A Robe Instead Of Rags

Isaiah 61:10 - 62:3

Do you enjoy getting new clothes, perhaps a brand new suit or nice dress?  It would be especially nice if someone invites you to the store, saying they want you to pick out the best there is, and they will purchase it for you.  You look around the store and then you find the most gorgeous and stunning garment you’ve ever seen.  How fortunate you feel when you find that it comes in the exact color you wish, and in your exact size!  No matter how costly it is, your friend has stated they will completely cover the cost.

As we read our Scripture passage for today from the Book of Isaiah, we see that this is what God has done for us.  Isaiah is not talking about a brand new physical suit of clothes, though it is from the Lord God that we receive everything, including our clothes and food.  As we read in verse 10, God clothes us with His righteousness.  On our own, we can never have enough righteousness to be able to stand before an all-holy God.  As Isaiah states a little later in his book, all of our righteousness are as filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6). The best that our good works can do is clothe us in filthy, dirty, and stained rags, before our Lord God.

Can you imagine being presented to the Queen dressed in filthy, stained, torn and stinking clothes?  Yet that is how we are spiritually, coming to God in our own righteousness.  God sees us naked in our sins, just like Adam and Eve, clumsily trying to cover ourselves with our own righteousness, which is no better than fig leaves.  Does God leave us that way?  Does He cast us out of His divine presence?  No! He offers us His own righteousness as a robe.  This is the righteousness of Christ that He gives us, which we urged to put on (Galatians 3:26-27).

What God gives us here is imputed righteousness, that is, all of the righteousness and goodness of Jesus Christ is treated as if it were our own. When I accept the Lord Jesus as my Savior, then that garment of salvation, that robe of righteousness is put upon me, in place of the filthy rags that I had of my own.  Instead of the stained, filthy, stinking clothes I had before, now I have something fit for royalty, given to me from the Most High God, Himself!  It is a perfect fit, decked with ornaments, and adorned with jewels.

Imputed righteousness is the heart of the New Covenant.  It is when a repentant sinner realizes that he cannot achieve his own righteousness by his own works, he repents and calls upon God for His mercy.  Then the Lord covers him with His own, divine righteousness by grace through faith.  It is for this reason that Isaiah sings out that he greatly rejoices in the Lord, and that his soul is joyful in his God.  It is indeed a reason to praise the Lord, for I now wear a robe fit for royalty!

One other thought that Isaiah says in this passage is found in Chapter 62 and verse 1.  Here, God is saying He wants to make Jerusalem a beacon for Him, for His truth to the rest of the world. This is what He wants His children, believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, to be.  As we can all see, this world is in the darkness of sin and evil.  Jesus told His believers that they are to be the light of the world (Matthew 5:14-16).  We are to be like a city set on a hill, whose light is to shine forth throughout the world.  Our lives, our actions, words, and works are to shine like a light, pointing others to the Lord and the truth of His Word.  How well are we doing?  A lighthouse that is shut off is of no use to anyone, and can even bring danger to the sailors.  We are to be a bright and burning lamp.

As this year ends, have we accepted the Lord Jesus as our Savior, and put on the robes of His righteousness that He offers us?  If so, are we shining as a bright lamp, a lighthouse for the Lord, so others will be drawn to Him, and find their robe of righteousness, as well?