Tiny Little Things

Hi tiny little ones! I am very sorry for, again, leaving this blog for some time with so many drafts I haven’t finished floating around my folder. How have you all been lately? Did you put up Christmas decorations already in your home and church? What about new clothes? Because what I’ll be sharing today is about the very beautiful clothing that once was torn but renewed again by grace.

I started this draft in April, and ugh, that was so long ago! I was reading about the white clothes the Lord will give to the conquerors among God’s people in Sardis (Rev 3:5). This reminds me of the various uses of the word “clothes” (also cloth, garment, items to be put on, etc.) in the Bible. From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible uses “clothes” in literal and spiritual contexts to its readers.

The torn clothes in the Garden

You may see many illustrations depict Adam and Eve to appear naturally, with bare skin, before they sinned, and then they felt ashamed knowing they were without clothes. The Bible says in Genesis 3:7, “Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.”

When I was younger, I read this with a question in my head. Deep down I had a spiritual doubt of how sin sounded like it made the first human seem more civilized by being ashamed of their nakedness, and that they finally put on some clothes. I knew something wasn’t right but I didn’t know where and how to get the answer without making myself look faithless to my parents–who were full-time ministers–for asking this question. As I grew older–and hopefully wiser by reading Bible and studying it more–I began to think, “Hey, maybe this was not about physical nakedness! Or may be it does, but that’s not about being sinless and shamelessly naked.”

The Bible tells us that there is a clothing greater than linen or animal skin. In one of David’s poems, he wrote God’s grace toward mankind in how He created them with glory and honor (Psa 8:5). The word “crowned” used in this verse is from the Hebrew wordעָטַר (‘atar) that can also be translated “surround.” God created mankind with His own glory surrounding them. God Himself is clothed with splendor and majesty (Psa 93:1; 104:1), He dwells in unapproachable light (1Tim 6:16). We could see a glimpse revelation of His glory when Jesus transfigured in front of His three disciples (Matt 17:2). This glory of God was also illuminated through Moses after he came back from God’s presence for 40 days and 40 nights at Mount Sinai (Exo 34:29). Now considering that God created mankind with glory and honor, and how Adam and Eve were without sin and lived in a close fellowship with the LORD (their recognition of God’s presence in Gen 3:8 suggests this), it is not impossible that the glory of God was surrounding them as their clothes.

Normally, people would be ashamed to come out of their room or house naked. The uncomfortable feeling a normal person would have is primarily shame, not fear. But that’s not the case for Adam and Eve. Why? Because they had already clothed themselves with fig leaves, yet those leaves couldn’t cover their nakedness. The fig leaves they sewed couldn’t replace the clothing they once had. The glorious clothing was torn, and they were afraid because they were naked.

Clothed in redemption

The best clothes the Laodicean possesed couldn’t cover their nakedness. Doesn’t it sound similar with how the fig leaves that Adam and Eve sewed to cover themselves could not cover their nakedness? The LORD made for Adam and Eve garments of skin and clothed them (Gen 3:21). The garment of skin was supposedly from animal. There, blood was poured for the first time on earth. Did God not make a new garment out of nothing like what He did when creating the world? Was it because God is faithful–and He’s faithful to His own words–that blood had to be poured to let the heaven and earth know that the wages of sin is death? What if the animal was sacrificed so that the man and woman could see what they are redeemed from?

The smell of a freshly flayed animal skin was now embracing Adam and Eve, touching their skin and covering their nakedness. In the Law for offerings the LORD later gave to the people of Israel, there was only one animal offering required to be skinned, it was the burnt offering (Lev 1:6). Burnt offering was not only offered as a voluntary act of offering, but also a compulsory offering God required to be burnt each day in the evening and in the morning. This made all the other types of offering that needed to be burnt on the altar, had to be burnt on the top of this burnt offering. If the garment God made was from a sacrificed animal, could this be the time when God taught Adam and Eve how to come to Him in worship?

A garment of redemption and glory

All the burnt offerings, including sin and guilt offering were all fulfilled in Jesus (Heb 10:10-14). By His blood we are redeemed and brought back into the relationship with the Father. Paul in his letter to the Romans, illustrated Jesus as the garment to be put on so we could walk in all the newness of life (Rom 13:14). Only when we embody the redemption of Christ in us, we could walk freely in His light–which is His glory.

The garment of redemption was granted to Adam and Eve when they were supposed to die. The more perfect garment of redemption God has also granted to us so we could be saved from death and live a new life (Eph 4:24; Col 3:10). The restoration for Adam and Eve was not perfect, because they had to bear the consequences of their sin. But God did not leave them alone. The promise of the perfect salvation He gave, would come from their own offspring (Gen 3:15). A descendant born of flesh but will choose to live not in his flesh. That from Him all mankind could inherit salvation and are brought back to the Father’s glory. Have you been clothed in redemption and glory?