Saturday, January 19, 2013

I've Got You Covered


Genesis 3:21 - Also for Adam and his wife the LORD God made tunics of skin, and clothed them. 

Last Sunday Bob and Audrey Meisner spoke at our church. Their story of betrayal, anger, forgiveness and reconciliation impacted many, as I've learned by the talk among several within our church this week, not necessarily for the same reason as revealed in their story. Somehow it reached deep into our souls to our own story, whatever it might be. I am still thinking about it; it has had a profound effect on me. To that I praise God because there is something going on. I love that He loves enough to do that.

Audrey had betrayed her husband by succumbing to the advances of a younger, attentive man staying in their home. It was short lived because she knew she had made a huge mistake, this just wasn't her. The dilemma facing her was enormous. She had to tell Bob...and he had to respond. To make matters worse, they found out she was pregnant and knew it wasn't Bob's. They told us it was no easy road to reconciling their marriage. But I won't go into that. Just trust that it was all about God's work in both lives.

One other thing, however, that spoke volumes and culminated in tears was Bob's explanation of a covering. There are many references to coverings in the Bible and many point to Jesus.

As I see it, the first covering between God and man mentioned was after Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden. Remember they had sinned and they saw themselves naked and were ashamed and they covered themselves with fig leaves. But God took it one step further and clothed them with what was the first blood sacrifice...skins to cover their nakedness. He covered them from their sin and shame.

The next covering was part of the first tabernacle in the Old Testament. God was directing Moses in this project. Israel was being led out of captivity, in the desert. A tabernacle was a portable tent where worship of God took place. You shall also make a covering of ram skins dyed red for the tent, and a covering of badger skins above that (Exodus 26:14).  The Old Testament was a sign of what was to come and the covering in this tabernacle...the Lord Jesus Christ.

The covering of rams skins dyed red. The word cover is defined as to cover, conceal, hide, and a root word meaning to become sated. Whew. This is a picture of Jesus as our covering. When we are covered by the blood of Jesus, our Sacrifice, our sins removed, we are now clothed in His righteousness, He hides us in the cleft of His rock, within the palm of His hand, within He Who is the Tower we run into to be saved. We have entered into His ark, like Noah and his family. We are hidden by the power of an Almighty God.

Oh, that we would understand this more fully. And about becoming sated: I see this as having the fullness of Christ in our lives. He has forgiven all of our sins. It's all about Him! What He has done for all people and what we can have if we want it bad enough.

More on the covering...more personal. This may be another controversial subject!! It will fly in the face of feminism for sure. But I want you to know that the head of every man is Christ, the head of woman is man, and the head of Christ is God. Nor was man created for the woman, but woman for the man. For this reason the woman ought to have a symbol of authority on her head... Nevertheless, neither is man independent of woman, nor woman independent of man, in the Lord (1Corinthians 11:3,9-11). In the Lord...He is our covering. This is not suggesting that women are inferior to men. Scripture clearly states we are not independent of each other. But man is to be covered by God, a woman covered by her husband, in the Lord. Both under God's covering of protection, wisdom, love.

Here are more references to covering, being covered, to cover: 
My transgression is sealed up in a bag, and You cover my iniquity. (Job 14:17)
Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered...(Romans 4:7)
Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all sins. (Proverbs 10:12)
For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother's womb. (Psalm 139:13)
He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler. (Psalm 91:4)

Jesus paid the price for all mankind. When we know this Jesus, His love and forgiveness covers our sins and He covers us to protect us. We are told that before we were even formed He knew us...He formed us and covered us in the womb...then He tries to make it known to us of He Who forgives and He beckons us even today that we might be covered by Him. This is incredible.

As Bob explained to his children when it came time to tell them about what had happened, he took the comforter off their bed and put it over Audrey's head and body. He wrapped his arm around her. He said to his children: this is what God does to us when we make a mistake. He comes to us and covers us, He wraps His arms around us and says I will never leave you or forsake you. Bob not only had forgiven his wife of her transgression, but he received that child as though it were his own, unconditionally. He humbled himself; he was Christ-like in his actions. He was encouraging his family that He would not leave her. He claimed his son as a Divine gift, not an accident but born out of the very heart of God, despite the way.

This earth is covered in darkness and sin but as long as we have received Christ as our Savior, He is our covering, we need not fear in this life because we know that He will never leave us, we are here in this life temporarily, and that upon death we are in heaven with He Who has covered us. We also need to take the love God has offered to is and do the same. Reconciliation, forgiveness and love. Bob's example should also be ours.

I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness... For You, O LORD, are the Most High over all the earth; You are exalted far above all gods. (Isaiah 61:10, Psalm 97:9)

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