Have you ever read Genesis 3? It tells a beautiful story of love.
The chapter opens with the serpent deceiving Eve into eating fruit from the tree that God commanded she and Adam to not eat from. After she gives the fruit to Adam, their eyes are opened and they see each other in all of their imperfections. They make coverings for themselves out of leaves.
Just like an earthly father would punish his child for disobeying, God punishes Eve with pains in childbirth and Adam with the grunt of the workload--you know the story.
But so, so sweetly, in verse 21 "The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife, and clothed them." The Message translates the verse as "God made leather clothing for Adam and his wife and dressed them."
Even after they had sinned and made all of mankind fall, even after they brought the first sin into the world, God loved them enough to say, "I bet those leaves aren't comfortable, let me make you fine clothes of leather."
It brings me centuries forward to the book of Matthew 6:28-32:
"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them."
If you are living in a life full of sin, if you are running from the Lord, if Satan has deceived you into believing his lies, hear the words of scripture--from the very beginning, to the words of Christ, to now--God loves you.
Hebrews 13:8 says that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He is still the God who clothed Adam and Eve even in the midst of their dirty sin.
Take off the garment of leaves you made and let Him clothe you with the best--his best leather for his most prized possession.
image from atop the Mount of Beatitudes
Wow, very insightful, and precious. Obviously from your tender Heart. And another point: the Lord had to sacrafice those animals to cloth his children with the skins, after they were banished from the Garden.
ReplyDelete