Recently, a specific detail in the Creation story has opened my eyes to the true nature of our Heavenly Father—a nature so constant and loving that I think we often take it for granted.
The detail? Adam’s and Eve’s clothing.
What the Aprons of Leaves Teach Us About Satan
As we know, Adam and Eve realize they are naked after they eat the forbidden fruit and have their eyes opened.
Of our first parents, Elder Scott D. Whiting shares,
“Perhaps more painful than their being without clothing in that moment, they were now exposed for their transgression. They were defenseless and vulnerable. They were naked in every sense of the word.
Ever the opportunist, Lucifer, knowing their exposed and weakened state, tempted them yet again—this time to hide from God.”
At Lucifer’s suggestion, Adam and Eve hide away, and while hiding, they gather fig leaves and sew themselves aprons (see Moses 4:13).
An apron of leaves isn’t the most effective covering, as you may imagine. Leaves can dry out, tear, break apart, and blow away. They are flimsy. Adam’s and Eve’s aprons are rudimentary and temporary solutions. And, in perhaps profound symbolism, the sap of a fig leaf can burn human skin when exposed to sunlight.
Like Adam and Eve, we may turn to flimsy and hazardous solutions like distraction or defiance to cover our guilt. And like the sweet aroma of a fig leaf, these solutions may seem desirable. This is how the adversary works, by deceptively and almost imperceptibly offering things that only seem to cover us. As Moses 4:5 states, “the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field.”
What the Coats of Skins Teach Us About God
When Heavenly Father finds Adam and Eve dressed in leaves and hiding in the garden, He doesn’t humiliate them. Instead, He gives them the opportunity to explain what they’ve done. Then, in an orderly and clear manner, He does the following:
First, He curses Satan. Second, He explains to Adam and Eve that, in line with initial His warning, they will now live in a fallen world. And third, He gives them proper clothing.
Moses 4:27 reads, “Unto Adam, and also unto his wife, did I, the Lord God, make coats of skins, and clothed them.”
God doesn’t tell Adam and Eve to go and find their own clothes—He makes and gives them clothes. As His son and daughter step into a dangerous and complicated world, they will be covered. Like children bundled in snow clothes on a wintry day, Adam and Eve have been properly prepared and protected by their Father.
The Greatest Gift
I’ve always seen my garments as a sign of the covenants I’ve made with God—a reminder of what I’ve promised Him and the blessings He promises in return. Now, I put them on with an added measure of thankfulness for a Father who has provided a covering. Instead of telling me to hide, He wraps me up in the atoning gift of His Son. No guilt is forever. Through Jesus Christ, we can be covered again and again.
We haven’t inherited the transgressions of Adam and Eve, but we have inherited the knowledge they gained from eating the forbidden fruit. This knowledge allows us to discern between God’s parental goodness and the adversary’s subtle wickedness.
And through this knowledge, we can choose to experience the sweet relief of forgiveness, the feeling of stepping outside on a bitingly cold day, and then, miraculously, being given a coat.
More articles for you:
▶ The scripture we hear so often we may not fully appreciate
▶ Elder Matthew S. Holland’s new talk on ‘the wilderness’ is a must listen
▶ Elder Caussé suggests 4 ways to increase your spiritual knowledge
