February 17: THE GREATEST OF ALL EXPECTATIONS (part 3)

Also for Adam and his wife the LORD God made tunics of skin, and clothed them. Genesis 3:21

This is the second prophetic reference to the fact that the Redeemer Himself would suffer; but this time it becomes evident that He would suffer death. Our first parents were well-informed of their own impending deaths, but here their eyes are opened to that facet of salvation whereby One was to die the second death* in their place. The sacrificial service was instituted by God on the very day that man fell. Be assured, beloved, that this was not a knee-jerk reaction on His part, but rather the carrying out of a marvelous, incredible plan whereby fallen man might be brought back into harmony with the principles of divine government. This plan had been agreed upon within the trinitarian Godhead before the foundation of our world.

These tunics of skin served as threefold reminders of (1) the innocence they had lost, of (2) death as the wages of sin, and of (3) the promised Lamb of God. In the sacrificial service, he who had been divinely commissioned as overseer and protector of the animal creation (1:26), now found himself in the sad position of repeatedly taking the life of “spotless”, innocent creatures. This symbolic system was put into place to point toward the central figure of all of Scripture: Christ Jesus, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29). It was a graphic and bloody illustration of the gravity of sin and its abhorrence to God. In the centuries to come, this action was to be carried out by repentant ones. Deep sorrow for sin, an openness to divine correction, and a desire for transformation of character was required; a change that comes only by grace (Ephesians 2:8). These things signify an awakening to spiritual truth. Divine justice required man’s life; divine mercy provided man with an opportunity to regain his lost life.

The story of Cain and Abel, the sacrifices that they brought to the LORD, and His response to them confirms the teachings of the LORD regarding repentance and worship. If He had not made clear the regulations regarding sacrifices, the acceptance of Abel’s offering and the rejection of Cain’s would have been arbitrary. But such an adjective does not, has never, and will never apply to the God of Love. Both of the young men had been taught correctly by their parents. Both knew and understood the divine requirements of the system that was to teach the world of a Redeemer to come. Cain’s refusal to be corrected rendered him bitter and angry toward his brother, a foreshadowing of last-day events. The LORD patiently addressed Cain (4:5-7) but his rejection of divine counsel rendered him a murderer (v.8), a liar (v.9), and the first man to be cursed (v.11). Heretofore, only the serpent and the ground had been cursed (3:14,17). By killing his brother, Cain had compelled the ground to drink innocent blood (4:10-11). The earth itself rebelled against a murderer by withholding its strength, forcing Cain to wander in search of food. Though Cain deserved death, God mercifully allowed him time for repentance (v.12). Likewise, we are allowed probationary time and offered the covering of Christ’s righteousness. Will we complain like Cain (v.13), or will we use the time to take refuge under His wings, actively absorbing the precious truths and corrections graciously provided in His word? May we choose His way, day-by-day, and live in glorious expectation of eternal life!

He shall cover you with His feathers, And under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler. Psalm 91:4       

*the second death: a permanent death from which there is no resurrection. Revelation 2:11; 20:6,14; 21:8