Clothed in God's righteousness
I am overwhelmed with joy in the Lord my God! For he has dressed me with the clothing of salvation and draped me in a robe of righteousness. I am like a bridegroom dressed for his wedding or a bride with her jewels. The Sovereign Lord will show his justice to the nations of the world. Everyone will praise him! His righteousness will be like a garden in early spring, with plants springing up everywhere. Isaiah 61:10-11 NLT
From the text, Isaiah describes the wedding that will take place when Christ returns for the believers. Just like what Isaiah said describing Christ’s return: “I am overwhelmed with joy in the Lord my God!” There will be rejoicing because of the realization that God has fulfilled His promise that the believers will be clothed with salvation and righteousness. John writes about this great day describing the future status as God fulfills His promise to those who trusted Jesus as Lord and Savior: “All who are victorious will be clothed in white. I will never erase their names from the Book of Life, but I will announce before my Father and his angels that they are mine” (Revelation 3:5). “These are the ones who died in the great tribulation. They have washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb and made them white” (Revelation 7:14). God saves us through Christ. As Isaiah described from the text, God enjoys and loves saving us. He wants us to be saved for He looks forward to the day where the bride, the church, will be adorned with jewels and the garden will be filled with fruit sprouting new life. In the midst of the darkness and sadness in this world, when He returns for His people, there will be an outpouring of joy. This is why on this very day God is displaying the righteousness that He clothed the believers. He wanted the world to see His work so that people of all nations will realize their need of God and will place their trust in Christ. With God’s purpose in mind, it should compel us to be faithful to God’s call to us manifesting His righteousness so we can share to others God’s message of salvation. His work of righteousness in us should not be hidden. “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father” (Matthew 5:14-16).
Blessings,
