they hid.

However when we run, God follows. When we hide, God finds us.