It is cold where I live. There is a covering of ice and snow over the land. But, God is faithful, He gave us the knowledge to design outerwear. A friend of mine who is rather new to the area from sunny California told me a story about waiting for the bus the first winter she spent here. She stood with her husband outside in the 15 degree temperature and started to panic because she could no longer feel her ears! Then her face started to tingle. She said, "Something weird is happening to my face! I think I am starting to get frost bite!" It's true - she was! She said after six years she has figured out how to dress for the occasion of winter in this new place she calls home. And it no longer feels as cold. But, of course we all know it is still cold in Chicago - but now she has the proper covering.
It doesn't take much for my thoughts to travel... to wondering how we have the choice to wear the proper garments for the climate we are living. Her illustration reminded me of Adam and Eve in the garden. As a consequence of the fall of man to the temptation to eat of the fruit of the tree that they were told not to eat (Genesis 2:17), they felt they needed to make their own garments to hide themselves from God. Apparently, they too felt the coolness of the air on their skin and did the best they could do to cover up! But, as my friend figured out, the proper covering would come a bit later. First, Adam and Eve had to recognize they were no longer in sunny California - oops, I mean in the state of innocence for which they were first created. They chose to leave their place of rest in the Sovereignty of God who gave His instruction regarding from what tree to eat. They had a choice. They chose to depart from His covering. In doing this, they would eventually answer to God who in turn would make them a new type of covering. They would now be wearing garments of 'skin' and not the inadequate fig leaf.
You see, God has always been in the clothing industry.
Noah was told to make a covering. It was a boat or more specifically, an ark. And God told him how to build it, why he's building it, who to put in it, and how long it would take to make it - 120 years (Genesis 6:3) . Noah did everything just as God commanded him. And sure enough, it happened just as God said it would - and only those who received the direction from the Lord on getting into or under His covering would be saved from the oncoming flood. God runs a tight ship and His covering was adequate to salvation.
Moses preached about the God of Israel, and God instructed Moses on how to bring Israel to safety. He told the community of Israel to take blood of a lamb and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of their houses. On that same night, God would pass through Egypt and see the blood as a sign where His people lived. And when God saw the blood, He would pass over them. (Exodus 12:6-13) That was God's perfect way to cover His believing people - the shed blood of a lamb without defect. And there were numerous ways God protected His people through 40 years of wandering in the desert...covering them with a cloud by day and light by night. Covering them with His protection in the wilderness - all to protect the promised One to come through a protected people. When sin abounded in the camp of Israel, God sent the Law to keep them from harming themselves and His future Messiah. Israel needed to exist, not for Israel's sake, but for the sake of God's Holy Name. Though I never forget that God loves Israel and so do I. First of all, that she was entrusted with the very oracles of God. And through Israel's obedience and trials, and God's faithfulness, His Word was protected by those people so we can read them today. Secondly, theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of the Messiah, who is God over all, forever praised! Amen.
And then Jesus comes to earth - protected and Protector. And in Him, through Him, and by Him, all Righteous clothing is received. In us there is no good thing, though we may try to be good. But, our good seems to fall short. Almost like a jacket that doesn't keep us warm enough. The works we do don't last - the good thoughts we have don't stick around - and the surrender to God is only in moments. But now apart from the law - the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets of the Tanakh testify. This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus the Messiah to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile (though we tend to struggle with that fact), for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and yet all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Jesus the Messiah - for all who believe. Clothed in His Righteousness - perfect covering for sin. Try it on - I would be very surprised if it isn't the Perfect fit.
"I delight greatly in the LORD; my soul rejoices in my G-d. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels." Isaiah 61:10
"I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from G-d, prepared as a bride beautifully clothed for her husband." Revelation 21:2
It doesn't take much for my thoughts to travel... to wondering how we have the choice to wear the proper garments for the climate we are living. Her illustration reminded me of Adam and Eve in the garden. As a consequence of the fall of man to the temptation to eat of the fruit of the tree that they were told not to eat (Genesis 2:17), they felt they needed to make their own garments to hide themselves from God. Apparently, they too felt the coolness of the air on their skin and did the best they could do to cover up! But, as my friend figured out, the proper covering would come a bit later. First, Adam and Eve had to recognize they were no longer in sunny California - oops, I mean in the state of innocence for which they were first created. They chose to leave their place of rest in the Sovereignty of God who gave His instruction regarding from what tree to eat. They had a choice. They chose to depart from His covering. In doing this, they would eventually answer to God who in turn would make them a new type of covering. They would now be wearing garments of 'skin' and not the inadequate fig leaf.
You see, God has always been in the clothing industry.
Noah was told to make a covering. It was a boat or more specifically, an ark. And God told him how to build it, why he's building it, who to put in it, and how long it would take to make it - 120 years (Genesis 6:3) . Noah did everything just as God commanded him. And sure enough, it happened just as God said it would - and only those who received the direction from the Lord on getting into or under His covering would be saved from the oncoming flood. God runs a tight ship and His covering was adequate to salvation.
Moses preached about the God of Israel, and God instructed Moses on how to bring Israel to safety. He told the community of Israel to take blood of a lamb and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of their houses. On that same night, God would pass through Egypt and see the blood as a sign where His people lived. And when God saw the blood, He would pass over them. (Exodus 12:6-13) That was God's perfect way to cover His believing people - the shed blood of a lamb without defect. And there were numerous ways God protected His people through 40 years of wandering in the desert...covering them with a cloud by day and light by night. Covering them with His protection in the wilderness - all to protect the promised One to come through a protected people. When sin abounded in the camp of Israel, God sent the Law to keep them from harming themselves and His future Messiah. Israel needed to exist, not for Israel's sake, but for the sake of God's Holy Name. Though I never forget that God loves Israel and so do I. First of all, that she was entrusted with the very oracles of God. And through Israel's obedience and trials, and God's faithfulness, His Word was protected by those people so we can read them today. Secondly, theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of the Messiah, who is God over all, forever praised! Amen.
And then Jesus comes to earth - protected and Protector. And in Him, through Him, and by Him, all Righteous clothing is received. In us there is no good thing, though we may try to be good. But, our good seems to fall short. Almost like a jacket that doesn't keep us warm enough. The works we do don't last - the good thoughts we have don't stick around - and the surrender to God is only in moments. But now apart from the law - the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets of the Tanakh testify. This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus the Messiah to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile (though we tend to struggle with that fact), for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and yet all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Jesus the Messiah - for all who believe. Clothed in His Righteousness - perfect covering for sin. Try it on - I would be very surprised if it isn't the Perfect fit.
"I delight greatly in the LORD; my soul rejoices in my G-d. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels." Isaiah 61:10
"I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from G-d, prepared as a bride beautifully clothed for her husband." Revelation 21:2
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