Clothing Fit for the King

In “Great Truths From God’s Word – Old Testament Survey,” Dr. Harold Willmington tells us that the word righteousness literally means “right clothing.” When first I read that, I thought it was a bit odd. It made no sense to me. But think about it…

In Matthew 22 we read the parable of the Wedding Feast.  In it Jesus describes the king who had arranged a marriage and invited certain guests. The guests all asked to be excused for one reason or another. Finally, the king told the servants to go out to the highways and byways and bring in anyone who would come so that his courts would be filled.

That seems as though it should be the end of the parable, yet Christ continues saying, “¹¹ “But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment. ¹² So he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. ¹³ Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ ¹⁴ “For many are called, but few are chosen.” Matthew 22:11-14.

That seems a bit rash, however, custom of the day was that the host of a wedding feast provided the garment for the guests. As Jesus tells us, “this is what the kingdom of heaven is like…” Ergo, the King of Kings has provided for us the “right clothing,” or the righteousness to be worn at the wedding feast of the Lamb! GLORY to GOD!

There are MANY references to the right clothing of God. Once you have this reference in your mind, each time you see righteousness think right clothing and prepare to be amazed!

Two more stand out to me…

The first is in the book of 1 Samuel.  In Chapter 18, David and Jonathan take an oath of friendship. They use the ancient custom of exchanging clothing as a symbol of their covenant. As Beth Moore describes in her study “A Heart Like His,” imagine, if you will, David standing there in Jonathan’s royal robes. He probably felt very regal; after all he had already been told he would be king. He may have felt as though he deserved to wear them, until he looked at Jonathan wearing his smelly, dirty shepherd’s garb.  What a picture of Christ, He took our smelly sin stained clothing in exchange for His royal wedding robes!!!  Can you IMAGINE!? Selah!

The second comes from the book of Revelation. To the church of Sardis, the Dead Church, Jesus writes, “You have a few names even in Sardis who have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with Me in white, for they are worthy. ⁵ He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments.”(Rev 3:4-5)

Do you see? When we believe, we are given His royal clothes to seal the covenant! We are given His righteousness! We are responsible until then to not soil our garments. We are given His righteousness and are not to tarnish it. If we do, we should immediately confess and repent in order to not wear our unrighteousness. 

Further, In Rev 3:18, He tells the church of Laodicea, “I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see.” If we are not clothed in His righteousness, we stand naked before Him. Remember Adam and Eve? The first thing they noticed when they sinned is that they were naked, and they were ashamed.  They needed the right clothing that only God could provide and only by the shedding of innocent blood. In order to cover our spiritual nakedness, Christ shed His blood on the cross to provide for us the covenant of righteousness, without which we cannot attend the Wedding Feast of the Lamb.

Isn’t He amazing?

But wait! There’s more… tune in tomorrow!