Christ in the Old Testament

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

Yesterday we saw that Jesus wears the breastplate of righteousness and the helmet of salvation. Isaiah calls these the garments of vengeance. Jesus will return again and he will get his vengeance on his enemies. But then Isaiah says that he also wears “zeal as in a cloak.”

The Hebrew word for “cloak” is mᵉʽîl which is also translated sometimes as mantle. This garment was generally worn to signify position, dignity or consecration. It was worn by nobility and also by priests. The first time the mᵉʽîl is mentioned in Scripture is:

“Make the robe (mᵉʽîl) of the ephod entirely of blue cloth, with an opening for the head in its center. There shall be a woven edge like a collar around this opening, so that it will not tear. Make pomegranates of blue, purple and scarlet yarn around the hem of the robe, with gold bells between them. The gold bells and the pomegranates are to alternate around the hem of the robe (mᵉʽîl). Aaron must wear it when he ministers. The sound of the bells will be heard when he enters the Holy Place before the Lord and when he comes out, so that he will not die” (Ex 28:31-35).

This cloak was required for the priest to enter the Holy Place. It was the visible foundation of the priest’s garments and kept the priest protected from death. God would not accept the priest or his offerings unless he was wearing the mᵉʽîl. A similar garment was also worn by the King. We see its significance in two events:

“As Samuel turned to leave, Saul caught hold of the hem of his robe (mᵉʽîl), and it tore. Samuel said to him, “The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today and has given it to one of your neighbors—to one better than you” (1 Sam 15:27-28).

“And Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as himself. Jonathan took off the robe (mᵉʽîl) he was wearing and gave it to David, along with his tunic, and even his sword, his bow and his belt” (1 Sam 18:3-4).

This robe was worn by both King Saul and his son Jonathan. It was a symbol of power and authority. God used this robe to send a message to Saul. When Saul tore his robe it was a sign that God was tearing the kingdom of Israel from him and giving it to David. Then just shortly after that, Jonathan would give his mᵉʽîl to David as a symbol that he was the heir to the throne and would be Jonathan’s king.

So Jesus wears this cloak in the form of zeal. The Hebrew word for “zeal” is qin’â which encompasses both passionate intensity and jealousy. We serve a zealous God:

“The Lord will never be willing to forgive them; his wrath and zeal (qin’â) will burn against them. All the curses written in this book will fall on them, and the Lord will blot out their names from under heaven” (Deut 29:20).

“Then the angel who was speaking to me said, ‘Proclaim this word: This is what the Lord Almighty says: “I am very jealous (qin’â) for Jerusalem and Zion’” (Zech 1:14).

“This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘I am very jealous (qin’â) for Zion; I am burning with jealousy (qin’â) for her’” (Zech 8:2).

We also saw that Jesus was zealous:

“When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple courts he found people selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple courts, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. To those who sold doves he said, ‘Get these out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a market!’ His disciples remembered that it is written: ‘Zeal for your house will consume me’” (John 2:13-17).

Jesus wore zeal as a cloak. It was his priestly garment as well as his royal garment as he is both High Priest and King. His cloak of zeal was worn to the cross so that God the Father would hear his prayers and accept his sacrifice on our behalf.

We are also called to wear a cloak of zeal. In following Christ, we are to always be zealous in serving God. It is hard to get knocked down and to get back up again. Even harder to do it over and over. But the world is going to knock us down time and time again. Our zeal for the Lord should be our driving force to keep going.

“Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer” (Rom 12:9-12).

Today’s Prayer: Thank you Jesus for your cloak of zeal that carried you to the cross for me. In light of what you have done for me, help me to put on a cloak of zeal for you so that I can serve you in all that I do today.