To be naked is to be in need of clothing; the need is to be covered; spiritually it means they the two of them did not have what they needed to appear before God; their physical nakedness was indicative of a greater and more profound nakedness.

They knew that they were not acceptable to God, so they hid themselves; their sense of predicament was great; they hid in order to escape God; but they learned that such an escape from God is impossible.

Their awareness of nakedness brought to them humiliation, shame, and guilt; they were afraid of God; they feared His presence.

Though they had no desire to face God, He took the initiative and confronted them; He confronted them and asked them: “Who told you that you were naked?” (Gen. 3:11); God then pressed the issue: “Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?” (Gen. 3:11).

Adam and Eve made garments of fig leaves in order to cover themselves; their covering was their own product; it was the best they could do; it was a vain attempt and they did not perceive the emptiness of what they were doing.

Adam and Eve attempted to provide clothing for themselves, but it was not sufficient; they did not have the ability to produce garments that were acceptable to God; it was not within them.

In addition to the fig leaves, when God appeared they hid themselves; in addition to the guilt they felt, they were condemned by their consciousness; they could not face God.

God provided the clothing He deemed proper; the provision of God is Grace; what the couple could not do, God did; God must provide because man cannot provide.

God provided a covering of skins; for there to be skins an animal or animals had to die; through the death of the animal the covering was provided; for Adam and Eve to be properly covered sacrifice was required; the shedding of blood provided a covering.

The clothing of Adam and Eve was the doing of God; they could not clothe themselves; they were dependent on God to act; He did act.

* Man needs clothing; man is naked before God, in need of clothing; man in his sin is spiritually exposed before God; he has no goodness and is unacceptable to God; he cannot appear before God; he must hide himself; and the hiding only adds to his sense of shame and guilt.

* Man tries to provide clothing for himself; he does this in order to cover his spiritual nakedness before God; man seeks to do something to be accepted by God; he offers sacrifices, he tries to worship, he reforms himself, he confesses faults, he repeats rituals, he denies himself and lives as an ascetic, he attempts to live the good life, a life devoted to the Good; all of these things and more comprise the various religions of the world; all are really vain attempts by man to cover himself.

* God provides covering for man; God’s provision for man is His Grace given to man; Grace is God doing for me what I cannot do for myself; Grace is God giving to me what I cannot get for myself; Grace is about God not about me; the initiative is always with God.

* God provides a specific covering, the righteousness of Christ; to provide that righteousness Christ came to this earth, lived and died in order to provide salvation, a covering for man; the believer must be identified with Christ; for Paul it is to be “in Christ”; Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and no one comes to God but by Him; salvation is Christ—He is the covering.

* God applies the salvation He provides; salvation is of the Lord; He covers, He saves, He redeems; He is the author and finisher of our faith; see: Sovereignty in Salvation.