a most pathetic sight

The death of the Lamb looms heavy over the garden even though man and woman have just come into creation (Rev 13:8) Once fallen they provide their own coverings to hide their nakedness until God replaces them. Regarding the coverings given them by God, it seems little is said (The Lord made garments of skin and clothed them Gen 3:21) In combing through many articles and commentaries, which once again seem to be for the most part embellishments of the narrative, one can come across many a picture of the man and woman being cast out (also subject to the artist interpretation). Some have them cast out naked, some have them cast out with sewn leaves covering themselves, and rightly some have them cast out in animal skins. Though even this picture is subject to the artists interpretation, it is striking how crude and unnatural this animal covering was. So unlike the clothing we wear that is custom fit, colorful, and fashionable, theirs did not look like it belonged on them. Not unlike placing an elephant skin upon a poodle or a moleskin upon a whale. What a pathetic sight to see the recipient of the provision of skin upon skin, but how fitting in light of such rebellion. It was a crude substitute at best pointing to what would be the ultimate provision that had loomed over the garden, even before the fall.

But friend, the beauty of all this is that the skin represented something FAR from pathetic!

The fig leaves they covered themselves in represented their good works (as it was charged to them to tend and "work" the garden). They tried to cover their "nakedness" and "shame" with their good works. God comes to visit with Adam as was their daily custom and after finding Adam hiding he kills an animal, spilling its blood and covers their nakedness through its sacrifice.

The skin they wore represented the God-man who a few thousand years later would be slaughtered and killed to cover our nakedness and shame! This is a picture of the Gospel at work! God replaced their garments of works that had the appearence of making them righteous (by covering their shame) by clothing them in ones who died for them.

Just as Christ has died for us and we are now hidden away inside him, our "garments" of good works are useless and are trash in the eyes of the Lord, he desires that we be clothed in his Son through the sacrifice he made and the spilling of his blood so that our "nakedness" and shame will be covered over!

In one sense I am sure this was a pathetic sight, but in a greater much more substantial sense, THIS WAS THE BEAUTY OF THE GOSPEL! In reality, this was a PICTURE of the perfect and "ultimate provision" that was to come! Jesus is King!

The cross of Christ is foolishness to those who are preishing its true but to those are being saved...it's far from pathetic, its salvation, its the power of God, its a demonstration of his love, its the reconciling of the world to the Father! We can be such downers can't we? The gospel is mind blowingly beautiful, while you could argue that aspects of the gospel are "pathetic" the picture of it in its entirety: God reconciling mankind to himself by pouring his wrath upon his only son in our stead...that is the power of God my friends.

Added: Hey by the way I am not trying to cause an argument here or anything, I just feel like calling the whole picture pathetic does so little to paint the beautiful picture of what our God did for us!

The patheticness of the covering of skins, begs for a more perfect covering that can never be accomodated by any form of material save the blood of Christ. We can look at the skin provision in the garden yes, but I wonder how shaky the ground upon which one stands in saying this is a shadow of the ultimate sacrifice. Don't get me wrong, I love all the possibilities to spiritualize the animals sacrificed for the skins that would be worn by Adam and Eve, but is scripture sound on this? I can see the institution of animal sacrifice in scripture and I most certainly see The Lamb sacrificed from the foundation of the world but might we be a little beyond our authority to present that which scripture does not cleary state? A picture of skins upon our relatives does not make for a pretty picture. It does speak to a provision of God, but far from the necessary provision, that will indeed make it by comparison, most pathetic.

The entire old testament (speaking generally here) points to Christ, it was a shadow of the substance of Christ. The beauty of Christ permeates all of scripture... I believe that to be so anyways, and I believe it to be scriptural to see it as such. I always try and keep my focus on Christ and Him crucified as Paul put it, which granted I am not the best at just yet, that is the lens I try to see all things through. Why focus on the "bad" or "pathetic" or "sad" or "gloomyness" of this story when just beneath the surface is a perfect picture of our Lord and the glorious redemption of mankind?

I see the scandle of the gospel as something that fills a former sinner (me) with joy. The "shaky" ground I stand on is Christ and him Crucified. God knew what he was doing in all of this, he was pointing to his son, as you mentioned.

Really I am just talking in general, replying to the thread as people post in response to mine :)

The entire picture of man cast out due to his rebellion is more tnan pathetic my brother. I'm just not fluent enough to conjure up the most efficient words to describe the picture. If this picture is a good one, than it is my error that I do not see it. I see judgement handed down by God, I see cursing of the earth, I see the beloved angel given charge with flaming sword to prevent a horrid possibility of man making his way back to the tree of life in his most pitiful condition. What it points to is the need to be saved from this horrendous condition.

What can be more wonderful and positive than knowing by God's very Word that the Lamb was slain from the foundation of the world? Does it not have incredible significance that His unmeasurable grace preceded the garden? We can speak of the provision of the blood of the animals that God slaughtered for their clothing but it is pathetic when compared to the covering of the blood that comes by way of the Son. I will count it grace that I breath His air, eat His food, and even wear the skins He provides, but this Lamb slain from the foundation will eclipse it all. So even if scripture were to speak of this covering that is being proposed by way of the animal's blood and the covering of skins, it is still pathetic in comparison to the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world?

I don't really understand where the disagreement is coming from...if there is one? All that I am saying is this picture of the garden is a picture of Christ and what he did, and that is oh so not pathetic in my book but rather quite beautiful. (This is directed to both of you guys).

I think perhaps we are miss understanding each other and seeing this story from two complete different perspectives. (This is directed to Lylewise)

What is pathetic is pathetic because there is knowledge of something better.