Covering and Shelter

Journal 2006 07 31
Covering and Shelter

Lewis spent last night in the open in the rain and found himself lying in water trying to sleep. He was determined to collect enough elk hides to make a covering for tonight.

Sgt. Gass, “We set out early, though it continued at intervals to rain hard. About 10 o'clock we saw a great gang of elk on a small island, where we halted and in a short time killed fifteen of them. We took the skins and the best parts of the meat, and proceeded. At noon we halted, and in a short time killed fifteen of them. We took the skins and the best parts of the meat, and proceeded. At noon we halted to dine, and had then a very heavy shower of rain. We also killed another of the large horned animals or mountain sheep.— We remained here about an hour, then proceeded on, and will soon be clear of this range of high rough country. In our way this afternoon, we killed two mule and twelve other deer, and two beaver. Though the afternoon was wet and disagreeable, we came 70 miles to day.”

Many of the men found their clothing needed to be replaced also. They needed hides to clothe themselves. Several days ago Clark recorded that the buckskins of many of the men were rotting off their bodies. “And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow. They do not toil, nor do they spin, but I say to you that even Solomon in his glory was not arrayed like one of these.” (Matthew 6:28-29 MKJV) The great harvest of yesterday and today followed.

Captain Clark “I was much disturbed last night by the noise of the buffalow which were about me. one gang Swam the river near our Camp which alarmed me a little for fear of their Crossing our Canoes and Splitting them to pieces. Set out as usial about Sun rise  passed a rapid which I call wolf rapid from the Circumstance of one of those animals being at the rapid.” “…as I was about landing this evening Saw a white bear and the largest I ever Saw eating a dead buffalow on a Sand bar. we fired two Shot into him, we Swam to the main Shore and walked down the bank. I landed and fired 2 more Shot into this tremendious animal without killing him. night comeing on we Could not pursue him he bled profusely. Showers all this day.”

It takes blood to get an animal skin. It took a lot of blood to get enough skins to cover the men. And the LORD God made clothes out of animal skins for Adam and his wife, and he clothed them. (Genesis 3:21 GNB) Blood was shed in the Garden of Eden to cover the man and woman. Scripture tells us that the life is in the blood and that without blood there is no redemption for sin. The Corps of Discovery was after clothing and covering. So are we. Let Him provide both as He sees fit. Understand that in Jesus, the Messiah, it was the blood of the Lamb of God that covered our nakedness and sin. And like Isaiah recorded, “It is He who sits on the circle of the earth,… who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them out like a tent to dwell in;”(Isaiah 40:22 MKJV)

Let’s put on the clothing He has provided and find cover under the curtain of Heaven.

Proceed on.