MERCY AND REDEMPTION IN JUDGEMENT

Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them – Genesis 3: 21

Adam and Eve noticed their need for clothing, as soon as they fell and became ashamedly conscious of physical nakedness (Gen.3:7). Prior to this, Gen.2:25 says: “And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.” Assumedly, Sin had disrobed them of their covering garments of glory. The fallen couple, in their folly made futile attempts to sew together feeble and withering fig leaves into aprons to cover their nakedness. The Loving Father-God observed the futility of these fleshly, natural attempts to redeem humanity from nakedness and shame. Right in the face of judgement, His Mercy arose to replace Adam’s withering fig leaves with suitable coats of skin. Beyond the moral shame of nakedness, man was to become exposed to the vagaries of harsh and hostile weather elements. This marked not only the genesis of human clothing, but a rehearsal of redemption by the shedding of blood (Eph.1:7; Col. 1:14).

For God to have made coats of skins presupposes that the skins out of which the clothing was made were taken off animals whose blood had been poured out as a sin-offering to God. Later, Cain and Abel offered sacrifices to God, presumably at His instructions, or by observing the practices of their parents. The coats of skin were a true emblem and a manifest surety of those robes of righteousness which would later be provided for the repentant in default of that original righteousness which he had lost by transgression. In the fullness of time, God’s Son offered atonement by His death, the ultimate Sacrifice to eternally redeem us from the substance, guilt, consequences and curses of Sin, conquer Satan, destroy his empire, forgive and reconcile us to God, release eternal life, transform the human nature, and defeat death and hell (Heb. 9: 12, 15).

Now we can sing: “I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels (Isa.61:10).