The Role and Symbolism of Garments
By: Crickettt
Garments of Skin: (Genesis 1:27; 2:5-9; 15-18; 21-25; 3:1-24 ESV)
The Bible holds various meanings and symbolisms about garments. Whether they were everyday clothes or holy garments worn by priests, God revealed the significance behind it all. Throughout the Old and New Testaments, God set up different standards for garments worn and the reason why. Let’s look at where garments or coverings first originated in the Bible and their role in future events. To understand the connection, you must first know that all throughout the Old and New Testaments, prophets wrote as they were inspired by God through dreams, visions, or visitations about future events. When Jesus began His ministry upon the earth, His focus was to reach all the lost souls of the Jews first and then the Gentiles through His gift of salvation. He also spoke about many things that would take place in the present and future which involved the renewal of garments for the believers or saints of God.
Let us go back to the very beginning with Adam and Eve who are God’s first creation of man and woman. The story gives the first account of man clothed in garments due to their shame and sinning against God. It was necessary to cover the sinful condition of disgrace against humankind. This is only the beginning of all things that will take place in the future as well concerning sin.
The devil continues to deceive by implanting the first seeds of rageful anger and jealousy into Adam and Eve’s first two children. This brought about the first murder when Cain killed his brother Able. (Genesis 4)
Genesis 1:27 (ESV)
27/ So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
Genesis 2:5-9, 15-18, 21-25 (ESV)
5/ “When no bush of the field was yet in the land and no small plant of the field had yet sprung up—for the Lord God had not caused it to rain on the land, and there was no man to work the ground, 6/and a mist was going up from the land and was watering the whole face of the ground—7/ then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature. 8/And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed. 9/And out of the ground the Lord God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.”
15/ “The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. 16/And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, 17/but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” 18/Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.”
21/ So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. 22/And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. 23/Then the man said, “This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.” 24/“Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. 25/And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.”
Genesis 3:1-24 (ESV)
1/ “Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” 2/And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, 3/but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’” 4/But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5/For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6/So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. 7/Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths. 8/And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9/But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” 10/And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.” 11/He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” 12/The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.” 13/Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” 14/The Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and above all beasts of the field; on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. 15/I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” 16/To the woman he said, “I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children. Your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you.” 17/And to Adam he said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; 18/thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. 19/By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” 20/The man called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all living. 21/And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them. 22/Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat and live forever—” 23/therefore the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken. 24/He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life.”
This story introduces the creation of the first man and woman. Then, Satan shows up for the first time to man to deceive them into sin. Satan is the creator of all evil, sin and perversions. He is also known as the Devil, great beast, dragon, father of all lies, and great deceiver. Satan uses the serpent/snake to talk to Eve and cause her to go against what God told them not to do. This becomes the first sin of disobedience against God. Next, there is the first sacrifice of an animal in order to cover their sin by its shed blood. The animal skin is used as the first garments to cover their bodies from shame.
Now, when you examine all of this, and compare it to other scriptures in the Bible, there is already several hidden symbolisms that carry on into the future. These are seen throughout both the Old and New Testaments. Keep in mind that Satan is always enticing and deceiving people to sin even today. He hates all of God’s creation and his main mission is to kill, steal and destroy by using anything or anyone to do it.
After Adam and Eve sinned, their eyes were opened to good and evil. They realized they were naked and felt ashamed, so they clothed themselves with fig leaves. God changed their counterfeit garments to animal skin because that covering was not worthy to cover their sins. A sacrifice had to be made for their sins to be forgiven, because sin brings death and separation from God. The first animal sacrifice was made to cover their sin, and this would continue into the future. However, when God sent Jesus Christ, His Only Son into the world to set men free from eternal death; His shed blood became the covering of mankind’s sins once and for all. He died for the lost and all those who would receive Him as their Lord and Savior. Through the cross, we could have everlasting life with Him. It does not stop there; Jesus was buried and raised up to life on the third day just as He said. He was seen by His disciples and others before He ascended up to Heaven to His Father, God. There would be no need for a blood sacrifice any longer to cover sin. He fulfilled every prophecy in the Old and New Testament and became the only way we could come to the Father ourselves in prayer. Jesus’ garments were changed into bright, white holy garments when He was resurrected. He is alive today and sits at the right hand of His Father, Adonai where He rules and reigns forevermore. He is the Way, Truth and Life, no man can come to the Father except through Jesus. He is King of all kings and Lord of all lords.
Now that you know how the first garments/coverings began, I want to share the others mentioned in the Bible and their purpose.
Garments of the Priests: (Exodus 28 ESV)
First mentioned in Exodus 28, God instructs Moses to bring his brother Aaron and his sons before Him to make Aaron the high priest and his sons, the priests over Israel. God gave specific directions and details how He wanted them made. They were very elaborate and sacred garments that bestowed upon them both dignity and honor. Aaron would wear the “breast piece of decision or judgment” to symbolize that the high priest represented the people before God. He would bear the names of Israel over his heart for judgment whenever he entered the Holy Place (Exodus 28:29). “These are the garments that they shall make: a breast piece, an ephod, a robe, a coat of checker work, a turban, and a sash. They shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother and his sons to serve me as priests.” (Exodus 28:4 ESV)
The high priest had bells attached to some parts of his garment for safety when he entered the Holy Place before the Lord, so he would not die. They also had to go through a cleansing process before entering the Holy Place. Anyone else entering the Holy Place who was not a designated high priest would die. Aaron and his sons had to wear the garments whenever they entered the tent of meeting or approached the alter to minister in the Holy Place. This was a foreshadowing of Jesus, “the Great High Priest” who would carry out God’s perfect and holy plan of atonement. (Hebrews 4:14)
Garments for the Wedding (Matthew 22:11-12 ESV)
“The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son, and sent his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come. Again, he sent other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, “See, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast.” But they paid no attention and went off, one to his farm, another to his business, while the rest seized his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them. The king was angry, and he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding feast is ready, but those invited were not worthy. Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find.’ And those servants went out into the roads and gathered all whom they found, both bad and good. So the wedding hall was filled with guests. “But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment. And he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ For many are called, but few are chosen.”
Jesus talked in many parables to help the people understand more clearly based on their ways of life. The wedding garment represents the righteousness of Christ. In this parable, the king first tells his servants to go and invite his selected guest to the banquet. Instead, the invited guests ignore his invitation. Some of them return to working while others mistreated his servants and killed them. This relates to Israel rejecting Jesus Christ as their Messiah. The king punished the ones who killed his servants and destroyed their city. Then, the king announces a second invitation. The king sends his servants out into the streets and invites anyone they can find to his banquet both good and bad. This part of the parable involves the inclusion of the Gentiles into God’s divine end of days plan for the ages (Matthew 22:1-10). The second scene describes a guest who shows up not wearing the required wedding garments. When the guest is asked why he is not wearing the proper clothing, the guest says nothing and the king orders him to be bound hand and foot and be “cast into the outer darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth”(Matthew 22:12-13). “For many are called, but few are chosen” (Matt. 22:14). The word chosen means “select ones” who are sinners saved by Jesus. The king in this parable is God, and the wedding garment is the righteousness of Jesus. The invitation symbolizes the proclamation of the Gospel by which sinners are reconciled to God. “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:21 ESV).
(Revelation 19:7-8)-“Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure”— for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.” The improperly dressed guest refers to the eternal place prepared for those who have rejected Jesus. Their suffering will be due to their unrighteousness.
Garments of Praise: (Isaiah 61:3 ESV)
Isaiah 61:3-“to grant to those who mourn in Zion— to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified.”
The garment of praise is a description of the gladness and thankfulness to God when the people are filled with the joy of the Lord. Back in ancient times, a grieving person would wear sackcloth as a garment and put ashes on their head for their grief. A garment of praise is the opposite of sackcloth. The garments are colorful and splendid much like the joy they feel inside. Isaiah 61:3 states that the coming Messiah would “provide for those who grieve in Zion.” He promises to “bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of despair." In Luke 4:21, Jesus claimed to be their long-awaited Messiah and that He would take away their despair and replace it with His joy and garment of praise. When you are filled with the joy of the Lord, you can’t help but praise the Lord for all He has given you and seek ways to please and worship Him.
Garments of Pure White Linen: (Revelation 3:14-22; ESV)
The apostle John, commissioned by Jesus writes letters to the 7 churches in Asia Minor. The 7th church called Laodicea, was sent a troubling message of warning by John.
Revelation 3:14-22-“And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: ‘The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s creation. “‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. For you say, “I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing,” not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see. Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”
Revelation 4:1-4 ESV
1/“After this I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven! And the first voice, which I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet, said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.” At once I was in the Spirit, and behold, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne. And he who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian, and around the throne was a rainbow that had the appearance of an emerald. Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and seated on the thrones were twenty-four elders, clothed in white garments, with golden crowns on their heads.”
The white garments are prominent in the book of Revelation. In Rev 3:5, Jesus stated, those who overcome will be clothed in white garments. The 24 elders in Rev. 4:4 are clothed in white garments as well. This is a great reward to be made pure and Holy before God.
White symbolizes purity. If you are a Christian, you represent the body of Christ, also called the bride of Christ. You have been transformed by the Holy Spirit of God. Your sins have been washed away by the shedding of the blood of Jesus Christ. You will be given new white linen garments at the rapture. This symbolizes your cleansing through the sacrifice Jesus paid on the cross. His free gift of salvation made you worthy of these white garments. “The old has passed away, behold all things have become brand new.”
In the last days when the Rapture (catching away in Rev 4:1) occurs, Jesus will come in the clouds with a great shout from the Archangel and the Trumpet of God will sound and all the dead in Christ will rise first. Then, we who have followed Jesus as our Lord and Savior will be caught up together with the dead in Christ (those Christians who died before the rapture) and together we will go up into the clouds in the twinkling of an eye to be with Jesus eternally. Christians are also called the bride of Christ and therefore, we will be transformed like Jesus was with white garments when the Trumpet sounds. The Rapture will happen suddenly without warning. That is why Jesus said to be ready for it will come at an hour you do not know.
The Tribulation Saints who receive robes of white, are both Jews and Gentiles who will come to faith in Jesus Christ during the Tribulation. Some have been killed for believing on the name of Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Others will endure to the end of the Tribulation. “These are the ones coming out of the Great Tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” (Revelation 7:14 ESV)
*Scriptures taken from the You version Bible App (ESV) https//bible.com
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