“I will greatly rejoice in the Lord; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. For as the earth brings forth its sprouts, and as a garden causes what is sown in it to sprout up, so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to sprout up before all the nations.”
Isaiah 61:10-11
I bet you are familiar with Isaiah 61:1-2, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor…” (Luke 4:18). But have you ever read to the end of that chapter?
By reading the first verses of Isaiah 61 in that synagogue in Nazareth and pronouncing them fulfilled in himself, Jesus announced his mission and previewed his ministry. Later, when asked by John the Baptist if he was, in fact, the Messiah, Jesus answered with a similar quote referencing Isaiah 35 (see Matt. 11:5).
As we’ve seen in this whole series, The One Story, Jesus came to restore the shalom that was lost in the fall of Adam. Yes, Jesus paid the price to forgive sins and bring spiritual healing. But He also started the restoration process that He will complete when He comes back, “to unite all things” in Himself (Eph. 1:9).
Take a few minutes right now to read over Isaiah 61 slowly.
Feel the impact of this wonderfully poetic prophecy. Let the words wash over you. Let the promises fill your heart so that you reach verse 10 and join Isaiah to “greatly rejoice in the Lord,” and “exult in my God.”
- Clothed in Christ. “He has covered me with the robe of righteousness.” (v. 10)
Isaiah describes this covering with intricate detail – comparing the radiant clothing God gives us to both wedding clothes and priestly garments. Imagine the rich detailing, the costly jewels, the time and money and care invested in making these special, limited use uniforms. The military image above probably gets close to what Isaiah had in mind.
Most of us follow this imagery to the great hymn, “On Christ the Solid Rock” – “Dressed in his righteousness alone, faultless to stand before the throne.” Yes. Amen and hallelujah! In Christ we are justified – forgiven of our sins and declared righteous before God’s holy throne. But is that all? Is there more to this gospel imagery?
“For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
2 Corinthians 5:21
Why did Jesus die on the cross? Just so He could declare us righteous?
No. The clear and consistent teaching of the Bible is that Jesus is committed to making us righteous. Actually holy, just, loving and good – like Him. I’m not shifting to a works-based salvation that we have to become righteous and only then will God declare us righteous. That’s both impossible and completely refuted by the Bible. Jesus declares you righteous FIRST (justification) and then immediately begins to make you righteous (sanctification).
Isaiah 61 shows God’s costly investment in our holy uniform – the righteous garments of the Lord Jesus. Clearly this is the work of God to dress us. We simply rejoice to wear these garments and do all we can to live like the blood-bought children of God that we are. As members of the family of God, He has brought us into the Family Business. There is work to do in the family and the uniform reminds us both of what we are called to do and how we are called to do it. (See the excellent closing message in the One Story series on Dec. 31, 2023.)
Verse 11 makes it clear with a gardening metaphor that God is the One who will make everything grow. But look again at what He will make to grow: “the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to sprout up before all the nations.”
Righteousness and praise.
As you experience the life-changing grace of the Lord Jesus to dress you in His own righteousness, this is what will grow up in you and through you and around you. Praise and worship for all God has done, is doing and will do. Amen! Hallelujah! But also righteousness. Actual holiness, justice, goodness, love, mercy, kindness, patience and everything else that describes God and shalom. That will grow up inside you.
Check out this video from the Bible Project for a reminder about what Biblical righteousness and justice really means.
“Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.”
1 Thes. 5:23-24