Monthly Study
October 2024Garments of Grace
Clothing in the Bible
If you’ve ever dressed for an important occasion, you probably selected each item with care. For example, a bride might spend hours finding the perfect wedding dress. Or, a recent college graduate chooses a suit and tie, hoping to get the job. But there are times when our appearance doesn’t matter, and we throw on whatever is comfortable or convenient.
Clothing is not a modern invention. In fact, the very first clothes are recorded in the Bible! A study of clothing in the Bible yields interesting results. Sometimes clothing plays a special part in a biblical narrative. Other times it is used as a symbol with spiritual meaning. As we open up this closet packed full of Bible passages, we hope you will grow in your understanding of God’s Word and that your faith will be encouraged!
Your devotional author,
Brad Baurain
Volume 37Edition 10
Managing Editor: Jamie Janosz, Senior Editor: Elena Mafter, Contributing Editor: John Koessler, Writer: Bradley Baurain, Graphic Designer: Rachel Hutcheson, Marketing: JD Hamby, Production: Rhonda AuYeung
About the Author
Brad Baurain
Bradley Baurain is Associate Professor and Program Head of TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) at Moody Bible Institute.
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Podcasts
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The First Clothes
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In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s classic novel, The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne must wear a red letter “A” on her dress as a symbol of her adultery.
October 1, 2024
The Scent of Deception
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When I was a child, my gift-giving was very predictable. I always bought Old Spice for my father. Old Spice cologne. Old Spice shaving cream. Old Spice soap on a rope.
October 2, 2024
Purifying Ourselves
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When preparing to attend a special occasion such as a graduation or a wedding day, most people plan their clothes well in advance.
October 3, 2024
Humble Garments
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Whenever Charlie Brown in the Peanuts comic strip suffers frustration, he cries out, “Aaugh!” When his baseball team loses again—”Aaugh!”...
October 4, 2024
Torn Robes
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The fourth-century theologian Augustine was dying. Enemies were at the gates of his city in North Africa. How did he respond?
October 5, 2024
Repenting in Sackcloth
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The penitential psalms confess sin and express repentance. One of these is Psalm 51, in which David confessed his sins of adultery and murder.
October 6, 2024
A Coat of Camel’s Hair
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As an English teacher in China, my (future) wife Julia attended a banquet hosted by her university. There the leaders urged her to sample a local specialty—fried silkworms.
October 7, 2024
A Colorful Coat
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Moody professor Jim Coakley, in his award-winning book 14 Fresh Ways to Enjoy the Bible, analyzed Joseph’s clothing in Genesis 37-45...
October 8, 2024
Rich and Poor
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When Jesus instructed the rich young ruler to sell all he had and follow Him, the man’s face fell in disappointment. He was too attached to his wealth to obey.
October 9, 2024
Plundering the Egyptians
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How well do you understand the Passover?
October 10, 2024
Long-Lasting Clothes
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One of my favorite items of clothing used to be a gray wool sweater I’d purchased during a summer in Oxford, England. The sweater was soft and comfortable.
October 11, 2024
A Mother’s Love
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As I write these words, my wife and I are awaiting the birth of our fifth child. By the time you read this devotional, Lord willing, he will be four months old.
October 12, 2024
A Guardian-Redeemer
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At one time, in a corner of a popular park in Shanghai, Chinese parents would gather to attempt matchmaking for their adult children.
October 13, 2024
A Pledge of Friendship
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A good friend is a treasure. One study found that ten percent of women and fifteen percent of men say they do not have even one friend.
October 14, 2024
Clothing and God’s Favor
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Eighteenth-century American pastor and theologian Jonathan Edwards wrote of the beauty and wonder of God’s salvation:...
October 15, 2024
Clothing and God’s Mercy
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When Jesus healed the demoniac in Mark 5:1–20, the man’s condition was completely reversed.
October 16, 2024
Clothing and God’s Grace
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Two centuries ago, pastor Charles Simeon drew this lesson from the parable of the prodigal son: “Even the vilest sinners find their hopes not only realized but far exceeded...
October 17, 2024
Priestly Garments
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Uniforms indicate a wearer’s social function and call for appropriate respect.
October 18, 2024
The Hills Are Clothed
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Poet Luci Shaw, in “Spring song, very early morning,” rejoiced: “All the field’s a hymn! All / dandelions give glory, gold / and silver.
October 19, 2024
The Garments of the Lord
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When I was teaching English in Quy Nhon, Vietnam, a typhoon hit the coast not far from us. Curiously (and foolishly), I walked down to the beach to see the aftereffects.
October 20, 2024
Garments of Salvation
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In English, we have many sayings related to clothing. For example: When I need to get work done, I “roll up my sleeves.”
October 21, 2024
Garments of Beauty
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“Beauty is only skin deep,” says an American proverb. Similarly, a Chinese saying asserts, “If there is light in the soul, there will be beauty in the person.”
October 22, 2024
Baby Clothes
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This past Christmas, our family visited the Art Institute of Chicago to view a special Nativity scene, a crèche from Naples, Italy, that dates to the eighteenth century.
October 23, 2024
Clothing at the Crucifixion
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In their introduction to The Moody Handbook of Messianic Prophecy, the editors assert: “How messianic prophecy is viewed will ultimately affect...
October 24, 2024
The Towel and Basin
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“As a leader,” wrote pastor Crawford W. Loritts in Leadership as an Identity, “you must never forget that you belong to the community of the towel and the basin.
October 25, 2024
The Full Armor
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We must always be ready for battle, warned Paul David Tripp in his book Lead: “[T]he Bible normalizes rather than dramatizes spiritual warfare.
October 26, 2024
Protective Gear
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Watching Popeye cartoons as a child, I always waited for one specific moment. No matter the problem, no matter the enemy, there would come that moment ...
October 27, 2024
Clothed Like Flowers
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In my office at Moody I have a small rock, a gift from one of my daughters. The front is painted with a field of sunflowers. On the back is Luke 12:27: “Consider how the wild flowers grow.
October 28, 2024
Clothed with Kindness
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In the winter of 1777–1778, George Washington’s army at Valley Forge was sick and starving. Chief Shenendoah of the Oneidas sent a gift of corn in support.
October 29, 2024
Clothing Ourselves
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The words of a traditional spiritual show the joy of our salvation: “I’m born of God, I know I am, My soul’s been anchored in the Lord, I’m purchased by the dying Lamb,
October 30, 2024
The Garments of the Lamb
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Singer-songwriter Caroline Cobb based these lyrics on the book of Revelation: “I see a city coming down / Like a bride in whitest gown...
October 31, 2024