And the LORD God commanded the man, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” Genesis 2:16-17 NKJV
I used to wonder why Adam and Eve just didn’t keel over after biting the apple. After all, God said the day that you eat of it you shall surely die. But they didn’t, did they?
I remember when my kids were young giving them warnings: don’t run out in the street or you’ll get hit by a car! Don’t touch the stove or you’ll get burned! Don’t pull the cat’s tail or you’ll get scratched!
And that stuff didn’t happen, because as parents, we did what we could to prevent the disasters we predicted. Or when it did, we did everything in our power to save our child from the consequences of their actions and minimize the pain.
I’m thinking, like a good parent, God also did what he could to save Adam and Eve: he performed the first atonement sacrifice in which blood was shed to pay for the sin. Then he covered his children with the skins of the sacrificed animal. This served three purposes: it covered their physical nakedness, it symbolically covered their spiritual sin through the atonement, and it served as a constant reminder of their sin and God’s love for them.
And did you notice? God didn’t take away the consequence. He mercifully let them eventually die. In death, they were finally freed from the consequences to stand whole and pure before God again.
Fortunately, we don’t have to do sacrifices to cover our sin, as Jesus paid the ultimate price to purge and cleanse us. Just like Adam and Eve, though, we still have to face the consequences of our actions. But it’s nice to know we have a loving parent, and a big brother in Jesus, who are waiting there to welcome us with open arms when we are finally freed and are headed towards home.