Have you ever gone to a gathering of people, perhaps a party or some type of elegant affair, and felt totally out of place because you weren’t dressed properly? Everyone was dressed in dignified or luxurious clothing, while you were there in jeans, casual shirt and sneakers. Or perhaps after you arrived, you found that your clothes were terribly stained or torn. If you are anything like me, you’d head straight for the door, and try to get out as quickly as possible! However, what if the host comes to our rescue, and provides us with something more than suitable to wear? That would spare us from shame and embarrassment! In our Old Testament Scripture passage for this last week of the year, we will read of how we have been provided with the proper garments to wear into God’s presence.
As we know, having the proper clothes on for where we go is important. Shorts and a t-shirt are not proper at a formal dinner for the head of state, nor a tuxedo or evening gown for a day at the beach. When we come before God, we must also be properly clothed. We must be clothed in garments of pure righteousness, without a single spot or stain of sin. How are we going to be able to do that? Speaking for myself, I know that every single day I do or say something that is wrong. My feeble efforts at trying to do something good or righteous on my own can never achieve God’s standard. My garments are not righteous, but instead are completely filthy! As Isaiah said just a few chapters later, all of our righteousness, all of the good things we try to do in our own effort, are as filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6).
However, as we read in the opening verses of our Scripture passage, Isaiah tells us that we can rejoice and be joyful, because God has provided us with the proper garments to wear! These are garments that have been bought and paid for with the Blood of His only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ. If we have accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior, then we have a garment of salvation and a robe of righteousness that He has covered and clothed us with (vs. 10). Not only that, but the Lord provides us with costly jewels and ornaments to wear, such as would have been worn in ancient wedding feasts.
Isaiah is describing here a picture of imputed righteousness. None of us have any righteousness of our own capable of meeting God’s holy, sinless standard. We are all sinners. As Scripture says, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). We deserve death and hell. Jesus, though, has never sinned, yet He took our punishment, bearing the wrath of God, which should have been ours, and dying upon the Cross of Calvary. He took our punishment and gave all who believe His righteousness. When a penitent sinner recognizes he cannot achieve his own righteousness by works, and repents and calls upon the mercy of God, the Lord covers him with His own righteousness by grace through faith.
This is not news that we should keep to ourselves. As our passage continues, we read that God wanted Jerusalem to be a light to shine forth all throughout the world (vs. 1-2). As believers and followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, we are to be that light, shining forth and telling others of how they, too, can be clothed with salvation and righteousness. His message and offer of salvation is for all, both Jews and Gentiles alike, to bring them out of darkness and into His light. This world is in hopeless darkness, with terrible sin and crime running rampant all around. Everyday one hears of awful things happening. It is indeed dark days. When it is dark we stumble and fall. We need a light. Jesus is that Light which we need. We are to reflect His light to others, directing them, just as a lighthouse does, safely to His shore.
When we accept the Lord Jesus as Savior, and when we, to the best of our ability seek to reflect that light to others, not only does He clothe us in garments of salvation and righteousness, but He will also crown us with a crown of glory and a royal diadem, and will give us a new name (vs. 2-3). With the new year just a few days away, let’s be sure that we have the correct clothes on. Be sure you have the garments of salvation and righteousness from the Lord Jesus, along with a crown of glory and royal diadem. And let us also be a light to others, pointing them to the Lord Jesus.
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