Genesis 3:1-24 continuing…

“And Adam called his wife’s name Eve; because she was the mother of all living” Genesis 3:20.

We find here the name of the woman whom God had given to Adam. It does seem that her name is not given until after the sin which cursed all things created. She has just been called ‘Woman’ and ‘Wife’, but without a name. That leads me to assume that the time following her creation and the time of the fall were a short period of time just following her presentation to Adam. This naming of Eve following the curse is an expression of faith by Adam; believing that God in His grace would provide a way for them and their descendants.

“Mother of all living”, and, “…In sorrow thou shalt bring forth children…” are expressions of hope. God in His grace gives mercy to Adam and Eve and provides a way of salvation through the bearing of children (1 Timothy 2:15), eventually to lead to the coming of the Savior of the world – Jesus Christ.

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

God had warned Adam that in the day they ate from the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, they would surely die. There may be some who would say, “Well, they didn’t die that day”. What most do not understand is that there is more than one way to die. Most times when we think of death we think of the physical body, the body going back to the dust of the ground; but there is a death far worse than that, and that is separation from God. Death is separation. Speaking of physical death it is the separation of the body from the soul and spirit. Speaking of spiritual death we speak of separation from God. Speaking of eternal death we speak of an eternal separation from God.

The death of Adam and Eve on that day was a spiritual death which also led to physical death a few hundred years later. They were meant to live forever physically, but now they would not. At least not in this physical state.

Because of sin the father and mother of all people was required to see death upclose and personal. At least, that is my belief. The LORD God would, most likely, have killed an animal or two [probably sheep] to clothe Adam and Eve in the garments that were pleasing to Him. Remember figleaves were not sufficient to please Him. The figleaves represented their rebellion and pride in their own abilities, and was no where near the standard which God required.   Death was the requirement for sin.  For the justice, holiness, and righteousness of God something must die.

Adam and Eve would have seen the blood flow from the “lamb” as the LORD God took their lives in the stead of Adam and Eve. God’s clothing [Righteousness, holiness, justness] required death’s blood. The man and woman had sinned. In His grace He claims a substitute.

Can we not see them standing before the LORD of all the earth, as the blood of the lamb was shed on the altar of the earth, for their sins. Compelled to watch. Compelled to look as the blood flowed, and the skins were prepared to cover their nakedness.

What a glorious picture we can see in this of the day when the God of all creation became a man, and went to the cross as a dying Lamb for the sins of mankind, and there, too, God offered His holy and sinless Son a sacrifice for our sin. “…Striken, smitten of God, and afflicted” (Isaiah 53:4). The guilt of the sinner; the unrighteous; placed on the account of the Righteous [Jesus], and the Righteousness of the Righteous One placed in the account of the sinner (2 Cor. 5:21). Clothed no longer in the ‘fig leaves’, but in the Righteousness of the Lamb of God.