Isaiah 59:17
He put on righteousness as his breastplate,
and the helmet of salvation on his head;
he put on the garments of vengeance
and wrapped himself in zeal as in a cloak. (NIV)
Today’s Reading: Isaiah 59:15-21
God is sending his own arm to achieve His will to redeem Israel. In other words, Jesus is coming into the world with God’s power to do what no other man is capable of doing and bring salvation to the world. He is armed like a warrior for battle.
He calls righteousness his breastplate. Righteousness is the Hebrew word ṣᵉdāqâ meaning rightness – doing what is right according to God’s standard. This word incorporates both the internal desire to do right and the external act of doing the right thing.
The breastplate is designed to defend the heart against arrows and the sword of the enemy. Wearing righteousness as his breastplate signifies the Messiah comes with a pure heart. His cause is just and he will make good on his promises to redeem his people. Inwardly his motives are pure and good. Outwardly he will act rightly and be faithful to God.
He then calls salvation his helmet. Salvation is the Hebrew word yᵉšûʽâ meaning more than salvation but also carries the idea of rescue and deliverance. It is the saving work of God.
The helmet is designed to protect the head from the enemy’s blows. However, a crown is also placed on the head of a king. It seems salvation will be worn as a helmet for everyone to see much like a crown. Salvation is his mission and his purpose. His cause is righteousness and his effect will be salvation.
Paul borrows this analogy for us as followers of this great warrior:
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Eph 6:10-17).
Paul tells us to also put on the breastplate of righteousness and the helmet of salvation the same as Jesus is wearing. He says that we are to wear these things so that we can defend ourselves against the devil’s schemes. We know that Jesus was tempted in every way and needed this armor to defend himself as well. Except Jesus was the arm of God himself. We are sinful humans. How much more do we need to put on this armor then?
In order to put on the breastplate of righteousness, we must have a pure heart. Our desires need to be to do God’s will all day and all the time. Then we need to put those desires into action and act rightly. The only way to do this is to have salvation as our helmet. If we commit ourselves to following Christ, we have the Spirit of God living inside us. We can then wear the helmet of salvation so the world can see our purpose – to spread the gospel of Jesus which brings salvation. This is our mission:
“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you” (Matt 28:16-20).
Christ in the Old Testament 
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