Covered

The verse in Romans 4:7 tells us that ,”Blessed are those whose lawless beeds have been forgiven, and whose sins have been covered.” The purpose of cloth is to cover things. There is really no other reason for it. It covers our bodies as clothing for warmth and modesty, tables have tableclothes to prevent damage from scratches, spills, and soiling, and to add decoration, to cover windows to keep out light and air (especially in the olden days when they did leak air), and to cover a vast array of beds and other items to provide warmth. Doilies cover tables to prevent scratches, wallhangings cover walls, tents cover people, sheltering from heat, cold, damp, and sun. We are obsessed with covering things. We cover the cushions on our furniture to make them more comfortable. We cover pillows with cases to make them more washable. We cover appliances to keep the dust and dirt out. We cover everything.

Not all coverings are cloth, of course. Siding and shingles cover houses, paint covers wood and cars, room interiors and canvas. Coverings have become an art form. The covering must look good as well as serve its purpose. It is not enough that we cover these things, but our coverings are asked to coordinate with one another. They are asked to be a certain shade or hue, a certain weight or denseness. A gauze is not going to cover a bed and serve the purpose. It must have weight, density, and enough fluff to capture heat and reflect it back to our bodies while not crushing us under its heaviness. Each covering has its own purpose and is made to fulfill that purpose and at the same time not cause damage or harm. Each covering is applied with the proper method and proper tools. Cloth can be layered and sewn together, but you do not sew siding to a house. It doesn't work. The covering may need thread, heat, brushes, or machines, but it needs to be applied to prevent damage somehow to the thing being covered.

God covered Adam and Eve when they sinned, and it took skins to do that...the first clothing, not of flax and linen and cotton, but of the skins of death. They were told that they would surely die, but He did not tell them that other living things would surely die, also. Romans 8 says that all creation longs for the day when it will no longer be held by the curse of sin. We long for the day when we will no longer sin, no longer fight self and God and others in the battle we wage on a daily basis. We want to run and cover ourselves in the garden like they did, covering, hiding our sin from God as if He didn't know it existed. We cover the rotting, decaying self, we cover to keep out the dust of the world that makes us dirtier than we already are.

But only one thing covers properly...our sins have been covered, but not by us. The forgiveness of those deeds and the covering of sin was not our doing. We are told not to cover our sins in 1 John...if we do, we will not be forgiven. So where does the covering come from? We are covered like the altar in the temple, with the blood of Christ. It is the only covering that completely does its work of preserving, cleaning, warming, and clothing us. It is the covering we are longing for, and it will look so good on us in heaven...it's the only red that when applied turns everything white as snow.

Are you covered, my soul? Are you covered, my friend? We know instinctively that covering is the necessary thing in life...and even moreso in death. I look forward to the day when that covering is proven to have done its job thoroughly and completely. Praise Jesus.