Mercy and the Garments of Salvation

Mercy marked this dreadful day. Sin was made real in the lives of Adam and Eve through the deception of the serpent. They deserved death. And, in a real sense, everything began to die. But God, who is rich in mercy, gave them lasting hope. He promised that their offspring would crush the serpent.

Adam believed God. He turned to his wife and named her “Eve, because she was the mother of all living.” This signified his trust that God would one day fulfill His promise to bring life back to mankind through the woman. Not only was God holding back His sentence of death, but He was also giving them hope for the future.

Mercy didn’t end there. “God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them.” Before they were broken, they were naked and unashamed. However, their fall to sin made them feel deeply guilty and ashamed to be so open among others. So God covered their shame with clothing. It was a visible sign of God’s promise to one day cover their sin with innocence.

The visible sign meant even more. Mercy was still not over. The garments that covered Adam were skins of an innocent animal that God slaughtered for their sake. The lesson was obvious. They sinned against God and deserved death, but death came to the innocent animal so that their sin would be covered. The clothes they wore were not only hiding their shame, but showing God’s way of salvation.

This was a day of death, but also mercy. The slaughter of an animal laid the foundation for the sacrifice of animal life for the preservation of human life. It was a reminder of God’s wonderful mercy and garments of salvation.

Reflections

1. If their sentence was death, why do you think Adam named Eve the “mother of all living”? What can we learn from the garments of salvation God made?
2. In what ways does God show us His mercy in this story? How does God continually give us hope of salvation?
3. How can you remember God’s mercy and salvation today? In what ways could you remind yourself and others that God’s salvation is real?

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