A Change of Clothing

In order to marry, one needs a change of clothing, right? Most folks don't get married in jeans and a t-shirt or their work dungarees.  I had not given it much thought, but Ruth had to change from her garments of mourning. Ruth and Naomi had to loose their black shrouds of widowhood that signified loss and death to embrace their new status as a bride and mother of the bride.

God promises us that "Never again will [we] will be called Forsaken, but instead we will be known as "the Bride of God" (Isaiah 62:4).  No more Azubah- "Forsaken" and Shemamah, "Desolate," but Hephzibah, "My delight is in her" and Beulah- "Married."

For Ruth, such an idea must have seemed ridiculous. She was a poor foreign widow, saddled with a bitter mother-in-law. Who could possibly want to be a part of their story? Into their story arrives Boaz. Into our own, arrives our Kinsmen Redeemer, Y'Shua. The Lord claims us as His bride (v.5) He rejoices "over [us] as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride" (v.5). He commands us to "clothe [ourselves] with strength; put on [our] beautiful clothes]. Rise from the dust and sit in a place of honor " (Isaiah 52).  He places a "crown of beauty instead of ashes; blessings instead of mourning, praise instead of despair" (Isaiah 61:3).  He then commissions us to rebuild the ancient ruins and repair the cities to dwell in ( v.4).

You are rightly "overwhelmed with joy in the Lord [ our] God (v.10), "for He has dressed you with the clothing of salvation and dressed you in a robe or righteousness. (Ezekiel 16:10). The Lord declares, "I bathed  . . . and put ointments on you. I clothed you with an embroidered dress and put leather sandals on you. I dressed you in fine linen and covered you with costly garments. I adorned you with jewelry: I put bracelets on your arms and a necklace around your neck,and I put a ring on your nose, earrings on your ears and a beautiful crown on your head. So you were adorned with gold and silver; your clothes were of fine linen and costly fabric and embroidered cloth. Your food was fine flour, honey and olive oil. You became very beautiful and rose to be a queen. And your fame spread among the nations on account of your beauty, because the splendor I had given you made your beauty perfect, declares the Sovereign Lord." (Ezekiel 16:10-14). I hope that we will not squander these gifts like the nation of Israel did.

Naomi wisely instructs Ruth to "Wash, put on perfume, and get dressed in your best clothes. When he lies down, note the place where he is lying. Then go and uncover his feet and lie down. He will tell you what to do” (Ruth 4:3,5). Like Ruth, we rise up and put off  our mourning clothes. We rise up from the place where depression, disappointment, death of vision, unmet needs, unhealed hurts, and wound spirits have prostrated us.  We may have to crawl to the altar where our Beloved waits and lie down at His feet,  but He lifts us up to a place of beauty. However, friends, we must leave our garments of death behind to walk into the beautiful future He has for us. God can be trusted. He will not allow us to dry on the vine. He will take the pain of our loss and produce great blessings for us and others.

Transformation is radically beautiful- it attracts others. Just as bitterness can be a magnet for more pain, joy and health can attract God's best for us. God wants to clothe us  in His righteousness, and his beautiful fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22). His grace and kindness make even the most common of us truly beautiful brides. Look up into the smiling face of your Redeemer and Kumi Ori- Arise Shine.


Welcome to Beulah-Land,
M.J.