Isaiah 59:17

For He put on righteousness--

Self -manifestations of God’s holy nature

Just as in Ephesians 6:1.

the manifold self-manifestations of the inner life of the soul are symbolized under each of the different pieces of armour, so, under the pieces of Jehovah’s armour there are set forth the manifold self-manifestations of His holy nature, formed out of wrath and love combined. (F. Delitzsch, D. D.)

The armour of the redeeming God

Judiciously and beautifully is the inexorable justice of God compared to the impenetrable brazen coat-of-mail; His gladdening salvation to the protecting helmet glittering afar; His vengeance, having many modes of inflicting effective chastisement, to the bright-coloured garments over the coat-of-mail; and His wrathful jealousy to the fiery red military cloak. No weapon is mentioned--neither sword nor bow--for His arm, and this alone, procures Him help. (F. Delitzsch, D. D.)

The Head of the Church a mighty Hero

1. “He put on righteousness as a breastplate.” He assumed the exercise of that right which appertained to Him, of vindicating His Church from the hands of their enemies, of rendering them victorious over their oppressors, and of restoring them to liberty and tranquillity. Righteousness peculiarly belongeth to him, His heart is set on advancing its interests; it is not more conspicuous in the equity of His laws than in the dispensations of His providence, whereby He repays fully to His adversaries, and exalts His upright servants to happiness and comfort. This righteousness He is said to have put on, so is openly to show that it belonged to Him, and that every hostile weapon directed against Him and those He was going to avenge, should rebound on themselves with irresistible force. Furnished with righteousness for a covering, the Most Mighty went forth with invincible courage to attack His enemies, well knowing that all their efforts were incapable of wounding Him, or of preventing Him from obtaining the victory.

2. “And a helmet of salvation on His head. The Son of God is represented having on a helmet of salvation because it affords Him perfect security from all the insults that are aimed at Him by His foes, and preserves Him in complete safety when contending for conquest with those that rise up against Him.

3. “And He put on the garments of vengeance for clothing.” The expression may refer to the under garment that was anciently worn by some Eastern nations below their coat or cloak. The garments of vengeance may denote the sword, the bow, and the spear, with the other instruments that were to be employed in executing awful vengeance on His persecuting foes, and in showing Himself strong in behalf of those who trust in His name. These He put on when He determined immediately to avenge the wrongs done to Himself and His Church.

4. “And was clad with zeal as a cloak.” Zeal is not properly a detached principle, but it is a mixed affection, combined of love and displeasure, manifested by vigorous exertions to advance the welfare of the beloved object, by every proper expedient, to express displeasure against those who have injured the persons in whose happiness it is interested. Properly speaking, it is not a single passion, but an essential ingredient necessary to the lively exercise of every other affection. When attributed to Jehovah, it denotes His tender regard for the interests of His kingdom and glory, and

His just indignation of everything that opposes their establishment and prosperity. With this zeal He was clad as with a cloak worn by the warriors of ancient times. The words may import that the Lord God would publicly demonstrate, by His interposition in favour of His servants, that He was truly solicitous to promote their safety and happiness; and, by the execution of righteous vengeance upon their enemies, that He would not permit those who disturbed the peace of His Church to remain unpunished. (R. Macculloch.)

Clad with zeal as a cloke

The best cloak

The solitary champion who is here spoken of is the Prince of the house of David, our Lord Jesus Christ. When a man has all other excellences, then zeal is still needed to elevate and perfect his entire manhood. Behold the altar, built of unhewn stones, and after God’s own law; behold the wood laid thereon; see the victim slain and the blood flowing; but you cannot make a sacrifice without fire. Behold in the altar the figure of the man; he has faith, courage, love, consecration; but if he lacks the fire of fervent zeal his life will be a failure.

I. ZEAL IS TO BE REGARDED AS A CLOAK THAT COVERS ALL. The Christian man is to wear zeal as we wear an outward garment which covers all the rest of our garments--a flowing robe which encompasses the entire person.

1. Zeal is all enveloping: zeal should envelop all the powers of the Christian. He is to invest himself with faith and love with patience and perseverance, with hope and joy; but zeal must be over all these. We are not to be zealous with one part of ourselves, nor zealous in one particular duty only, nor zealous at one special season; but to be altogether zealous, for all Christ’s work, for all Christ’s truth, and at all times zealous not only in one good thing, but in all good things.

2. We are to wear holy zeal as a cloak, in order to preserve the different parts of our soul from danger. Zeal is preserving. Zeal is to wrap up the whole man, so that when he is subject to a furious haft of persecution, or a biting wind of poverty, or a torrent of down-pouring griefs, the pilgrim to the skies may hold on his way, and bid all weathers brave defiance.

3. Zeal is comforting, even as the cloak when wrapped about the traveller in the snow-storm. The man who is possessed by an irresistible passion for carrying out his life-work, will gird this gracious ardour well around him, and let the snowflakes come as they may, they- will only fall, as it were, into a furnace, and will melt before they can injure.

4. We may regard zeal as a cloak by reason of its adorning a man’s character. Many a person looks all the more comely because of the garment in which he has arrayed himself. There is no more becoming garment to the Christian when he possesses all the virtues than an all-enveloping zeal.

5. We must take care to put on zeal as a cloak and not as a hood. Nobody wears his cloak over his head, and yet I have known some persons whose zeal has blindfolded their judgment. Zeal, like fire, is “a good servant, but a bad master.”

6. Zeal is a cloak, and therefore not intended to supersede the other graces. We do not put on our great coats and leave off all our other clothes.

7. Zeal is a cloak, and therefore we are not to regard it as an extraordinary robe to be worn only occasionally on high days and holidays. Zeal for God should be exhibited in workshops, should be worn in the market-house, in the senate, or wherever we may labour. Since the storm is always on, and we are always pilgrims, it will be like the cloak which we cannot bear to lay aside.

8. While I say that zeal is not everything, recollect that the cloak covers everything, and do not let your zeal he such a scanty thing that it will only hang like a girdle round your loins. Remember our Lord put on zeal. While the Christian religion is an internal thing, there is no religion in the world which shows itself so much externally.

II. HOW OUR LORD EXHIBITED THIS ZEAL.

1. In His earliest childhood you have tokens of His inward zeal. “Wist ye not.” etc?

2. In after life you see His burning zeal in leaving the comforts of life.

3. His very dress showed His zeal, because it was not ostentatious, but in every way suitable for incessant labour and humble service.

4. He showed His earnestness in persevering in His work under all manner of rebuffs.

5. And, as a clearer proof of His zeal still, all the blandishments of the world could not attract Him.

6. Look at His incessant labours.

7. In His preaching you see His zeal.

8. Probably you see His zeal most of all in his prayers, for a man’s intensity of heart may eminently be judged of by his secret devotion before God.

9. He proved His zeal again by giving up Himself.

10. Observe what His zeal was made of.

(1) It was zeal for God.

(2) Zeal for truth.

(3) Zeal for souls.

III. WHAT WAS IT THAT THE ZEAL OF CHRIST FED UPON

1. Christ’s zeal was based upon a defined principle. He had of old said, “Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of Me, I delight to do Thy will, O My God yea, Thy law is within My heart.” He had set his heart upon a great purpose, He had weighed it, counted the cost, looked at it on all sides, and now He was not to be turned from it.

2. The zeal of our Lord Jesus Christ was occasioned by intense love. He loved His Father; He could not, therefore, but do His will. He loved His people; He could not, therefore, do otherwise than seek their good. Oh, how He loved the souls of men! It was a passion with Him.

3. The zeal of our Lord Jesus Christ had an eye to the recompense. “For the joy that was set before Him He endured the cross, despising the shame.”

4. Our Lord Jesus Christ was so zealous because He had a greater spiritual discernment than you and I have. We are not zealous because we cannot see. We can see these houses, these streets, and this in money. We can hear those people’s tongues, and we can look at these creature comforts. But our ears are as though they were stopped up with wax, and our eyes as though they were blinded to better things. When Jesus was here He saw angels, and He beheld the spirits of men; He looked upon men, not as flesh and blood, but as immortals. Best of all, He saw God. He could say, “I have set the Lord always before Me: because He is at My right hand I shall not be moved.” (C. H. Spurgeon.)