Thoughts in Worship

Message Magazine's Online Devotional for Thursday, September 5, 2019

This is devotional thought number 1 in our devotional series, “Removing the Veil: Sanctuary Living in the 21st Century.” Our subject is: Naked and Full of Shame

Here’s the question for consideration: What does it take to be protected from exposure to the consequences of our sins?

“Behold, I am going to come like a thief! Blessed (happy, to be envied) is he who stays awake (alert) and who guards his clothes, so that he may not be naked and [have the shame of being] seen exposed!” (Revelation 16:15, AMP).

My all-time favorite hymn, written by Franklin E. Belden is titled, “Cover With His Life.” I find comfort and hope the message that though I have made many mistakes and committed many sins over the years, I can be be made pure in God’s sight if I am covered with the life of the sinless Son of God, Jesus Christ. It’s not that He acts like sin is not sinful and just gives us a pass. Rather, He took the full brunt of the punishment due those who deserve eternal death due to our sins, and gives us a clean slate due to His righteousness when we keep faith in Him. When we have faith in Jesus Christ, He empowers us to abandon our sinful lifestyles while He covers us with His righteousness. And when we have to appear before the judgment seat of the Most High (blessed be His name), Jesus’s spotless character appears in our stead. Our theme text underscores the need for us to walk circumspectly in all we do, so we can walk humbly, yet boldly in the presence of a holy God.

There was a time, believe it or not, when the first human beings, Adam and Eve, had no need to be ashamed. They lived such holy lives, never having sinned, that they could walk with and speak to God in the Garden of Eden. They were naked, unashamed, and fully connected to the King. As you may know, the devil, having come down to earth with great wrath, and a score to settle with God, entered the Garden of Eden and deceived Eve into disbelieving the Word of God, devaluing close communion with Him, and eating that which God forbad. Adam, with his eyes wide open, chose not to trust God, and followed his Eve down the slippery slope to destruction. The first thing they did was hide, played the blame game, and contrived covering in an attempt to hide their shame. When God came looking for them following their inauspicious fall, here’s what happened: “And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself. And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?” (Genesis 3:9–11). For the first time in earth’s history, Adam and Eve experienced fear. Fear further drove a wedge between them because of sin.

Unfortunately, Adam and Eve began to die, right then and there. The couple who was intended to live forever, began losing vital energy as the hands of time ticked down to the day they would die, along with all their offspring. Sin breeds death, every single time. The blessing is that God had already intervened to protect them against eternal death. In Him, there would be hope for a resurrection. How? I am so glad you asked.

Notice what happens next: “Unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skins, and clothed them.” (Genesis 3:21). YHWH covered His fearful children with coats of skins after they attempted to cover their shame with aprons of fig leaves. As you know, aprons don’t do a great job of covering naked bodies. Much is left exposed. How appropriate, then, was it for God to give them the full coverage of those animal skins. It is quite reasonable to believe that the first animal sacrifice occurred to provide them the covering they needed. The very first substitution, life for life, took place to symbolize the fact that Jesus would one day give His life so we can live eternally, and for this reason, we have chosen to engage you in this all-new devotional series—to facilitate a close encounter with our Savior, Jesus Christ.

What does it take to be protected from exposure to the consequences of our sins? It takes absolute faith in Jesus, who suffered an ignominious death for you and for me. May God teach us to be thankful for giving His all, so we can live the abundant life, by faith.—L. David Harris (http://bit.ly/BQuotable)

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