And the LORD God made garments of skins for the man and for his wife, and clothed them.” Genesis 3: 21, NRSV.
Thank You so much dear God for covering our nakedness with Your robe of righteousness. Please speak to us as we linger around Your Word. In the name of Jesus Christ our Savior we pray. Amen.
I am so glad, that as far as my salvation is concerned, it is Jesus who dresses me! This way I know, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that my sins have been completely covered! Nevermore can they condemn me! Praise the Lord!
I wonder how our first parents looked in their “aprons” made from leaves (Genesis 3: 7, KJV); “loincloths” (NRSV); “coverings” (NIV; NKJV). In whatever version we read this text, the covering made by our first parents was inadequate. It was only a partial solution. It hardly took care of the problem. While they were worrying about covering their bodies, God was finding the way to change their hearts. His solution took care of both aspects of the sin problem. Imagine their sorrow of heart when they beheld the innocent animal being sacrificed, in order to provide them with a cover!
You see my friends, a human covering is not the solution for sin. In the book of Proverbs we find the following: “He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy” (28: 13, emphasis provided). If our sins must be covered, it has to be covered by the Lord, after they have been confessed and forgiven! “Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit (Psalm 32: 1, 2). David’s sins were covered by God, because he had confessed them. The provision was there. He made use of it.
Listen to David’s own testimony: “When I kept silent, my bones grew old through my groaning all the day long. For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; my vitality was turned into the drought of summer. Selah I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,” and You forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah” (3-5). The burden of his sin was too heavy for him to bear. He groaned, and his bones “grew old,” beneath the load. Good for David; he did not hide his sins from the Lord as our first parents tried to do (Genesis 3; 8). As a result he received the gracious gift of forgiveness!
You will notice that our verse says garments of skins, plural. It is possible that more than one innocent lamb had to die, in order to provide sufficient skin for two coats. But Hallelujah! The Lamb of God only had to die once; and with His death, He provided robes of righteousness, for the entire world!
Christ’s robe of righteousness not only covers the nakedness produced by sin, it also brings about a change of heart, in everyone who accepts it! There was nothing that Adam and Eve could have done to deserve it! There is nothing that you and I can do to deserve it! All we have to do is accept it! What a marvelous gift of grace!
NOTE: Some thoughts were added to yesterday’s Nugget of Grace.