Thy Beautiful Garments

It is very suitable for us to apply this prophecy to gospel times, as Isaiah’s readers surely did. Zion putting on strength may be likened to the worldwide conversion of the Gentiles to salvation. Jerusalem putting on her beautiful garments symbolises the gift of justifying righteousness given to Christ’s Bride. Paul describes believers as those who have ‘put on Christ’. Here, the Old Testament church is called to rise from sleep to ‘put on’ and wear the divine redemption promised by the coming Messiah’s success.

Garments washed in blood

The beautiful garments of Christ’s church are robes of holiness and truth; washed robes, made white in the blood of the Lamb (Revelation 7:14). They speak of the covering of grace by which God’s elect are covered with Christ’s holiness, represented by Christ’s intercession and secured under Christ’s protection. Dressed in her beautiful garments the Bride testifies to the work of her Husband by which she is fitted for heaven. In putting on Christ we confess Him to be the sole ground of our hope and acceptance with God.

Freedom in Christ

The instruction to shake off the dust and loose ourselves from our chains does not imply creature power in salvation but our freedom to know and enjoy gospel privileges. Christ’s church is a cleansed and liberated people destined for God’s presence. The end of Israel’s slavery in Egypt and Assyria typified a greater, future restoration. Christ’s church was enslaved by sin and Satan and bound under the curse of the law. Now it is free. We have been redeemed for the glory and honour of God’s name. Christ is our King and God’s elect dwell as free men and free women in the kingdom of His purity and peace.

Beautiful feet

Isaiah admires the feet of the messenger who brings good news of liberty to the captive. Our Lord Jesus traversed the hills and mountains of Israel preaching His gospel. The apostles carried the message to the Gentiles. Today, sent preachers continue to publish peace and bring good tidings of salvation to a lost and needy world. Pastors serve as watchmen on the walls of Zion, publicly declaring truth in the streets of the holy city, seeing eye to eye when they share the message of free and sovereign grace.

God’s arm made bare

The effectual call of the Holy Ghost in gospel preaching enables God’s people to go out of the prison and depart from the captivity of sin. Only vessels containing the pure gospel of grace and the unmixed message of accomplished salvation are required. No unclean accessory need be employed. God’s gospel, applied by the Spirit, calmly and thoroughly achieves its purpose of gathering the elect who march to glory with the Lord Jesus at their head and His power surrounding.

Christ, the Messiah

Here the prophet grants the believers of His age a fresh glimpse of the coming Messiah. The Servant of the Lord shall be exalted, extolled, and be very highly esteemed but He will also be more marred in His body and suffer more in His soul than any man before or after. Nevertheless, by His suffering He will amaze, silence and curtail the powers of this world, or rather, the power of His death will move unhindered and unopposed in the kingdoms of this world to gather Christ’s sheep and secure His flock.

One faith, one church

Once again we see how the faithful remnant of Isaiah’s generation was supplied with views of Christ and how the ‘gospel’ in Isaiah informed their knowledge and inspired their trust. In the midst of their own troubled times the certainty of the Messiah’s coming and the assured success of God’s servant was confirmed. In every age, God’s elect receive God’s promises through the preached word and the revelation of scripture. They received it and believed it, and so do we.

Amen