Dear Disciple,
“Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves… The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them. ” Genesis 3:6-7,21
The earliest foreshadowing of God’s redemptive purpose in the great Story took place just after the first rebellious human act. The perfect man and woman were in a perfect place, but they threw away the wholeness they had known in their attempt to have what was forbidden to them: fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
God had warned them that they would die “the day” they ate it, but the immediate effect of their sin was a new awareness of their nakedness. They instinctively hid from one another and God, covering themselves with fig leaves. Did you notice that even after God cursed man and woman in response to their rebellion, He was caring enough to provide a better covering for them? Knowing that the environment outside the Garden would require something more than leaves, He made garments of skin to clothe them.
This was more than a kind gesture of provision for clothing, though, Disciple. Consider the severe warning He had given them: “the day you eat from it you will certainly die” (Genesis 2:17 – “the day” is the literal meaning of the Hebrew). Why didn’t they die that day? To answer that question it seems we must ask another one: From where did God get the skins He used to clothe the guilty couple? It seems clear that at least one animal’s life had to be given in exchange for theirs. Isn’t it striking, Disciple, that from the very beginning God has been so extremely gracious toward His special human creation? They were covered – both literally and figuratively – by the death of (at least) one innocent being. They would die later, but not that day. They would be able to live and “be fruitful and multiply” because of the sacrifice of another’s life.
Let’s give thanks and marvel together, Disciple, that millennia later God chose to offer up one Life of immeasurable value and power for the salvation of a rebellious humanity! Our Master’s loving sacrifice did more than just hold death at bay for a time; His redeeming act ensures that all who are united to Him never need to truly die. Instead, they can know the wholeness that was meant for us from the very beginning. So now, let us clothe ourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 13:14) as we walk in the new creation life that has been won for us!
Saved for full life by His life,
Ryan
