Dressed Right

^“Make tunics, sashes and caps for Aaron’s sons to give them dignity and honor.”  Exodus 28:40

At some point in our lives while knocking on the door of a dinner party or walking into a ballroom for a banquet, most of us have worriedly wondered, “Am I wearing the right thing?”  (If this question has never crossed your mind, you can be sure your spouse had already answered it and made sure you would not embarrass yourself—or her!)  Although we know it’s not the clothes that count, appropriate attire shows appreciation for the invitation and respect of the occasion.

This was especially true back in the day when only the priests could come into God’s presence.  Their outfits were of incredible importance, so God gave specific instructions on what should be worn and how these clothes should be made.  Tunics, sashes, capes, and even underwear were fashioned from fine linen, and all embroidery and trim boasted gold, and blue, purple and scarlet yarn.  Because the priests’ responsibilities and privileges were so precious, they couldn’t just come to work as they wanted; they had to wear the right uniform.  Their special attire gave them “dignity and honor”(Ex 28:40) and enabled them to get close to God’s glory.  Their exquisite clothes were a picture of the perfection is takes to stand before God.

In light of that truth, the closets of our hearts are rather bare, and what we do find to wear isn’t getting us anywhere good.  Jesus’ parable of the wedding banquet (Matt 22) reminds us that our own outfits of “good works” won’t work, and we can only wear robes provided by the King—but, oh, what a wardrobe awaits!  By the grace of the cross we are wrapped royally in the glory of Christ’s rightness instead of shaking pitifully in the tattered rags of our wrongness(Gal 3:27, Isa 64:6).  This amazing attire gives us the dignity and honor we tossed away by our rebellion and enables us to come close to God’s glory.  And the incredibly encouraging thing for me today as I’ve already blown it a bunch before lunch is that my sins can’t stain God’s holiness.  The ever-strong blood of Jesus is an always-available white-out simply awaiting my honest confession.  Our hearts should do the happy dance all day long as we blissfully smile and gratefully sing, “I delight greatly in the Lord; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness”(Isa 61:10).

Threads might cover skin, but they can’t conceal sin.

Praise God He dresses us up in what’s always right for every occasion—Himself.