MAN’S FIRST INNOVATION; GOD’S LAST CREATION

Shame was never a feeling man experienced while living in the fullness of God’s plan and will for him. Man knew the elation of being honorable and dignified for he was made a little lower than the angels and made in the image of God. He enjoyed the gift of overall authority over every living thing that dwelt on the earth all because the regalia of the Almighty God rested on him: he was clothed with God’s glory.

In Genesis chapter 2 verse 25, the Bible says, “And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed”. We were made to understand that the glory of God so covered man to the extent that shame was annihilated. Man went about his daily business not feeling dishonored or improper in his outlook. And that was what God intended man to be – honorable. But the narrative twisted after the Fall.

Have you ever wondered why the first realization of man after he fell was the fact that he was naked? The truth is, before Adam and Eve disobeyed God, their realities was filled with the knowledge of the glory of God and their nakedness didn’t bring shame, because wherever the glory of the LORD is, shame must disappear. But as soon as they decided to eject the knowledge of God and what He had said, they became void of the covering-glory of God. Instantly, they put their brains to work and tried to work around their new found companion; shame. They made for themselves aprons of fig leaves. This was the first innovation of man.

It was an intelligent thing for man to have quickly searched out the remedy for his nakedness. We might even want to commend him for his quick-thinking and prowess in sewing together those leaves in the shortest possible time. Nevertheless, his dexterity wasn’t sufficient to hide away his shame. He still wasn’t worthy enough to stand before the Holy and Glorious God in such state of shame (Gen 3:7-10).

It was as though one of the criteria to appear before God was to have something to deal with the issue of man’s nakedness. God had always been particular about man’s appearance from the beginning and He still doesn’t trivialize this matter today. He asks till today, “Who told you that you were naked?” If the knowledge of the glory of God is not covering then something had gone wrong somewhere. “What went wrong?” God asked Adam.

Adam might have given an answer such as this, “Yes Lord, something went wrong. But You see, I tried to fix it. I made these beautiful aprons to remedy the wrong. In fact, I had to trek meters to gather together as much leaves to make these elegant, stylish apron designs. I’m alright before You now, Lord.” But no! Man wasn’t alright before God in fig leaves. His effort in making the half-covered-half-naked dress was not appreciated in the sight of

Because the problem of the nakedness, God had to still be there; the problem would not be solved until God stepped in. And God, in His mercy, stepped in.

“Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them.” Genesis 3:21 (KJV)

God clothed Adam and Eve with coats of skins – a garment durable and not porous. This shows that any attempt man makes of himself to cover his nakedness without the knowledge and hand of God in it can only end up as discarded as the fig leaves before God.

As Christians in this world of dramatic and sensual fashion, it is important to note that God still has a say in what He approves of His children pertaining to what they wear and put on. And this isn’t about whether or not God is against beauty in our fashion. Because ever from the beginning, God had never made anything that isn’t good and beautiful. When He made the heavens and all the elements in it, He declared it good. Till now, scientists have not fully grasped all the wonders of the celestial system. Same with the coats of skin He made for Adam and Eve; it was good. Godly fashion isn’t a question of beauty really. It is more of the knowledge of the glory of God.

So… God made for man coats of skins to both beautify him and cover him. I wonder the amount of time and creativity God invested in making those dresses. And according to the scriptures, that was God’s last creation – godly fashion.

Ayomikun Oluwagbenga

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Slice of Infinity is a newsletter of Engaging the Truth Team (ETT) Ministry. For prayers, comments, support, or other inquiries, you can contact us through our email [email protected] or call us on (+234) 0906 974 2199