Nov.

6, 2005
“Why will you hold onto filthy rags, when the Lord offers a pure robe of his
righteousness?”
(The Holy Ghost whispered this to my heart on the way to Sunday School this morning,
and it broke me up, and reduced me to tears, )
Oh, God, help me, I didn't mean to, I didn't really understand..... Help me understand.
Isa 64:6 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy
rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.
(KJV)

Nov. 6, 2005 Filthy Rags Kathleen Maples

Unclean here Strong's Heb: foul, defiled, polluted.

Filthy
FILTH'Y, a.
1. Dirty; foul; unclean; nasty.
2. Polluted; defiled by sinful practices; morally impure.
He that is filthy, let him be filthy still. Rev 22.
3. Obtained by base and dishonest means; as filthy lucre. Titus 1.

Filthy rags: menstruous cloth, soiling, filthy, A menstruous cloth does not stay clean for long, but is regularly
soiled.

Check out these various translations:

MSG:
Isa 64:6 We're all sin-infected, sin-contaminated. Our best efforts are grease-stained
rags. We dry up like autumn leaves-- sin-dried, we're blown off by the wind.
VW-Edition:
Isa 64:6 But we are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are like a
menstruation cloth. And we all fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have
taken us away.
Douay Rheims BBL (Catholic)
Isa 64:6 And we are all become as one unclean, and all our justices as the rag of a
menstruous woman: and we have all fallen as a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind,
have taken us away.
Holman Christian Standard BBL:
Isa 64:6 All of us have become like something unclean, and all our righteous acts are
like a polluted garment; all of us wither like a leaf, and our iniquities carry us away
like the wind.
God's Word:
Isa 64:6 We've all become unclean, and all our righteous acts are like permanently
stained rags. All of us shrivel like leaves, and our sins carry us away like the wind.
NIV:
Isa 64:6 All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy
rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.
Amplified BBL:
For we have all become like one who is unclean (ceremonially, like a leper) and all our
righteousness ( our best deeds of rightness and justice) is like filthy rags or a polluted garment;
we all fade like a leaf and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away (far from God's favor,
hurrying us toward destruction). Ref. Lev. 13:45, 46. (on leprosy).

Rom 10:1 Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be
saved.
Rom 10:2 For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to
knowledge.
Rom 10:3 For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish
their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of
God.

I read somewhere that a man said "IF we are still striving in our flesh then everything we do is
sin." We can never on our best day at the best of times with the best of intentions, and efforts
measure up to the requirements of God. If we could, Jesus would not have had to suffer and die
on the cross. And seeing as how he did have to endure that shame, despising it as he did, it is an
affront to a Holy God, an insult to the Almighty, who sent his Son to endure shame, torture,
degradation, humiliation, on the behalf of fallen mankind, so we might be saved who believe, if
we do not accept the righteousness of the Perfect and Sinless Son of God offered up on our
behalf, and instead go about in our own strength, trying to live for God our way, by our
thoughts and efforts instead of seeking him for the direction and power and wisdom to know
how to walk in his way. Power to do so, by the Holy Ghost. How many times did David say Lord,
teach me thy way? in the Psalms? And in Ps. 32:8, he said he would do so. He said I will teach
thee and instruct thee in the way thou shalt go, and mine eye shall guide thee.

Isa 30:1 Woe to the rebellious children, saith the LORD, that take counsel, but not of
me; and that cover with a covering, but not of my spirit, that they may add sin to sin:
Isa 30:2 That walk to go down into Egypt, and have not asked at my mouth; to
strengthen themselves in the strength of Pharaoh, and to trust in the shadow of
Egypt!
Isa 30:3 Therefore shall the strength of Pharaoh be your shame, and the trust in the
shadow of Egypt your confusion.

Rebellious means: to turn away, morally. Backslide, revolt, slide back, be stubborn, withdraw.
Cover means in the Strong's Hebrew: To pour out, to melt, offer, set up. Anoint a king. In other
words, people who seek people's advice and instruction, rather than the Lord's. Covering is
defined as a fusion of metal, especially a cast image, molten image, vail, coverlet, as if poured
out. A league. So in other words, these people backslid, and sought instruction from other
leaders or people, or other sources of information, rather than God. As a result, they got an
image fused into their thinking, their mind, poured into their thoughts from the source of their
counsel. This is sin to God. When his people turn from him to someone else for instruction or
advice, he considers it sin. If he says it is, it is. Rebellion is a sin, and so is a false covering.
Basically, these are folks who are trusting in their own ideas, their own flesh, or someone
else's, rather than the Spirit of God. Pharaoh means "that disperses or spoils." Egypt means
"that troubles or oppresses; anguish."

Zec 3:1 And he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the
LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him.
From Strong's Hebrew Definitions:
Priest: One officiating, chief ruler, principal officer, prince.
Standing: abide behind, appoint, confirm, continue, dwell, endure, establish, ordain, remain,
stand fast, firm, still, tarry.

to resist him: to attack, or accuse, adversary.

Rebuke (Zech 3:2) to chide, corrupt, rebuke, reprove.

(Webster's 1828): To check or restrain. To chasten; to punish; to afflict for correction. The Lord
rebuke thee, O Satan. Zec 3. Isa 17.
to silence. To restrain; to calm.
He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea. Mat 8.
The word "plucked" in Zec. 3:2 means to snatch away, in a good or bad sense, defend, deliver,
escape, preserve, rescue or recover, save, spoil, strip surely, take out.

Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and Satan was standing there as his adversary, to
accuse, and attack him. Generally, when you go on the attack, you are seeking to kill or maim
something or someone, to render it dead or useless. BUT in this case, the Lord out of sheer
mercy and grace, not even asked for, the Lord himself defends his servant. Nowhere does it say
Joshua or one of his friends was praying for him, to the Lord. It just said Joshua was in a
dangerous position, with filthy garments in the Lord's presence. The Lord restrained Satan, he
intervened of his own will, and directed the Angel to make sure Joshua was given clean
garments. Joshua was in the wrong, for whatever reason, he was unclean. But God, out of love
and mercy, defended him, delivered him from the accusations and attacks of the enemy.

Then the Lord says something totally remarkable: He says:

Take away the filthy garments, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee and I will
clothe thee with a a change of raiment. Here iniquity is defined as "perversity, moral evil, fault,
mischief, sin."
He says I will clothe thee, defined here, that means, "wrap around, put on a garment, come
upon, wear, a mantle, change of clothes or apparel."

Scripture only specifies that Satan, Joshua and the Angel of the Lord stood before him, along
with some unnamed others, who, it doesn't say. Fellows. But God said he caused his iniquity to
pass from him. And he covered him with a change of raiment. The only adequate change would
have been to cover him in the righteousness of Christ, imputed to the believer, by faith, because
our own is filthy rags in the sight of God. That is our covering, the blood and righteousness of
Christ.

In verse 5, "a fair mitre" means pure, clean, head dress, diadem, hood. (Covering for the head)
and this takes you in an entirely different direction: for the word "head" as used here, means "
beginning, captain, chief, excellent, first, forefront, high priest, principal ruler. Top."

Again, V. 6, the word protested as used here, according to Strong's Hebrew definitions: To
repeat, testify, restore, admonish, charge earnestly, lift up, protest, call to record, relieve, give
warning or witness.
In V. 7, Joshua's warned if he will walk in God's ways, keep (hedge about, guard, protect,
attend, take heed to himself, beware, observe, preserve, save, wait and watch) (by implication
the sheep of God's pasture), those around and under him, and keep his charge, (watch,
custody, sentry, post, observance, duty, keep, to be kept, office, ordinance, safeguard, ward,
watch.). Then, he would judge the Lord's House, and he would have places to walk among those
that stood by. (Including the Angel of the Lord and Satan., and those who endured unto the
end, standing fast in the truth.