Adam – Lamb Skin
We will contemplate the “Law of Substitution,” and especially the very first time it ever appeared on Planet Earth. Back to the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve had prickly aprons on, hiding from God and sort of covering their fronts with aprons of Fig Leaves, but making sure they keep their bare backs from his view. The truth comes out, blame shovelled thickly away from each individual and onto somebody else, but the truth is the truth and then they do have to confess. Wages of sin kicks in; Hebrews 9:22 “And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without the shedding of blood there is no remission.”
Somebody had to die, step right up Adam, it’s your turn now, but blind Justice needed a dead body, Jesus quickly calls a sheep over, Adam has to kill it, and so God quickly makes a garment from its skin and cloths Adam. Blind Justice reaches out and finds a live woolly thing and that is fine, and at his feet a dead creature with no woolliness; Yes, one is alive and one is dead, Justice has been served, blood has been shed, books have been balanced.
Adam then realizes what Jesus has done; it hits him that that dead sheep represented himself. It also dawned on him that a sheep will be later called by John the Baptist, “Behold the lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world” (John 1:29). Adam looked at his Creator, he then saw the Lamb of God, Saw his Saviour, then looking down at his sheep skin cloths and it all added up, he then really knew the consequences of sin.
Jump down about 2000yrs and the story sort of repeats itself. Isaac is nearly blind and is ready to bless his two boys, so Esau goes off to hunt and to make his father probably his last final special meal, and then the Special Blessing. Jacob quickly gets two goats under his mother’s direction, gets goat skinned hairy; his brother’s cloths on his back, a special meal done just like his brother would have prepared, and the trickery works and Jacob passes the test and get the blessing. Please read the whole story as played out in Genesis 27:1-46, and see that cheating and lying do not produce good results.
If one jumps forwards another 2000 years, we are at Calvary, and there is now no Sheep or Goat skins, as Jesus is Crucified bare and naked, just clothed as Adam was when he had sinned and just before he went rushing about to try a cover up, cover ups never work, beware thy sins will find thee out (Num 32:23). But Jesus had nobody to step up and cloth him, because he was the real sacrifice, he was taking the full wrath of God and paying the wages of sin, by taking upon his person our individual guilt, the guilt for everybody, but sadly most do not want to accept this fantastic substitution gift, and unfortunately they will have to pay the debt with their own life and have eternal nonexistence called Death, or permanent un-life.
Playing further with this concept, we get another “Cover Up,” and it is called “the Robe of Christ’s Righteousness.” Some say that it was Mary Magdalene who was dragged into the Temple naked and afraid, unceremoniously dumped at Jesus’ feet, and then the accusers howled for her death. She personally knew Jesus through her sister and brother, and this is not the way to be dressed, I mean un-dressed, to receive a family friend and guest. Well so the story goes, Jesus looks down, does some writing in the dust, he then looks up into the teary face of a very terrified woman, and there are no accusers. Quietly he slips about her his outer robe, and sends her home, very much alive, and clothed in her saviours robe.
True or not, a woman was dumped at Jesus’ feet, she did walk away alive, I kind of like this version, as it has extra compassion, and then it fits the theme we are playing with; covered, protected, assured of life as the Judgment has passed over us, sort of like Passover, where death passed over the covered and visited those who were not covered.
So now we come to the point and the Question; Are you, am I covered? Our woman unceremoniously dumped in the Temple knew full well the consequences of her sins; she could almost touch her death. Adam could look at his feet and see the dead body of the sheep; he knew it should have been him on the floor dead. Isaac knew full well who should have been upon that burning altar, and it was not supposed to be the ram caught in the thicket, so he really, really, knew first-hand about redemption and the rule of substitution.
Quote: The guests at the marriage feast were inspected by the king. Only those were accepted who had obeyed his requirements and put on the wedding garment. So it is with the guests at the gospel feast. All must pass the scrutiny of the great King, and only those are received who have put on the robe of Christ’s righteousness. Righteousness is right doing, and it is by their deeds that all will be judged. Our characters are revealed by what we do. The works show whether the faith is genuine.
It is not enough for us to believe that Jesus is not an impostor, and that the religion of the Bible is no cunningly devised fable. We may believe that the name of Jesus is the only name under heaven whereby man may be saved, and yet we may not through faith make Him our personal Saviour. It is not enough to believe the theory of truth. It is not enough to make a profession of faith in Christ and have our names registered on the church roll. “He that keepeth His commandments dwelleth in Him, and He in him. And hereby we know that He abideth in us, by the Spirit which He hath given us.” “Hereby we do know that we know Him if we keep His commandments.” 1 John 3:24; 2:3. This is the genuine evidence of conversion. Whatever our profession, it amounts to nothing unless Christ is revealed in works of righteousness. {COL 312}
