WHO TOLD THEE?
Genesis 2:25 And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed. 3:6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. 7 And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. 8 And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden. 9 And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? 10 And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself. 11 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?
Our first parents were not naked as listed in Genesis 2:25 like they came to be in Genesis 3:7. For when they sinned and lost the spiritual covering of the presence of the Lord God, the Lord made coats of skins to cover them. And if it had been the same kind of nakedness, he would have already done so.
For there are more garments than those made of cloth! Psalm 104:2 Who coverest thyself with light as with a garment: who stretchest out the heavens like a curtain: Revelation 12:1 And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars:
Another reason we know of the two different types of nakedness is due to shame and fear. Before they sinned they were without clothing of fabric, but they had no shame, for they were not uncovered! Yet when they lost their spiritual covering due to sin, they were physically naked, so with shame and fear they hid themselves from the Lord God. Dwelling in the perfect love of God is the reason that they had no fear. But losing that relationship caused them to fear before Him! 1 John 4:18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.
Dear Reader, only Christ can clothe the naked sinner! Luke 8:35 Then they went out to see what was done; and came to Jesus, and found the man, out of whom the devils were departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid. Matthew 6:28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: 29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? 31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
Then in the next verse the sinner is told to seek that righteousness of the kingdom for their covering. Matthew 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. (Refer also to Revelation 19:8 listed below.)
But to do so, Christ, the Mighty Maker died, and had to become unclothed in order for us to be covered in his righteousness! Matthew 27:35 And they crucified him, and parted his garments, casting lots: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, They parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture did they cast lots. Revelation 19:8 And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. 2 Corinthians 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
The Lord Jesus Christ is our “coats of skins” to hide the nakedness caused by our sin! Genesis 3:21 Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them. Isaiah 53:10 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. He is the innocent Lamb who lost his life and his covering, in order that we might have life and be afforded his righteousness as our covering! Blessed be the Lord and the Lamb forever!!
And being covered from nakedness is the work and concern of the church, which is taken personally by the Lord! Matthew 25:34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: 36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. 37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? 38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? 39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? 40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
This was the very reason that the seamstress, Dorcas, was shown as worthy to be raised from the dead! Acts 9:36 Now there was at Joppa a certain disciple named Tabitha, which by interpretation is called Dorcas: this woman was full of good works and almsdeeds which she did. 39 Then Peter arose and went with them. When he was come, they brought him into the upper chamber: and all the widows stood by him weeping, and shewing the coats and garments which Dorcas made, while she was with them. 40 But Peter put them all forth, and kneeled down, and prayed; and turning him to the body said, Tabitha, arise. And she opened her eyes: and when she saw Peter, she sat up.
Also the strong spiritual concern of the believer is not only being covered with righteousness for our justification and sanctification, but also having a stedfast hope for the covering of glory for our eternal glorification. 2 Corinthians 5:1 For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle (our present physical bodies), were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2 For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven: (our future glorified bodies), 3 If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked. 4 For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, (we don’t want to be just dead), but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life.
And this shall be done in the much looked for return of our Lord Jesus! Philippians 3:20 For our conversation (that is, our manner of life), is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: 21 Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.
1 John 3:2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
Seeking to be clothed with the imputed righteousness of Christ is a very serious matter! For even the physical nakedness that speaks of our spiritual clothing caused a curse to fall upon Canaan, the son of Ham! Genesis 9:20 And Noah began to be an husbandman, and he planted a vineyard: 21 And he drank of the wine, and was drunken; and he was uncovered within his tent. 22 And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brethren without. 23 And Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid it upon both their shoulders, and went backward, and covered the nakedness of their father; and their faces were backward, and they saw not their father’s nakedness. 24 And Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done unto him. 25 And he said, Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren.
It seems as if those of our nation are trying to see just how naked they can become without being arrested for indecency! And that is a sign of our being without the covering of true salvation. For substituting morality for righteousness is but sewing fig leaves together as Adam and Eve did! Listen to what the Lord Christ said about one of the churches in his day: Revelation 3:17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: 18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.
They didn’t have the golden faith tried in the fiery trials of the cross’ afflictions! 1 Peter 1:6 Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: 7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:
And they didn’t have the white raiment of the imputed righteousness of Christ! And not having such, there was shame of nakedness that they, and other religionists couldn’t see. But the Lord looked on their naked hearts. Hebrews 4:13 Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do. So their need was the eyesalve of the God’s anointing to rightly discern their own hypocrisy! Matthew 6:22 The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. 23 But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!
But only the Lord Jesus can fashion new eyes. For he did so from the ground when he knelt over the form of Adam. Genesis 2:7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. And he did so again to the man born blind, as listed in John 9:6. When he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay,
And the anointing which they needed to obtain is nothing more than the work of the Holy Spirit upon the soul! 1 John 2:27 But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.
And unless any soul seeks to find their covering anywhere except in Christ, the Lord God will eventually expose their nakedness! Nahum 3:4 Because of the multitude of the whoredoms of the wellfavoured harlot, the mistress of witchcrafts, that selleth nations through her whoredoms, and families through her witchcrafts. 5 Behold, I am against thee, saith the LORD of hosts; and I will discover thy skirts upon thy face, and I will shew the nations thy nakedness, and the kingdoms thy shame. 6 And I will cast abominable filth upon thee, and make thee vile, and will set thee as a gazingstock.
All harlot religion, holding to justification by man’s works and efforts for acceptance before God, shall finally be exposed as naked and undone before the eyes of all. Revelation 17:1 And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters: 15 And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues. 16 And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire. 17 For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled. 18 And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.
As the Lord God covered the first couple with coats of skins, and as Boaz covered Ruth with his skirt on that threshing floor, (Ruth 3:9 And he said, Who art thou? And she answered, I am Ruth thine handmaid: spread therefore thy skirt over thine handmaid; for thou art a near kinsman.), so our Lord covers his Bride, the Church, with his own righteousness and love.
Ezekiel 16:8 Now when I passed by thee, and looked upon thee, behold, thy time was the time of love; and I spread my skirt over thee, and covered thy nakedness: yea, I sware unto thee, and entered into a covenant with thee, saith the Lord GOD, and thou becamest mine. 9 Then washed I thee with water; yea, I throughly washed away thy blood from thee, and I anointed thee with oil.10 I clothed thee also with broidered work, and shod thee with badgers’ skin, and I girded thee about with fine linen, and I covered thee with silk.
Isaiah 51:16 And I have put my words in thy mouth, and I have covered thee in the shadow of mine hand, that I may plant the heavens, and lay the foundations of the earth, and say unto Zion, Thou art my people.
Pastor Gene Breed
August 6, 2015
