Christ in Noah (2)

In our previous post we mentioned that Noah means "rest", and we considered the rest that can be found in the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ.

In this post we contemplate Noah and his Righteousness, and we see in this a faint preview of the perfect moral righteousness of Christ.

Noah and Righteousness

That Noah's life was in stark contrast with the world in which he lived is evident in a cursory reading of Genesis 6. Having stated that "the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually" (6.5), the description given of Noah is a welcome relief: "Noah was a just man" (6.9). 

The word "just" means righteous, honest, and upright. Of course, when applied to Noah, it is either used in a relative sense (that is in contrast to others upon earth), or it is used in a reckoning sense (that is, God has accounted him so on the basis of faith, see Gen 15.6), for the sad condition of the human race is that, in an absolute moral sense, "There is none righteous, no, not one" (Rom 3.10). 

However, there can be found one exception to this rule. The Lord Jesus was not merely righteous in a relative sense, as compared with other men; nor was He merely righteous as being reckoned so by God - He was absolutely, inherently, perfectly, and personally righteous. 

Of the Lord it is said, by the very Centurion responsible to oversee His crucifixion, "Certainly this was a righteous man" (Luke 23.47). Now the Lord had been crucified. He was hanging between thieves enduring the death-sentence of a criminal - yet the Centurion could not fail to see that He was "righteous". 

It is a marvellous truth to mull over. Upon earth there was a Man who was perfectly upright, honest, and sincere. His life was transparent. No matter how far back into His past a person may look, and no matter how deep down into His heart a person might probe - there was nothing shady to be discovered! He was trustworthy. No mis-step ever needed retraced, and no half-truth ever needed to be repented of. He always spoke the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. As a boy growing up He did not cheat, and He did not lie to defend Himself. As a young man He was never dishonest - there was no dodgy dealing in that carpenter's shop! No pressure would cause Him to relax His principles, for He "loved righteousness and hated iniquity" (Heb 1.9) and every choice He ever made was for good. At every stage of His life, in every circumstance of life, He walked in perfect obedience to every moral duty enshrined in the Scriptures. In doing so, He pleased the Father.

It is well that this was so! Peter emphasised just how important when he declared, "Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God" (1 Peter 3.18). It was essential that He who would stand as a substitute for the sinner be perfectly sinless Himself.  Christ suffered as the righteous for the unrighteous, the holy for the unholy, the perfect for the imperfect, the sinless Son of God for sinful men. Thank God, He suffered for my sins.

"Wounded for me, wounded for me, 
There on the Cross He was wounded for me.
Gone my transgressions, and now I am free,
All because Jesus was wounded for me"

Christ in the Fall (4)

In our previous posts on Genesis 3, we have traced out the Lord Jesus as contrasted with Adam and Eve, as calling to Adam and Eve, and as conquering for Adam and Eve. Today, we see Him typified in the covering provided by the LORD God for Adam and Eve. 

The Covering 

The immediate result of the fall was that "the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked" (v7). 

From the moment when they became conscious of "good and evil" in the broadest moral sense, they knew that nakedness was unsuitable for the presence of God. A covering was required, "and they sowed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons" (v7). 

This covering showed some awareness of need, but did not properly assess God's righteousness. It did not cover them as God intended them to be covered. God intervened and "Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them" (v21).

Thinly veiled under historical detail is a symbolic meaning which is expanded upon through Scripture. 

The Covering of Works

Adam and Eve were exposed before God, and they knew it. So "all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do" (Heb 4.13). With the backdrop of their disobedience, they were conscious that they were unfit for His presence. 

Thus they endeavoured to solve the problem by the application of initiative, ingenuity, and industry. They "sowed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons" (v7). However, even with this covering they were aware that they remained unfit for God's presence, for when they "heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day ... Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden". 

All of their efforts did not give peace to the conscience or assurance of acceptance. Is this not, in embryo, the problem of man-centred religion which has been perpetuated down through the centuries?  Adam and his wife must learn that nothing of man, no work or endeavour, will satisfy God's demands, or give peace to the troubled conscience. 

The Covering of Grace

However, on the principle of grace alone, another covering was soon provided. Consider:

The Source: This covering was provided by God Himself! "Unto Adam ... did the LORD God make coats of skin, and clothed them". This is most important because it was God before whom they were exposed, and His covering would meet His own requirements! It was not man's ingenuity, but God's idea. It was God's plan and not mans. 

The Sacrifice: The fact that "coats of skin" were used is the first record of the sacrifice of an animal. God had previously stated that sin would bring death (Gen 2.17), and here the death of an innocent victim, for the purpose of making the man acceptable before God, clearly indicates the inflexible character of God's righteousness. 

The Symbolism: Once again, the spiritual import of these historical details is evident. The covering required for acceptance with God is provided by God, and obtained through sacrifice. At the very dawn of humanity's existence God provided an object lesson on His intended means of salvation. 

The Son of God, sent by the Father, would come to provide salvation for the world (John 3.17). To do so He must die, suffering the punishment for our sins, dying the death we deserve. His life would voluntarily be given. He would offer "one sacrifice for sins" (Heb 10.12). More than that, His personal acceptance before God would become the acceptance of those who trust Him. "For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him" (2 Corinthians 5.21). Upon believing, a person is placed "in Christ", and therefore declared righteous, treated as righteous, and accepted with the same acceptance that is Christ's before God! 

"Behold a spotless Victim dies,

My surety on the tree;

The Lamb of God, the Sacrifice,

He gave Himself for me"

(Anonymous)

"So dear, so very dear to God,

More dear I cannot be;

The love wherewith He loves the Son;

Such is His love for me!"

(Catesby Paget).