Isaiah 20 – Nudity | In Christ Alone Devotions

At that time the LORD spoke by Isaiah the son of Amoz, saying, “Go, and loose the sackcloth from your waist and take off your sandals from your feet,” and he did so, walking in naked and barefoot.
Isaiah 20:2

As human beings, how much power do we really have?

Without God? It’s like walking around this world in your birthday suit.

God told Isaiah to take off his clothes and to walk around naked for three years. This was an active representation of what was going to happen to Egypt when the Assyrians invaded and took over. You see, Egypt was notorious for vicious pride and nationalism. Throughout his book, Isaiah constantly reminded Egypt and Israel (which was notorious for forming alliances with and hiring mercenaries from Egypt) of the danger of this pride. Vitality rested in trusting God. But they did not trust God. They trusted in self.

Jesus Will Never Let You Down

Egypt was trying to cover up it’s nakedness with earthly power. But God was reminding that land that without Him they were as good as naked. The Bible is quite graphic when describing this kind of attitude and so I will be. Translators tame a very well-known verse by translating it as : “We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment… (filthy garment, KJV)” Isaiah 64:6, ESV. But the literal translation of “filthy garment” is “menstrual cloth”.

Unsanitary. Bloody. Painful. My attempts at being a good guy. Your attempts, too.

Reader, Jesus has a garment he wants to cover you with. That garment is His righteousness. His grace. His love. Jesus wants to give you a garment that breathes more than cotton, is smoother than silk, and softer than velvet. But before He can give this to you, you need to acknowledge that without him you are powerless. He longs to clothe you!

Sam Smith