Wedding clothes

Isaiah 61:10

I will rejoice greatly in the Lord...My soul will exult my God. For He has clothed me with garments of salvation, He has wrapped me with a robe of righteousness. As a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, and as a bride adorns herself with jewels.

This verse takes me to my study in the Song of Solomon (and there is one also being currently run by Nancy Leigh DeMoss through Revive Our Hearts). There is sooooo much talk of the bride and groom, the loveliness of their garments and the exhileration of the wedding day. There is such rejoicing on most wedding days. You wouldn't know it from tv, where people are getting married for all of the wrong reasons, make themselves sick pondering whether they are marrying the right person, or wonder if it is all a trap. There is much apprehension and not much joy there. If babies are on the way or a third person is in the back of someone's mind, there is not joy.

But in this verse, there is none of that. God has come to collect His bride...He gets all dressed up and brings her the clothes...garments of salvation and a robe of righteousness. Remember that in Jewish tradition, they get betrothed, then the man goes and prepares their home. This can take months! She doesn't get much of a notice of when he is coming for her...she can't send out invitations because she doesn't know the date herself! So she may or may not know that he is on his way unless someone sees him coming and runs to warn her! But when he shows up at the door to take her to his home there is a huge procession and he wants her to look her best, so he brings the clothing...she puts it on, accepting his invitation, and off they go. The marriage feast is prepared for them and everyone around comes.

So to marry God, so to speak, what kind of clothes are we to wear? First, we must have salvation...that eternal call to our lives. He saves us through the death of His Son, providing the purifying so that we can be with Him for no unholy thing can come into His presence and dwell there forever. And the robe of righteousness covers it all...the outward expression of our inward salvation. We look like Him, and are presented to the world as His...His bride for today and always. He has to provide both of these pieces of clothing...and the fact that He would adorn us with such lovely and precious garments speaks to our hearts of His everlasting love for us. Who would not rejoice like a gal just asked to marry? That yes, yes, yes!!! I thought you would never ask! There is exultation and elation and energy and enthusiasm. These unfortunately are not the words I think of when I think of salvation and righteousness. These are serious terms in my solemn brain. But to Isaiah, they are far more exciting than just sitting in a church pew. This is a new life! It is the wedding day when everything is going to change! We get to be with our beloved finally, after that long waited promise that it would indeed happen...that he would come to get us. There is song and dance, smiles and tears of joy, and feasting and ultimately alone time with the groom...this is what every gal dreams of...more than any other thing. Getting to marry this guy means that everything will change...where you live, your household routine and chores, sleeping and eating, and the possibility of children, etc. It is a whole new life that is made possible because He has clothed us and brought us to Himself. We join Him in His world and that is where all good things are.

Has He brought you your wedding clothes of salvation and righteousness? Have you put them on and gone to join Him in His life? Are you exulting in Him because He wanted you as His precious bride? Then let the party begin! If not, accept the invitation to be His bride and wait patiently for those robes to show up at your door. He will bring them, sometimes when you least expect it! Then the joy will be more than you ever dreamed.