Isaiah 20:3–6 - “Then the Lord said, ‘As my servant Isaiah has walked naked and barefoot for three years as a sign and a portent against Egypt and Cush, so shall the king of Assyria lead away the Egyptian captives and the Cushite exiles, both the young and the old, naked and barefoot, with buttocks uncovered, the nakedness of Egypt. Then they shall be dismayed and ashamed because of Cush their hope and Egypt their boast. And the inhabitants of the coastland will say in that day, ‘Behold this is what has happened to those in whom we had hoped and to whom we fled for help to be delivered from the king of Assyria! And how shall we escape?’”
Can you imagine being asked to go around naked as a means of communicating what God is going to do? It was probably awkward and embarrassing for Isaiah to say the least. But God wanted to impress on his people that trusting or hoping in anything other than the Lord would leave them naked, exposed, and ashamed.
The occasion was an impending invasion from Assyria to the north and Israel’s intention to recruit Egypt and Cush armies to help protect them. Instead, God predicted (and it happened) that Egypt, Cush, and Israel would all be exposed (quite literally).
There is a lesson for us today. When we depend on anything else to save us, we will end up spiritually naked. Only Jesus can clothe us, like he did in the garden when he made Adam and Eve clothes, or when he clothed the formerly demon possessed man, or when we are baptized into Christ and clothed in him. Jesus alone can hide our nakedness, shame, and sin. So, I guess on this Friday, the best thing I can say is, don’t go around naked - be clothed in Christ.
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