Welcome to EBible Fellowship’s Bible study in the Book of Genesis. This is study #29 of Genesis, chapter 3 and we are going to read Genesis 3: 21:

Unto Adam also and to his wife did JEHOVAH God make coats of skins, and clothed them.

We began to talk about this in our last study. We saw that in order for God to make these coats of skin, He had to kill animals and take their skins to clothe Adam and Eve. We saw that God was prefiguring animal sacrifice, which itself is a sign or picture of the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus. Actually, every sacrifice commanded to be performed was a picture of the sacrifice of Christ, whether it was a dove, a lamb, a goat or an ox, and so forth. It was a living illustration. The priests of Israel were commanded to take the animals, slay them upon the altar and take their parts and burn them. They did these things according to God’s commandments and they were living out a tableau. They were showing that this is what the Saviour did accomplish in His finished work from the foundation of the world. Also, there a prophecy of the Bible that looked ahead to the coming Messiah who would come. When Christ would be born of a woman and enter into the world, He, too, would be a tableau or living demonstration of the things that were done from the foundation of the world.

We have discussed this before, but this is an important teaching of the Bible and it is good to review. Concerning Melchisedec and the Lord Jesus Christ, listen closely to what God says in Hebrews 7:14-15:

For it is evident that our Lord sprang out of Juda; of which tribe Moses spake nothing concerning priesthood. And it is yet far more evident: for that after the similitude of Melchisedec there ariseth another priest,

We have been trained to think that Melchisedec is a type of Christ, but what it says here is that “after the similitude of Melchisedec there ariseth another priest,” and that priest is Christ. So, Jesus is the type of Melchisedec and not the other way around.

Let us also take a look at Luke 11, verse 30. Again, this is the Bible and we have to listen carefully. The problem with man is that we are naturally “deaf” and it requires that God open our ears in salvation before we begin to hear and understand spiritual things. But, even after we have been saved and our ears have been opened, it does not mean that we hear every spiritual truth. We have to focus in and, of course, it is all by God’s grace that understanding is given. Let us listen to Luke 11:30:

For as Jonas was a sign unto the Ninevites, so shall also the Son of man be to this generation.

So, as Jonah was a sign, so also shall the Son of man be a sign. Listen carefully to what is being said. When the Son of man, the Lord Jesus Christ, entered into the human race and walked among men and performed his ministry and went to the cross and died, it was all a sign. And signs point to a greater spiritual reality. The sign of the Son of man pointed to the fact that Jesus had already done these things. They were finished and here is what He did: He came into the world to be the light of the world and whatsoever does make manifest is light. He made manifest these truths and, therefore, He was a sign, just as the animal sacrifices were a sign.

Now I say Jesus was a sign when He entered into the world because when He went to the cross He was not paying for sin. The payment for sin had been made long ago at the foundation of the world, but in our verse in Genesis God is prefiguring the fact that blood must be shed in order for sin to be covered and the shame to be removed, so God made Adam and Eve coats of skin.

The Hebrew word translated as “coats” is Strong’s #3801 and it is often used in regard to the priesthood. It says in Exodus 28:39-40:

And thou shalt embroider the coat of fine linen, and thou shalt make the mitre of fine linen, and thou shalt make the girdle of needlework. And for Aaron's sons thou shalt make coats, and thou shalt make for them girdles, and bonnets shalt thou make for them, for glory and for beauty.

Also, in the next chapter it says in Exodus 29:5-9:

And thou shalt take the garments, and put upon Aaron the coat, and the robe of the ephod, and the ephod, and the breastplate, and gird him with the curious girdle of the ephod: And thou shalt put the mitre upon his head, and put the holy crown upon the mitre. Then shalt thou take the anointing oil, and pour it upon his head, and anoint him. And thou shalt bring his sons, and put coats upon them. And thou shalt gird them with girdles, Aaron and his sons, and put the bonnets on them: and the priest's office shall be theirs for a perpetual statute: and thou shalt consecrate Aaron and his sons.

Here, God is prescribing the clothing for Aaron and his sons. A Levite had to be a son of Aaron in order to be a priest. There was that strict requirement for the priesthood. Not just any Jew could be a priest, but only a son of Aaron and this pointed to the Lord Jesus because Aaron was a high priest and Jesus, after the similitude of Melchisedec, was the High Priest. Jesus came to offer up Himself like He had done at the foundation of the world. Aaron typifies Christ and his sons would typify all those God has saved because we are adopted into the family of God and we become the sons of God. When we are reading of Aaron and his sons, we can think of Christ and the elect or all those God has saved.

It says in Exodus 40:13-15:

And thou shalt put upon Aaron the holy garments, and anoint him, and sanctify him; that he may minister unto me in the priest's office. And thou shalt bring his sons, and clothe them with coats: And thou shalt anoint them, as thou didst anoint their father, that they may minister unto me in the priest's office: for their anointing shall surely be an everlasting priesthood throughout their generations.

We saw in Exodus 29 that it was a perpetual statute and God speaks here of their anointing as an everlasting priesthood.

It says in 1Peter 2:5:

Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.

Here, God is speaking of anyone who has become saved. We are part of the spiritual house, which is one picture and we are part of “an holy priesthood.” In another place it refers to a “royal priesthood,” because Christ is the King, so we are not only prophets and priests, but we are kings. This is the idea with Aaron and his sons. It is the everlasting priesthood of God’s elect.

It says in Exodus 39:27:

And they made coats of fine linen of woven work for Aaron, and for his sons,

Again, it is Aaron and his sons and the coats they are clothed with were for Aaron and his sons. These coats were made of “fine linen.” Of what does that remind us? It reminds us of what it says in Revelation, chapter 19 concerning the bride of Christ. Remember, this relates back to God clothing Adam and Eve with coats and Adam and Eve are a similar picture to Aaron and the priests because Adam was a figure of Christ and his bride Eve was a figure of the elect. Aaron was a type of the great High Priest, the Lord Jesus Christ, and his sons that were made a holy priesthood were a picture of the elect, as we “offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.” It says in Revelation 19:7-8:

Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. 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.

Here is the picture of the bride of Christ, all dressed in white linen. As you know, the marriage ceremony has been very fittingly laid out to match, in some cases, the Biblical language and when the bride dresses in white and enters into the marriage ceremony and walks down the aisle, she has made herself ready just as it says in Revelation, chapter 19. She has made herself “clean and white” and that is a beautiful illustration of all those God has saved, the spiritual bride of the Lord Jesus. All their sins have been washed away and everyone has become saved and now comes the consummation of the marriage and the joining together for evermore, and so forth. So many things in this world come from the Bible and are related to God’s Gospel program and, so, too, is the marriage clothing. The fine linen worn by the bride in Revelation 19 is said to be “clean and white” and the “fine linen is the righteousness of saints,” which is Christ’s righteousness. God speaks of Christ’s righteousness as a “robe” or as a “breastplate.” It is that which covers a person and that is the picture with the coats of skin that were clothing or covering for Adam and Eve. It is a picture of God’s salvation plan.

The word “clothe” is found in 2Chronicles 6:41:

Now therefore arise, O JEHOVAH God, into thy resting place, thou, and the ark of thy strength: let thy priests, O JEHOVAH God, be clothed with salvation, and let thy saints rejoice in goodness.

Here, God uses the historical type and figure of the priesthood and God makes statements in the New Testament about a holy priesthood offering up spiritual sacrifices and of a spiritual house. Here, He is bringing the two together when He speaks of priests that are clothed with “salvation,” not with priestly garments. He is letting the underlying spiritual truth break through in this moment and God does this, from time to time, to help us because we need a lot of help to understand spiritual things. We were dead in our soul existence and when God brings us to spiritual life we have a lot to learn in the spiritual realm, so He assists us, from time to time, with these kinds of statements to let us know we are on the right track concerning who the priests represent and concerning what their garments represent, which is salvation.

It says in Psalm 132: 9:

Let thy priests be clothed with righteousness; and let thy saints shout for joy.

Remember what it said back in Revelation 19, which we just looked at, in 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.

This is a verse that could have been taken from Psalm 139, verse 9: “Let thy priests be clothed with righteousness; and let thy saints shout for joy.” It is a breaking through of spiritual daylight that teaches us not to get caught up in the natural things and not to overlook the deeper spiritual truth. The clothing of the priests points to salvation and it points to righteousness. It identifies with the bride and with the saints and the saints are the same representation as the bride.

The Bible is one harmonious whole and it is one Book. It is all God’s Word, so when we read in the Psalms or in Genesis or in Revelation the Scriptures fit together and harmonize with one another.

It says of Christ in Isaiah 59:16-17:

And he saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor: therefore his arm brought salvation unto him; and his righteousness, it sustained him. For he put on righteousness as a breastplate, and an helmet of salvation upon his head; and he put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloke.

The word translated as “put on” twice in these verses is a translation of the same Hebrew word that was translated as “clothed” in our verse. This language ties in with what it says of Christ in Isaiah 63:3:

I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the people there was none with me: for I will tread them in mine anger, and trample them in my fury; and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment.

Raiment or garments are clothing. Again, it is curious why God spoke of clothing Adam and Eve when Adam had consistently been used by God in Genesis as a figure of Christ. It is easy for us to think of priests being clothed because priests identify with those God saves. With Eve being clothed, we understand that she is the bride, another picture of those God saves. We get that, but why was Aaron the high priest clothed with the same coat? Why was Adam clothed with the same coat of skin as Eve? And in Isaiah 59, why is Christ clothed with the garments of vengeance for clothing? He has clothing as well.

It also says in Isaiah 61:10:

I will greatly rejoice in JEHOVAH, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation…

This is exactly the language we have seen in many of these verses as the spiritual picture, but now notice who is clothed with garments of salvation. It goes on to say in Isaiah 61:10:

… he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.

The bridegroom is Christ. As I have read this verse in the past, I always focused on the second part of the verse regarding the bride because it fits with salvation. I am not sure that I fully understand why God speaks of clothing the bridegroom. God speaks of clothing Aaron the high priest. God speaks of clothing Himself, as we read in Isaiah 59, with righteousness, but here He is clothing Himself with “garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness.” So these references are like Adam being covered with coats of skin, as well as Eve. So, here, what is true concerning the garments of salvation is true of the bridegroom as well as the bride and that means we are understanding things correctly with Adam continuing to be a figure of Christ as he is also clothed with the coats of skin. How is this? Christ was laden with our sins and became iniquity for His people, but He paid for those sins and through the fire of hell (death) He was purged from those sins. He was baptized as those sins were washed away and He rose triumphantly from the grave at the foundation of the world and He came forth righteous and clean, once again. So He wore the “garments of righteousness.” He was clothed with His own salvation because He purchased His own salvation, in that sense, at the same time He paid for the sins of His people.

If Christ had not been able to pay for those sins, it would have meant His own everlasting death and He would never have lived again. He would have been dead and ceased to exist for evermore, but in His resurrection He showed His victory over death and He showed His righteousness. Therefore, He was clothed with the garments of salvation, as well as providing sufficient covering for His bride.