Here at Gospel Threads, we love studying themes in the Bible! Tracing a single thread from Genesis to Revelation helps us see the redemption story as one unified whole—and deepens our understanding of who God is and what he’s done for us.
For our first season, we chose the theme of “Clothing” because it beautifully illustrates how we were stained by sin yet covered in righteousness through Jesus.
Below is a condensed retelling of the entire biblical story—told through the theme of clothing. From the fig leaves in Eden to the robes of righteousness in Revelation, see how God weaves his grace into every layer of Scripture.
Long ago, God created the first people, Adam and Eve. Because of his great love for them, he placed them in a perfect garden and clothed them in bodies that were designed to live in complete harmony with the world around them and each other. Then one day, Adam and Eve disobeyed God, destroying the perfect harmony that surrounded them. As a result, the world grew cold, harsh, and dangerous. And their bodies now needed protection from the thorns, the weather, and the cold. But most of all they needed protection from the shame that rose up within them and displayed itself on their naked bodies, like a stain. And so, with dead leaves, they covered themselves.
But God, still moved by his love for them, showed them how to clothe themselves in a better way. He made clothing for them with animal skins. Clothes that would last longer, keep them warmer, and protect them better. After he covered them, he sent them out of the garden clothed in hope, promising that one day he would send someone to wash away their stain so they could return.
Time passed and people filled the earth and forgot about God. They knew how to clothe themselves, why did they need him now? So God chose one man, one family to set apart for himself. God clothed Abraham in righteousness when Abraham put his faith in God. His family grew until one day his great-grandson, Joseph was given a beautiful, expensive robe that symbolized his father’s favoring love for him. His jealous brothers sold him to slave traders and covered his coat in blood making his father, Jacob believe that Joseph was dead. In anguish, Jacob tore his own clothes, an outward expression of the grief and pain within him.
But in reality, Joseph was brought to Egypt where he rose in power and came to wear the linens and jewelry of a wealthy leader. When his brothers returned to him, seeking help, he gifted them with new clothes, a sign of his forgiveness.
Joseph’s family multiplied in the land of Egypt, and when a new Pharaoh came to power, their status subsided, and they found themselves dressed in the rags of slavery, crying out for a rescuer. God heard their cries and delivered them from the hands of the Egyptians. When they left, the Egyptians sent them away with all their wealth, including their clothes and jewelry. God led them to the wilderness, where they used the plunder to build a sacred place for God to dwell among them: the tabernacle. For 40 years, the nation of Israel wandered in the desert with the tabernacle, and their clothes and shoes did not wear out but were preserved by God.
God used this time to teach the Israelites how they were to live as his people. He wanted Israel to be clothed in holiness – different from the nations around them. But time and time again, they pursued the clothes of idolatry and sin, rejecting the love that God covered them with.
When they had finally settled in their own land, they wanted to have a king like all the other nations. God chose David to be their second king: a small boy who preferred his simple clothes over the heavy armor given to him. He grew to be a great king and wrote about the splendor and majesty of our God. David’s love for God even compelled him to dance in the streets in undignified worship, wearing only a linen cloth.
But in the years to follow, the Israelites forgot about God again and became so stained by their sin that they no longer remembered his commands to be holy.
The prophet Isaiah, seeing their deep sin, abandoned his clothes and remained completely naked for three years, a desperate attempt to warn the Israelites of the approaching punishment. And when they did not repent, God allowed them to be taken back into slavery, trading in their clothes of freedom for the rags of slavery once again.
When their punishment was over, God led them back home and sent a message for them through another prophet, Zechariah. In Zechariah’s vision, a priest’s filthy clothes were replaced with fine garments and a clean turban. It was a sign that a savior would be coming soon. A savior that would take away their dirty clothes and cover them in a purity that they had never known before. A purity that would last. A purity that would allow them to walk with God just as Adam had done in the beginning.
