Clothed In Spite Of, Evans Olang

Genesis 3:21, “21 And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins, and clothed them,” (TRSV).

Adam and Eve disobeyed God, Eve was deceived and Adam listened to his wife and disobeyed God. Immediately they went into hiding because they were naked and a shamed of what they did. They tried to cover themselves with leaves, which did not do a good job as they were bound to dry and fall off.

Instead of taking responsibility for what they had done, they began to find excuses to blame for their fall. Adam blamed his wife, his wife blamed the serpent. Is this not true with us today, always finding it easy to blame something or someone for our mistakes? “She betrayed me, he tricked me, he made me do it etc.”. People even blame God today for their mistakes saying “it’s God’s fault, He made me like this”. Shifting blames began in the first marriage and it’s still affecting us even today.

Out of what they had done, there came consequences but in the midst of it all, God was merciful to clothe them. The first animals shade their blood for these two when God slew them. The Lord furnished the skins, fashioned the garments, and clothed Adam and Eve. God did it all; they did nothing. After divine condemnation and judgment for this first sin, God acted in mercy to provide a way of salvation, and He demonstrated His grace to cover the shame of man.

Romans 4:7, “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, And whose sins are covered;” This does not mean God over looks our sins and neither did he overlook Adam and Eve’s sin by covering it up, this is God taking that which is naked and shameful and clothes it with Christ’s Righteousness. The first physical death should have been that of this man and his wife, but it was an animal—a shadow of the reality that God would someday kill a substitute to redeem sinners. Didn’t the Lord clothe us in our sin that rendered us naked and ashamed? What a kind God He is.

Romans 13:14, “But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts”. Putting on the Lord Jesus not only covers our sins but it also protects us from exposing ourselves to sin and the desire to fulfill it. To put on the Lord Jesus also is to put on humility. We try to find ways to be worthy by trying to cover ourselves with leaves of self-righteousness however those leaves need to come down so that the God of grace and mercy can provide us with garments. The prodigal son in Luke 15 having lost and found his way back home received a different treatment from what he had expected. The bible says,Vs. 20-22, “20 And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. 21 And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ 22 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the BEST ROBE (GARMENT) and PUT IT ON HIM, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. He uncovered himself by taking off the leaves by admitting his sin, and his father demonstrated his love and compassion by putting on him the best robe. Notice that the prodigal son did not blame his age, the country he went to, what he got involved in, or what had happened to him. He took responsibility for what he had done and cried for mercy.Proverbs 28:13

“He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.” We praise God for clothing us in spite of it all, blessings Ev