Clothing of Mercy

In an earlier season of my life, I remembered listening to some teaching tapes by an evangelist named Tom Skinner.  He was straightforward and humorous in what he had to say.  I always enjoyed his words and the way he presented them.  In a teaching on the Holy Spirit, he talked about the moment the Egyptian army was overwhelmed when the waters of the Red Sea poured over them.  It went something like, "Hey, Moses, remember that Egyptian you killed and buried a long time ago.  Well, look at what I can do.  Not one, but a whole army!"

 

What brought the remembrance to mind was another parallel piece of Scripture found in the garden narrative of Genesis 3.  In verse 7 the Word speaks of that moment after the deed of disobedience was done.  "...they sewed fig leaves together and made loincloths for themselves."  They were ashamed of their sin, feeling guilt for the first time, and, therefore, did not want to be seen by the Lord God.  And then a little later in the narrative after the conversation of confrontation, the Word says, "And the Lord God made garments of skins for the man and for the woman, and clothed them."  (Genesis 3:21)  The Lord God could have left them naked and afraid,  guilty and ashamed, without any sign of hope, but instead He made them a better suit of clothing.  It was surely the clothing of mercy.

 

Even though the Garden of Eden couple sinned and separated themselves from the holy Creator, the Creator God still acted with mercy.   Oh, He did not alter the consequences.  Things changed about their lives.  But, they were not thrown away by the One who created them.  Though Adam and Eve were punished, they were forgiven.  A sign of this mercy is in the suit of clothing God made.  Adam and Eve used fig leaves, but God used garments of skin.  What they got was better than they had and more than they deserved.   Is it not that way with all of us?