In Genesis Adam and Eve were ashamed and were naked before the eyes of God? What is the best explanation for what these mean?

What's even more important is what God did after Adam and Eve tried to cover their nakedness by themselves with fig leaves which we will also address here. But before we begin, a quick background for context:

The entire Old Testament -including the events recorded about Adam and Eve - is all about Jesus Christ and our salvation in Him. We see this in Luke 24- Christ Himself taught the Gospel from the Old Testament on resurrection day. Here's what He did as He walked with the two despondent disciples on the road to Emmaus -

"27 Then beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures."

There was no New Testament at this time. Christ taught His disciples about Himself from the Old Testament. Christ teaches us to read the Old Testament by bringing Him out of all the Scriptures. That same evening, the two disciples went to Jerusalem to share their experience of Christ with the other disciples. Jesus appeared to them there; check out what He did in verse 45 (MSG)-

“He went on to open their understanding of the Word of God, showing them how to read their Bibles this way.”

All the Scriptures point to our Lord Jesus Christ. In one of the most popular passages of the New Testament, Christ Himself made reference to Himself in the Old Testament: the bronze serpent that Moses lifted up in the wilderness is a picture of Christ lifted up to save the world from sin and death. Here's more on Christ's typology: Toyin Olamide Obire's answer to What's the difference between the Old Testament and the New Testament?

Also see 1 Corinthians 10 which speaks of the Israelites who journeyed in the wilderness-

“3 They all ate the same heavenly manna 4 and drank water from the same spiritual Rock that traveled with them—and that Rock was Christ Himself. 5 Yet God was not pleased with most of them, and their dead bodies were scattered around the wilderness. 6 Now, all these things serve as types and pictures for us—lessons that teach us not to fail in the same way by callously craving worthless things”

Also see Galatians 4:21-31 for the typology of Hagar and Sarah as the two covenants of Law and Grace. Sarah (Grace) did not need Hagar (Law) to help her bear or properly raise Isaac (you and I who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.) Grace is sufficient.

In essence, the Old Testament comprises types and pictures of Christ and our salvation in Him. Christ teaches us to read the Old Testament by bringing Him out of all the Scriptures. This includes the Book of Genesis which features Adam and Eve. Recall God said to Adam in Genesis 2:17-

"but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.”

Still on the subject of types and pictures, see the forbidden fruit as a type of the law that many are trying to obey in order to be godly (be like God) in Romans 7:8–12:

"The law code started out as an excellent piece of work. What happened, though, was that sin found a way to pervert the command into a temptation, making a piece of “forbidden fruit” out of it. The law code, instead of being used to guide me, was used to seduce me."

The tree of the knowledge of good and evil is a type of the law which gives the knowledge what is good and what is evil. Just like the tree, the letter kills. As he did with Eve, Satan perverts the law into a temptation and makes a piece of the forbidden fruit of it. What he told Eve was not a bad thing; afterall, what is bad in desiring and trying to be godly? In fact, God wants us to be godly and man has his ideas about how to make this happen; but God’s ways and thoughts are infinitely higher than man’s fallen logic. We see His Way of making us godly/saving us from ungodliness in Isaiah’s prophecy about the suffering of Christ in Isaiah 53. God's prophets of old sought to know more about this Way that you and I have in Christ today. 1 Peter 1 says of them:

10 "Regarding this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace [of God] that was intended for you, searched carefully and inquired [about this future way of salvation], 11 seeking to find out what person or what time the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating as He foretold the sufferings of Christ and the glories [destined] to follow."

Isaiah was one of such prophets. He prophesied about the sufferings of Christ (in Isaiah 53) and the glories that will follow (in Isaiah 53 & 54.) See the result of Christ’s suffering for us in Isaiah 53:11-

"After He has suffered, He will see the light of life. And He will be satisfied. My godly servant will make many people godly because of what He will accomplish. He will be punished for their sins."

We’ll get to Adam and Eve’s nakedness and stuff in a bit.

The spirit of the antichrist teaches that one has to keep the law (aka eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil) by human effort in order to be godly (be like God) or to notch points of righteousness. The spirit of the antichrist is not necessarily anti-God as we see in the lives of the religious Pharisees who sought to kill Christ and His message yet whose lives were all about obeying the Law. The spirit of the antichrist is one that seeks to remove and replace the finished work of Christ in making the sinner who believes godly (like God) with human effort at attaining godliness- the same strategy that Satan used to deceive Eve in Eden. Recall that she and Adam were made in God’s likeness: Genesis 1:27-

“So God created human beings in His own likeness.

 He created them to be like Himself.

 He created them as male and female.”

Adam and Eve were already like God and not because they had anything to do with it. They were created in God’s likeness. But Satan made them believe differently. Likewise, all who believe in Jesus Christ are a new creation- made godly through our re-birth/being born-again in Christ. But Satan through his antichrist pastors is still going about deceiving churchgoers into trying to be godly by doing the seemingly good thing of depending on the law for godliness. Carriers of this antichrist spirit have an appearance of godliness but deny the power that could make them godly. See 2 Timothy 3:1-5:

"But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 2 People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good,4 treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people."

At first, one would think vs:1–4 is just about people who are sinning openly and leading outwardly vulgar lifestyles but consider verse 5 which they all have in common:

“having a form of godliness but denying its power...."

The NLT version says "They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly.”

As he did with Eve, Satan, through his ministers behind some pulpits who seem to be pious and exude a form of godliness, is still seducing people with the law: essentially telling you that the way to be godly (be like God) is by human effort at doing something, just like Eve tried to do. Proverbs says of this seemingly right way that caused death to reign over Adam and Eve:

“There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death.”

Galatians 5:4 tells us that following this seemingly right but deathly way is how to get cut off from Jesus Christ who is the Tree of Life, as were Adam and Eve after they depended on the tree of the knowledge of good and evil for godliness:

"For if you are trying to make yourselves right with God by keeping the law, you have been cut off from Christ! You have fallen away from God's grace.”

Because of the message of these seemingly godly ministers of Satan, many in the church are trying to be godly today but are doing so after the example of Adam and Eve thus shunning God’s Way of making the sinner who believes godly/righteous; many are being deceived into thinking that they can be righteous (be like God) by human effort aka attempting to obey the Ten Commandments, doing good things and shunning evil by human effort. But see what Romans 3:20 says about this-

"For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are."

It is no coincidence what is written in 2 Corinthians 3:6- “…for the letter [of the Law] kills [by revealing sin and demanding obedience], but the Spirit gives life.”

Just like the tree, the letter kills. Also like the tree, this death is not necessarily immediate. See Genesis 2:17 (YLT) - "and of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, thou dost not eat of it, for in the day of thine eating of it -- dying thou dost die.'"

Psalms 90:4 says of God "A thousand years in Your sight are like a day that has just gone by,"; Moses wrote this concerning God's view of the life of man. Adam did not drop dead bodily immediately after his death sentence came into effect; he had kids and died at almost 1,000 years aka one day gone by in the sight of God before physical death happened. But the life he lived was far from what he freely enjoyed in Eden. It is a picture of what many who are trying to be godly by human effort at attaining godliness are living today. See Genesis 3:17-

”17 And to the man he said, “Since you listened to your wife and ate from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat, the ground is cursed because of you. All your life you will struggle to scratch a living from it. 18 It will grow thorns and thistles for you, though you will eat of its grains. 19 By the sweat of your brow will you have food to eat until you return to the ground from which you were made. For you were made from dust, and to dust you will return.”

This death from law-keeping in a bid to be godly is a process that begins with guilt from sin and condemnation of which there is none for all who are in Christ (Romans 8:1.) Then comes “death begun” in the form of fear (of judgment for sins committed,) stress, depression, silly mistakes, oppression, plenty work and little to show for it, lack, sickness, discontent and every earthly ill that is as a result of Adam’s disobedience. Physical death and the second death in hell follow after these symptoms of death.

Recall the tree of the knowledge of good and evil is a picture of the law which kills and which gives the same knowledge? Some who profess Christ cover themselves with “fig leaves" of their works of the law, even boast in these works, and believe that their human striving at being righteous/godly and “good deeds" can cover their nakedness (unrighteousness.) Such think Christianity is all about:

“Now that you are saved by Grace, you have to do your best to be sinless, keep the Law and do good works or else you will perish and not have everlasting life.”

This part-law/part-grace mixture is the “neither cold nor hot” that Christ speaks of in Revelation 3. Christ referred to those who practice this antichrist doctrine of dependence on human effort in the pursuit of righteousness as naked in the letter to the church in Laodicea which still exists in the form of religious beliefs held by some churchgoers today:

“15 ‘I know your deeds, that you are neither cold (invigorating, refreshing) nor hot (healing, therapeutic); I wish that you were cold or hot.16 So because you are lukewarm (spiritually useless), and neither hot nor cold, I will vomit you out of My mouth [rejecting you with disgust]. 17 Because you say, “I am rich, and have prospered and grown wealthy, and have need of nothing,” and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked [without hope and in great need], 18 I counsel you to buy from Me gold that has been heated red hot and refined by fire so that you may become truly rich; and white clothes [representing righteousness] to clothe yourself so that the shame of your nakedness will not be seen; and healing salve to put on your eyes so that you may see.”

So much to say here. This church was not lacking in works/deeds. Like Adam and Eve who were deceived into depending on their arm of flesh (human effort) for the attainment of godliness, they depended on their law-keeping and works of righteousness done by human effort (arm of flesh) to make them godly. These were their "riches." Like the church in Laodicea, many churchgoers today also see themselves as rich in works that will improve their standing before God and make Him see them as godly or good. But such righteous works that churchgoers think they need to do by their own power in order to be considered as living a godly life are not acceptable to God. Isaiah 64:6 says of how God sees them and their doers:

"We are all like one who is unclean, all our so-called righteous acts are like a menstrual rag in Your sight."

The church in Laodicea was rich in works of the law that they depended on to make them godly. They saw their nakedness and instead of depending on God’s gift of righteousness to us in Christ which is apart from works, they covered themselves with fig leaves of (self-)righteous works. They did not see their great need for the gift of godliness that Christ suffered and died that we might have- as do many churchgoers today who believe in striving to attain godliness by their own human effort at obedience. Christ saw this church as "wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked [without hope and in great need],"

Christ told this church to BUY from Him "white clothes [representing righteousness] to clothe yourself so that the shame of your nakedness will not be seen;"

Romans 5:9 says: "And there is still much more to say of His unfailing love for us! For through the blood of Jesus we have heard the powerful declaration, “You are now righteous in My sight.” And because of the sacrifice of Jesus, you will never experience the wrath of God."

In attaining right-standing with God, only the blood of Jesus counts. Nothing else matters. All who truly believe in Jesus are clothed in this robe of righteousness that was bought for us with the blood of Jesus Christ in whom God sees us as righteous, "even though we are guilty of many sins." And in Him, we never remain the same. Never. Instead, through Christ, we get to live in triumph over sin and death. God’s word. See this in Romans 5:16-17-

"And the result of God’s gracious gift is very different from the result of that one man’s sin. For Adam’s sin led to condemnation, but God’s free gift leads to our being made right with God, even though we are guilty of many sins. 17 For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and His gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one Man, Jesus Christ."

God’s word says the one who has Christ as His righteousness gets to live in triumph over sin and death but false doctrine preachers challenge God. Such respond to the Truth by saying that God’s saving Grace will cause believers to go on sinning sprees, contradicting God’s word. This is what it means to exalt oneself against the knowledge of God.

Peter is an example of one who saw his nakedness/sinfulness after trusting in his ability to be godly by human effort. Recall he boasted in his ability to obey the Ninth Commandment (You shall not bear false witness…) His sinfulness/nakedness was revealed by the law that he just knew that he could obey when he fell flat on his face three times. Romans 3:19–20 literally happened to him:

"Obviously, the law applies to those to whom it was given, for its purpose is to keep people from having excuses, and to show that the entire world is guilty before God. 20 For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are.“

Like the tree, the law only points out the nakedness/sinfulness of all who depend on their ability to keep it for godliness. Unlike Adam and Eve as well as Judas who still plodded on in his strength to be godly (tried to cover his nakedness with fig leaves of following what the law says about restitution,) Peter didn’t try to make himself godly after he saw his own “nakedness.” He saw his need for God’s saving Grace and His gift of Righteousness. Christ Himself restored Peter who went on to be strong and did exploits with Christ as his Righteousness and Strength.

The law will only expose the nakedness (sinfulness) of those who try to be godly/righteous like God by doing its works. Recall God Himself covered the nakedness of Adam and Eve afterwards? See Genesis 3:21-

“And the Lord God made clothing from animal skins for Adam and his wife.”

Recall without the shedding of blood, there is no remission of sins. No covering made with human effort at obedience will suffice. Fig leaves (self-righteousnesses) are useless in covering sins. Blood has to be shed for sins to be covered or taken away. God Himself redeemed Adam and Eve from their nakedness through the death of an animal. But the blood of bulls and goats can never take away sins. As He did with Adam and Eve, God Himself provided the means to rid us of our nakedness/unrighteousness, but believer, ours is an everlasting covenant cut once with the blood of Jesus that takes away sins forever. See Romans 5:9-

“And there is still much more to say of His unfailing love for us! For through the blood of Jesus we have heard the powerful declaration, “You are now righteous in My sight.” And because of the sacrifice of Jesus, you will never experience the wrath of God."

Only that gift of righteousness that is from obedience of Christ will suffice for God the righteous to see anyone as godly. Our Lord God freely clothes with righteousness even the vilest offender who believes in Jesus Christ. This is man’s only covering for his nakedness (unrighteousness) and it is free for all who believe in Jesus, no matter who we are. Only by forsaking our own fig leaves righteousnesses from human effort at obedience and receiving God’s abundance of Grace and gift of righteousness to us in Christ do we get to live in triumph over sin and death. And in Christ, we never remain in sin.