(Ii) for by Grace Are You Saved Through Faith - Part 1 (Only God Can Provide Our Covering)

God looks upon the hearts of men. We know this from Isaiah 66:2, For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the LORD: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.

God gives the qualities He looks for in verse 2, as a broken and contrite spirit and trembles at God's word. This is not a broken (poor) spirit or contrite spirit or trembles at God's word. This is a math problem; poor spirit + contrite spirit + trembles at God's word = God's attention. God's word is God's will. This means that both the disposition of the person and their willingness to obey God mark a person as someone that God will look to for fellowship. It is not enough to tremble, the devils believe and tremble (James 2:19). There must be a disposition of humility that cries out to God for help and a 'follow through' with obedience when instruction from God comes.

Adam and Eve immediately tried to take the consequences of sinning into their own hands. They did not cry out. They did not bother waiting on God for direction or instruction. This is the terrible reality of sin. They were like a ship tossed in treacherous uncharted waters under the cover of night without a light or a compass. When they saw their nakedness they were surely afraid; but fear surely had near paralyzed them when they heard God coming. Zophar in the book of Job stated, "For then shalt thou lift up thy face without spot; yea, thou shalt be stedfast, and shalt not fear." Men have always understood that sin causes timidity, especially before God.

What did they do? They took their condition into their own hands. Man sinned, but God would have to fix the problem. Adam and Eve sewed fig leaves together to cover their nakedness. This is as far from sufficient as the east is from the west. Can a fig leave do what only the blood of Christ could do? I can imagine no greater contrast than this, but this is man's settled state; this is man's solution to man's problem. Man would not cry out to God for help; so God came looking for man.

From Glory To Garments

Man is the only creation of God that needs clothing. God wanted to be man's clothing, and He was in the beginning. The loss of God's Glory would come with a seemingly simple sin; but the recovery of that Glory would only come with an unfathomably difficult act of obedience. Fig leaves and filthy rags are all man could muster to cover his/her nakedness. If man was going to be recovered, God would have to make provision.

Nakedness is the outward evidence that man is sinful. The scripture speaks of the 'shame' of man's nakedness. God is gone and there is a reason for His departure. Adam realized he was naked and hid himself from God clothed in fig leaves. He had lost that precious face to face relationship and his conscience smote him unto down cast eyes. God brought Adam and Eve skins to clothe themselves with. Adam was a wise man. He knew that no creature could lose it's covering and live.

"It is very likely that the skins out of which their clothing was made were taken off animals whose blood had been poured out as a sin-offering to God; for as we find Cain and Abel offering sacrifices to God, we may fairly presume that God had given them instructions on this head; nor is it likely that the notion of a sacrifice could have ever occurred to the mind of man without an express revelation from God. Hence we may safely infer, 1. That as Adam and Eve needed this clothing as soon as they fell, and death had not as yet made any ravages in the animal world, it is most likely that the skins were taken off victims offered under the direction of God himself, and in faith of Him who, in the fullness of time, was to make an atonement by his death." (Adam Clarke)

Adam and Eve are learning a terrible lesson and a swift one indeed, that without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins.