Spiritual Nakedness, Clothed in Righteousness, & Eternal Priestly Garments (Leviticus Themes)

What Are You Wearing?  The State of Our Spiritual Clothing

This is part of our “Leviticus for the Modern Reader” series, focusing on themes that God’s people today can take away from what is typically a dry and perplexing book.  You can read the previous ones on burnt offerings and spiritual leprosy here.

The book of Leviticus is challenging to a modern audience.  On the surface it’s the equivalent of an extraordinarily detailed technical manual for Israel’s priesthood, filled with exacting blueprints, animal sacrifice instructions, and purification rituals.

It’s tempting for God’s people today to file Leviticus under “dry historical record; glad it was preserved” and decide it doesn’t have anything to say to us right now.  While that would be understandable, we know that everything in the bible is there for a reason, and that all scripture is God-breathed and given to us for our education, inspiration, and growth (II Tim. 3:16).

But I believe that Leviticus matters to modern-day Christians in more immediate, tangible ways.  If we pull out of a verse-by-verse reading and look at it in totality, Leviticus is ultimately a book about holiness, sanctification, and sacrifice—being set apart for God’s purpose.  God used these instructions to show His newly-established nation how to worship, serve, and obey a holy God—“You shall be holy for I, the Lord your God, am holy” (Lev. 19:2).  And He is showing us the same thing today.

In a previous post we examined what Christians today can learn from the burnt offerings, particularly how God wants us to view and worship Him.  In this study we’ll dive into what Leviticus says about clothing and how it connects to our spiritual state.

What does Leviticus cover in terms of clothing?

There are three primary themes in how Leviticus addresses this topic:

• A person’s nakedness (symbolic of sexual sins)
• What type of garments we wear, and vigilance in caring for them
• Instructions for special priestly garments

Just like with the burnt offerings, we’ll see that there are clear spiritual parallels for us today as we look at each theme more closely.

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“And they knew they were naked…”

How comfortable are you with being naked?  Most people have an instinctive, visceral aversion to being naked in public, baked into our DNA since Adam and Eve.

After they had sinned and their eyes were opened, the first consequence we’re told of was that “they knew that they were naked, and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings” (Gen. 3:7).  Previously, they both were naked and were not ashamed (Gen. 2:25).

The two words translated as “naked” in these verses are actually different.  In Genesis 2, they were “unclothed” and not ashamed, innocent and pure.  In Genesis 3, the word still means without clothes, but carries the additional idea of being exposed, guilty, and vulnerable.

This “knowing” doesn’t simply mean that they suddenly realized they had no clothes on.  Something changed for them in that moment—in their thinking, their actions, and how they perceived themselves and God.  And their first instinct was to hide from God and to try and solve this problem by themselves.

Whether in the story of Adam and Eve, the vague but unsettling story of Noah and Ham (Gen. 9:21), or the way God talks about rebellious Israel and Judah in the prophetic books (e.g. Is. 47:2, Ezek. 16:36, Lam. 1:8), the concept of nakedness is associated with shame and sin from the very first pages of the bible.

There are times in the bible where being naked is exactly what it means (literally having no clothes on, like in Acts 19:16), but many more times when it’s used to signify impurity, being apart from God’s protection, shame, and as a symbol of sexual sins (e.g. Ezek. 22:10).

(As an important aside, many people read verses like these and wonder, “Is there something wrong with being naked, does God hate nakedness and sex?”  Of course not!  God CREATED them…Adam and Eve were naked before their sin and “it was good”.  We shouldn’t take this type of symbolism or analogy out of context, but should also remember that He intended nakedness and sex to exist wonderfully and privately within the bounds of marriage and nowhere else…this is the context that an analogy of spiritual nakedness sets itself against.)

Okay, aside over…this brings us to Leviticus, which hones in on nakedness as a proxy for sexual misconduct.  In Leviticus 18, the Lord tells Moses to command the Israelites not to observe and mimic the local Canaanite people.  Instead He tells them, “You shall keep My statutes and My judgments, which if a man does, he shall live by them; I am the Lord”—again, instructing us on what it looks like to worship a holy God (Lev. 18:5).

He then goes on to list, in excruciating detail, all sorts of messed up sexual sins that Israel was prohibited from.  From “uncovering the nakedness of” (a.k.a. being sexually involved with) various parents, siblings, step-family member, aunts, uncles, and more, to not committing adultery with your neighbor’s wife, to not having sex with a woman during her period, Moses pulls no punches.  Leviticus 20 continues on in the same vein.

And again, as a modern audience, most normal people read through these passages in Leviticus with a slightly nauseated, cringing expression, and think, “Ugh, who were these people?!” and then move on.  Because clearly this doesn’t have anything to do with us.  So what should we glean from Leviticus on nakedness?

First, there’s no question that our modern society is absolutely immersed in sexual sins.  They look a bit different than the pagan worship sexual rituals of the Canaanites that God was warning against, but from the pervasiveness of pornography, sex before marriage, unfaithfulness, explicit content in our entertainment, and more, we don’t have much of a leg to stand on when it comes to being judgy toward the Israelites and their neighbors.  It is imperative to our spiritual state that we honestly examine whether we are violating God’s laws and “uncovering” our own nakedness.

But beyond the specific sexual sins, the bible has a lot to say about being spiritually naked—the causes, and the solutions.  We’ll jump to the very end of the bible, where Jesus Christ in His letter to the church in Laodicea writes:

“Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked—

I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see…As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent” (Rev. 3:17-19)

The church at Laodicea thought that they were doing pretty good.  If you looked at them from the outside, it probably looked like they were doing all the “right” things…gathering together every sabbath, singing hymns, giving offerings, abstaining from major sins.

But like the fabled emperor who believes he’s wearing a luxurious suit and parading through town, Jesus instead tells Laodicea that they are covered by nothing, and they have nothing.  They were blind and naked, exposed and vulnerable…and they didn’t even know it.

Jesus’s rebuke against them is one of self-sufficiency—believing that their own actions and works (and thus, their own righteousness) could achieve salvation.  There’s a critical lesson in this for us.  In the physical world, we know when we’re naked and can do something about it.  But spiritually, Jesus makes it clear that it’s VERY possible to be walking around naked and not even realize it until it’s too late.

And just like the fig leaves that a panicked Adam and Eve tried to cover themselves with, when we do realize our nakedness and try to fix the situation, the coverings we use to try and hide our nakedness from God (and the rest of the world) are pitifully inadequate.  Jesus cautions:

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.  Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’” (Mat. 7:21-23)

The prophet Isaiah makes a similar statement about Israel, saying, “We are all infected and impure with sin.  When we display our righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags” (Is. 64:6, NLT).  Paul also rejects this approach, saying we should “not hav[e] a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ” (Phil. 3:9).

In other words, there is no amount of righteous living and meticulously following God’s laws that will earn us new, pristine clothing.  Instead, Jesus Christ’s perfect and sinless sacrifice and His blood are the only things that can “cover” our spiritual nakedness (He covers our sins, Rom. 4:7).

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“Put on Christ, like putting on new clothes”

So if we’re not to be naked, what ARE we to wear?  Just like our nakedness represents sin and shame, the bible uses clothing to represent the state of our hearts and minds, as well as a representation of how we live our lives.  In particular, clothing is often used to symbolize the righteousness that results from a relationship with God and following His way.

Paul wrote to the Galatians, “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.  For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on [CJB: clothed yourself with] Christ” (Gal. 3:26-27).  The NLT translates this, “And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes”.

Let’s pick back up in our earlier passage in Matthew 7 (also Luke 13:24-30).  Despite the seemingly-amazing works these people had done (miracles, prophesying), Jesus soundly rejects them, accusing them of violating God’s laws.  They claimed intimacy with Him through their actions, but Christ makes clear that something was missing.

This can be interpreted in different ways (or through different scenarios), but the implication seems to be that these people followed Jesus and had good actions.  They likely obeyed many of God’s laws (probably kept the sabbath and holy days, didn’t eat unclean meats, etc.), but their HEARTS were far from God.  They did not deny themselves and take up their cross, and despite their outward “works”, they did not produce good fruit—godly character.

This godly character is more than simple “right” actions or feelings, but is an entirely new nature—we are to become completely new beings with God’s help.  Breaking into Paul’s thought as he wrote the Ephesians:

“…Then so far as your former way of life is concerned, you must strip off your old nature, because your old nature is thoroughly rotted by its deceptive desires;

And you must let your spirits and minds keep being renewed, and clothe yourselves with the new nature created to be godly, which expresses itself in the righteousness and holiness that flow from the truth” (Eph. 4:22-24, CJB)

Have you ever been out doing yardwork in the middle of the summer, absolutely filthy and drenched with sweat?  And you come inside, shower, and put on fresh, dry clothes?  How amazing does that feel??  Would you ever think about putting back on your smelly, sweat-soaked, dirt-crusted t-shirt once you’re clean?  Of course not!  And yet that’s symbolically what we do when we yearn for the coverings of this world.

Like Achan lusting after the Babylonian garment (Josh. 7), our old carnal nature desires the clothing of the world.  But God wants us to put on something entirely new.  Spiritual clothing was a favorite theme of Paul’s, as he wrote the Colossians:

“Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on [CJB: clothe yourselves with] tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another and forgiving one another…but above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection” (Col. 3:12)

That starts to paint a picture of what our new nature (spiritual clothing) should look like, and the fruits we should be producing.  Beyond this, though, the bible speaks to one critical set of spiritual clothing that we must “put on”.

Ultimately, to run our race and receive our crown, we must always be clad in the armor of God—the breastplate of righteousness, belt of truth, shoes that carry the gospel of peace, the shield of faith and the helmet of salvation (Eph. 6:13-17).

You’ll notice that the armor of God is protective and defensive, rather than focused on going on the attack.  We can’t defeat Satan ourselves, but the armor of God helps us hold him at bay.  Without this protection, we are naked and vulnerable.

But putting them on is just a first step.  We must also care for our spiritual garments vigilantly.

In Leviticus 11, 13, 14, and 15 we see different ways someone could become ritually unclean, and in all cases it tells us that they must wash their clothes and wait a period of time to become ritually clean again.  It’s important to note that ritual uncleanness wasn’t saying they had sinned, but rather that they had come into contact with something unclean, and so were symbolically separated from God’s holiness until this was remedied.

The parallel here for us is fairly obvious…we are constantly in contact with the world, going about our day-to-day lives, and wrestling with our human natures.  We have to make sure we’re staying close to God in prayer and repentance, and reading and meditating on His word to (metaphorically) wash our clothes so that we don’t become separated from His holiness due to being tainted by our contact with the world.

Leviticus 13 goes even further in caring for our garments, including when one has “leprosy” (likely a mold or fungus that had infected it).  This defect spreads easily and will weaken and ruin the garment if not carefully attended to.  If it cannot be removed, the garment must be destroyed to protect the harm from spreading to others.

Revelation 3 speaks to the church in Sardis who have not “soiled their clothes with evil” (NLT).  Sin is like an insidious mold, usually starting very subtly and gaining ground before it’s very noticeable.  Eventually it infects us entirely until we’re—without repentance and God’s mercy and grace—beyond repair (see deeper study on sin as a virus).  This is why we’re cautioned not to give sin a “foothold” (Eph. 4:27).

Lastly, there’s an interesting command in Leviticus 19 where we’re told not to wear a garment of mixed fabrics (Lev. 19:19).  Some have posited that this is because the two fabrics would create a weak weave that is easy to destroy (like a “double minded man, unstable in all his ways”, James 1:8).

But the context of this statement is important as well—it’s within a verse that is against mixing things in general (types of seed, livestock breeding, etc.).  So the larger principle is opposed to blending two totally different things—like God’s way, and the world’s way.  This is similar to where we’re told not to be unequally yoked with non-believers (II Cor. 6:14).  God doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t interact with them, but that trying to blend the two doesn’t work…like an ox and a donkey pulling in a yoke, things will not go well.

Instead, God wants us to be “pure and undefiled” (James 1:27).  He wants single-minded devotion, a complete yielding of our heart and mind and commitment to His way.  And He wants it NOW, in this life, even when it’s difficult and feels like there are hundreds of other things demanding our time.

“This is all the more urgent, for you know how late it is; time is running out.  Wake up, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.  The night is almost gone; the day of salvation will soon be here.  So remove your dark deeds like dirty clothes, and put on the shining armor of right living…Don’t participate in the darkness of wild parties and drunkenness, or in sexual promiscuity and immoral living, or in quarreling and jealousy.  Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom. 13:11-14, NLT)

Paul makes clear that being wishy-washy, having a foot in both worlds will not go well.  We must have a sense of urgency in throwing off our filthy rags through repentance, prayer, and a commitment to living God’s way.

And we must ask God to provide us with fresh, clean garments to “put on”.  Jesus warns that He is coming “as a thief…blessed is he who watches and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked and they see his shame” (Rev. 16:15).

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Our future garments: “All who are victorious will be clothed in white”

The last clothing theme in Leviticus is the commissioning of special priestly garments, and the rituals for wearing and caring for them.

“Then Moses brought Aaron and his sons and washed them with water, and he put the tunic on him, girded him with the sash, clothed him with the robe, and put the ephod on him; and he girded him with the intricately woven band of the ephod and with it tied the ephod on him.

Then he put the breastplate on him, and he put the Urim and the Thummim in the breastplate.  And he put the turban on his head.  Also on the turban, on its front, he put the golden plate, the holy crown, as the Lord had commanded Moses” (Lev. 8:6-9; see also 16:4)

Aaron and his sons and the garments (H899, “covering”) were consecrated—meaning set apart for a special purpose, sanctified, made clean—with blood in a special ceremony (Lev. 8:30).  The priestly garments are called the “holy garments” as a result (Lev. 16:32).

The priests first had to wash themselves (so they became ritually clean), then they donned the tunic, sash, robe, breastplate, and turban or crown.  These are strong, clear parallels between each item mentioned and the armor of God that Paul describes to the New Testament church (Eph. 6).

We see throughout Leviticus that whenever Aaron’s priestly garments are mentioned (e.g. in Lev. 16:4), the instruction for when to put them on and take them off were very specific.  They symbolized taking on a specific role, playing a part—representing our future eternal Savior and High Priest, Jesus Christ.

And just like the human High Priest was a precursor to Jesus, the Levitical priesthood was a precursor and prophetic “shadow” of when God’s firstfruits will become eternal kingly priests in God’s kingdom (Rev. 20; Heb. 4:15).

“But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light” (I Pet. 2:9)

Revelation in particular focuses on the spiritual garments that God’s elect will be clothed in.  White garments in the bible symbolize purity, freedom from sin, righteousness, and honor.  In Jesus’s letter to Sardis, He cautioned them to strengthen the things which still remained but were about to die, to hold fast and repent.  Then He continued:

“There are some in the church of Sardis who have not soiled their clothes with evil. They will walk with me in white, for they are worthy. 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” (Rev. 3:4-5, NLT)

A few verses later He says to the Laodiceans:

“I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see…As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent” (Rev. 3:17-19)

Moving on in Revelation, we see the fifth seal being opened and we see God’s elect who have been martyred over the centuries asking how much longer it will be until they’re avenged.  And a white robe is given to each of them as they’re told they have to wait a little longer.

For God’s people, the priestly garments in Leviticus have a clear future meaning—they picture the clean, bright white linen robes we’ll be given once Jesus Christ returns to the earth, and we’re resurrected and join our Savior forever.  They’re wedding garments, befitting kings and priests.

“Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.  And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints” (Rev. 19:7-8)

“And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him [Christ] on white horses” (Rev. 19:14)

“And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years…they shall be priests of God and of Christ and shall reign with Him a thousand years” (Rev. 20:4, 6)

This is what we look forward to, and what Leviticus is previewing—this is one of the many reasons that God’s people today should find meaning in Leviticus.  We long for Christ’s return, when our “earthly tent” will be transformed into an eternal spirit being and we will be clothed with our priestly white robe.

“For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down (that is, when we die and leave this earthly body), we will have…an eternal body made for us by God Himself and not by human hands.  We grow weary in our present bodies, and we long (“earnestly groan”, NKJV) to put on our heavenly bodies like new clothing…

While we live in these earthly bodies, we groan and sigh…we want to put on our new bodies so that these dying bodies will be swallowed up by life.  God Himself has prepared us for this, and as a guarantee He has given us His holy spirit” (II Cor. 5:1-5, NLT)

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