Clothed by Christ

So the angel said to the others standing there, "Take off his filthy clothes."  And turning to Jeshua he said, “See, I have taken away your sins, and now I am giving you these fine new clothes.”  Zechariah 3:4

Do you like fine clothes?

I do.

As God continues to refine me, one of the areas He has brought to my attention is the amount of time I spend looking at pretty clothes.  He reminded me recently that Scripture tells us in 1 Peter 3:3-4, "Don’t be concerned about the outward beauty of fancy hairstyles, expensive jewelry, or beautiful clothes.  You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God."

Then, He gently whispered to my heart, "Just wait until I dress you."

I'm really quite excited about that—about being clothed by God.  I wonder what my new body will be like and what clothes He has picked out for me!  And, that new name He's going to give me on a white stone (Revelation 2:17)— totally awesome!  And I know He wants to dress me now, too.  

Jesus told us time and again not to worry about our daily needs, as in Matthew 6:25-26, "That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them.  And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are?" 

But look at Zechariah 3:1-5:

Then the angel showed me Jeshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord. The Accuser, Satan, was there at the angel’s right hand, making accusations against Jeshua.  And the Lord said to Satan, “I, the Lord, reject your accusations, Satan. Yes, the Lord, who has chosen Jerusalem, rebukes you.  This man is like a burning stick that has been snatched from the fire.”  Jeshua’s clothing was filthy as he stood there before the angel.  So the angel said to the others standing there, “Take off his filthy clothes.”  And turning to Jeshua he said, “See, I have taken away your sins, and now I am giving you these fine new clothes.”  Then I said, “They should also place a clean turban on his head.”  So they put a clean priestly turban on his head and dressed him in new clothes while the angel of the Lord stood by.

If this high priest was snatched from the fire, oh how much more does the devil have at his disposal to accuse me of?  But, see how our Redeemer, our Lord rejects and rebukes the Accuser!  Perhaps this is one of the many reasons Jesus tells us in Matthew 7:1-2 not to judge and accuse others—we will be judged by our own standard.

May God help us all and forgive us for the great sin of accusing others of what God has already forgiven.

And then, the pièce de résistance!  The passage above tells us that the filthy clothes are removed, symbolic of the forgiveness of sin, and fine new clothes are given, with a clean new priestly turban to top it all off.

As a young girl, we had little money and so were clothed in hand-me-downs, and I was beyond grateful to receive them.  But, there will be no hand-me-downs in Heaven.  The finest clothes we may buy in any store cannot come close to comparing with the loving Heavenly Father who will clothe us with the forgiveness of our sins.

Have you asked Him to dress you yet?  There is no clothing more beautiful in all the world than the robe of His righteousness.

Goodnight, Runners.