You are probably reading these verses and wondering what the context is for remembering what our Savior did for us and I will of course tell you. Now this scripture tells us that the Lord made tunics of skin for Adam and Eve and then clothed them. However, just a couple of scriptures earlier, we read that they were already wearing fig leaves. So why did the Lord do this?
The word tunic here is Strong's 3801 and it means garments. So the Lord made garments of skin. Well, skin is translated as Strong's 5785 and it means skin or hide. So basically the skin of a man or the hide of an animal. Now, there are some, including my study Bible in the reference section, that say that this is the first mention of the killing of an animal for human use recorded in the Bible. There are still others that say that that is ridiculous. That the Lord probably made some type of linen or fabric garment for them. The scripture clearly does not say that the Lord killed an animal, tanned the hide, and then gave the tunics to Adam and Eve.
However, I believe, based on what is said in verse 21 the Lord did. And you can make up your own mind, but there are some things to consider for the sake of this message. Earlier in chapter 2, God essentially told Adam and Eve that the wages of sin is death. He told them that they should not eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil for in that day they would surely die. But we also know from the sacrificial system that the Lord instituted, it required blood or basically the death of an animal to cover sins. In Leviticus 17:11 (and it is probably just one place that we could go to to see this), it says the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for your soul.
In this case, Adam and Eve had sinned and God showed them that He was telling the truth. The wages of sin is death and something sinless had to die and its blood would be required to cover their sins.
God had given Adam His law regarding the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil and forbidding him to eat of it saying that, in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die. Now, even though Adam and Eve would live physically for another 900 years or so, from that day forward they were cut off from God. God at the time had every right to blast them off the earth into oblivion when they took the bite of the fruit. But instead, God's longsuffering with mankind began. The very first humans had openly rejected God's rule over them amidst the wonderful paradise He had created for them. And what does He do? Let us drop down into a little unknown verse (not unknown, but not quoted very often) in Genesis 3.
They did indeed suffer the curse of being cut off from God and now would toil in fighting to produce fruit from the ground to sustain life. But what did God do even though they had rejected Him? God, in His love for His creation, was patient with them and made tunics of skin for them to wear. How many of us have ever killed an animal? Skinned it, tanned the hide, made something from it? This took time and effort to skin the animal, prepare the hide, and once it was done to measure Adam and Eve, properly cutting the pieces, sewing them together that they fit perfectly, covering the body. Talk about designer clothing for all of those who like it out there.
Even though God could have legally blasted them off the earth and started over, He longsufferingly, patiently made clothes for them to wear. We might even say that He covered their sin, or at least at this point, their shame.
But just as surely, Adam taught them about God's promised salvation by His mercy through the Seed of men as recorded in Genesis 3:15 who was the only hope for all men, but only Abel took the future sacrificial offering of Jesus Christ seriously enough and followed the very pattern God Himself had set in Genesis 3:21 and faithfully offered the best animal he could in faithful anticipation of what that animal sacrifice truly represented. Although probably unsure just how this would come to pass, he nonetheless stepped out in faithful obedience to God.
