There is nothing better than the smell of new clothes, except maybe for the smell of a brand new car. Most women (and many men) love smelling and wearing new clothes.
For many, buying new clothes approximates a religious experience. I know a dear lady that salivates with expectation about a trip to the mall. You should see her looking, touching, smelling and trying almost every garment at the store until she finds the perfect one that she absolutely “has to have.”
This reminds me of the first lady that ever went to a “mall.” She visited “Abercrombie and Fig” in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:7).
I am referring, of course, to Eve. The shame of her sin, led her to hide from the presence of God and to cover her body with fig leaves. Since then, human beings need clothes to cover their nakedness.
Eve’s clothes were HOLEY (full of holes) and she soon needed real new clothes provided by God himself. The Bible tell us in Genesis 3:21 that,
“…the Lord God made tunics of skin, and clothed them.”
These new clothes were emblematic of sacrifice and salvation. An innocent animal was sacrificed to provide covering for the fallen humanity. This same concept is vividly illustrated in Zechariah 3:4
“…See, I have removed your iniquity from you, and I will clothe you with rich robes.”
On the other hand, there are UNHOLY clothes (full of sin). These clothes symbolize a host of human preferences, pursuits and problems.
Isaiah 64:6– “…all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags;” (Immorality, hypocrisy)
Genesis 37:3, 4–“Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children… he made him a tunic of many colors. But when his brothers saw that their father loved Joseph more than them, they hated him” (Favoritism, envy, jealousy)
Matthew 6:28, 29—“So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field… even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these” (Worry, anxiety)
I Timothy 2:9—“women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with propriety and moderation, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly clothing” (Indecency, pride, ostentation)
Finally, there are the HOLY new clothes (full of grace and glory) we have in Christ. While there is nothing inherently wrong with wearing brand name clothes, Christians have a better store from which to fill their wardrobe.
In Colossians 3:12-15 we are admonished how to dress properly:
“Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering… forgiving one another…But above all these things put on love…And let the peace of God rule in your hearts…and be thankful.
In Ephesians 6:13-18 we are exhorted to put on or get dressed in the,
“…the whole armor of God…”
One day, we will be in heaven and will be part of,
“…a great multitude…of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes.” (Revelation 7:9)
