What Protects You Matters

I was reading Genesis this morning and it was the first time I saw this:

". 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." (Genesis 3:7)

Many who know, this occurs directly after the woman and man both eat the tree of good and evil. We see the deception and doubt the serpent lumes over God's word (honestly, in a sense over exaggerating what God says to intensify this withholding it seems. Then you see the woman also clearly not knowing God's word because she adds to it (which reminds me of Deuteronomy when God always says, "you shall not add or take away from it"). Then we get the star of the show of desiring wisdom, to be self- determining, self-sufficient, etc. And then we get this theme of shame and guilt that both directly lead to a form of hiding (from God, from one another's nakedness) and from ownership of disobedience (we see the blame game). And then there are consequences (I think I am most mad about child birth being multiplied in pain, but that's just me). And then we see God be the one who clothes them with His loincloths and this is what was new for me.

"21 And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them." (Genesis 3:21)

What protects you matters. I thought this was mind blowing because even from the beginning God had to kill something to clothe them; it took a life to cover the death and consequences of sin. Something had to be sacrificed. No leaves would do the trick. And fast forward to Jesus- it's His life we need to cover and substitute the death of our sin. No amount of leaves we cover ourselves like good deeds, achievements, relationships, etc. can cover us sufficiently- only the blood of Jesus.

And to even go further, I think the same leaves we tend to protect ourselves and even this idea of hurt people hurt people such as retaliation, anger, and all forms of sin you can find in Galatians 5:16 and on. We can stand in the midst of God's protection and not our own and that frees us (also Galatians 5) to be able to love others well. But I think it firs starts with understanding what do we do to protect and compensate for the death that is within us (sin). Then acknowledge that in Jesus and not our wisdom and schemes of protection will be the only thing that gives us life and protects us rightly and thus gives us freedom to love others and live for God as we were intended to.