The Covering For Sin Series

The Covering for Sin

Genesis 3:20-21

Rev. Brian Bill

March 25-26, 2023

An aptronym is a compound word consisting of the adjective “apt,” meaning aptitude, and the Greek word for “name.” An aptronym is when someone’s name and occupation line up perfectly, when what they’re called describes what they do. Here are some real-life examples:

• Dr. Bowser Veterinarian

• Dr. Whack Chiropractor

• Dan Druff Barber

• Dr. Payne Dentist

• Otto Nogo Mechanic

• Dr. Slaughter Surgeon

• Sonia Shears Beautician

• Dr. Whitehead Dermatologist

• Rose Flowers Florist

• Dr. Smellsey Podiatrist

Names are very important to God. From the very beginning of the Bible, we read: “God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night…God called the expanse Heaven…God called the dry land ‘Earth’” (Genesis 1:5, 8, 10). He also gave names to different people, with the meaning of the name often characterizing their character. For instance, Isaac implies “laughter,” Jacob means “deceiver,” and Moses refers to being “drawn out.”

Parents spend a lot of time figuring out what to name their children. I have some relatives who were very intentional about naming their kids (and I’m not making this up): Bob Bill, Bonnie Bill, Bernie Bill, Brenda Bill, Bruce Bill, and Blain Bill…and their bunny named Bertha (OK, I made that last one up!).

While names are important in our culture, they were even more so in biblical times. Proverbs 22:1 says a good name is more to be desired than great riches. Names didn’t just distinguish or label a person; they often revealed the very nature of an individual. For example, Nabal, whose name means “fool,” lived out his name according to 1 Samuel 25:25: “Nabal is his name, and folly is with him.”

The term for name in the Old Testament means “individual mark” and communicated an individual’s essence. In the New Testament, the word for name comes from a verb which means “to know.”

A change of name indicated a deliberate and decisive redirection in a person’s life, like when Abram (exalted father) became Abraham (father of a multitude), when Sarai (my princess) became Sarah (princess of a multitude), when Jacob (deceiver) became Israel (God contends), and when Simon (one who hears) was given the name Peter (rock). A change of name in the Bible referred to a change within a person’s nature.

In the Bible to know someone’s name was to really know the person. Conversely, if you didn’t know someone’s name you didn’t really know that individual. We could say that a person was somehow present in his or her name. That’s one reason we’re encouraging everyone to greet people they don’t know after the service. To the extent we get to know each other’s names, we’ll also move toward each other in relationship. It’s been a minute since I learned that hormones, such as dopamine and serotonin, are released into your brain when someone says your name out loud.

Last weekend, we discovered how the curse of Adam’s sin brings suffering to everyone. As part of Eve’s consequence, she would experience pain in motherhood and problems in her marriage. Adam would be penalized by the futility of labor and the finality of life. Today, we’re going to learn about the purpose of a new name and the provision of new clothes. Next week we’ll focus on a new place for Adam and Eve after they were evicted from Eden.

Here’s our main idea: God gives us a new name and a new nature when we receive His Son as our sacrificial substitute.

Our text is just two verses from Genesis 3:20-21: “The man called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all living. And the LORD God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them.”

1. The purpose of a new name. By way of reminder, Adam had just been told by God that his destiny would be death in verse 19: “For you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” With that in mind, it’s amazing what Adam does next in the first half of verse 20: “The man called his wife’s name Eve...” The word “called” means, “to announce, to be named.”

With the sentence of death ringing in his ears, he gave a new name to his wife. Before this she was known as a female (1:27), helper (2:18), woman (2:23), and wife (2:24-25). These are descriptive terms, but not names. But from now on, her name would be “Eve.” Surprisingly, this is the first time she is called Eve in the Genesis account, even though I’ve referred to her by that name in previous sermons.

The name “Eve” means, “living one, life-giver, making alive, life-spring.” Her name reflected her nature. After hearing about his destiny of dust and death in verse 19, you’d think Adam might name his wife the Grim Reaper but instead he named her life-giver.