the Week of Proper 28 / Ordinary 33
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Bible Dictionaries
Naked
Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary
or NAKED, NAKEDNESS
In Scripture language, these terms mean somewhat more than the mere uncovering of the body; they have peculiar respect to the soul. Thus Adam and his wife in the state of innocency were naked, but not ashamed. (Genesis 2:25) Whereas, when the soul is without grace, unwashed in the blood of Christ, and unclothed with the robe of Jesus's righteousness, this is a state of spiritual nakedness; hence Christ describes the church of Laodicea in this awful state, and yet unconscious of it. "Because thou sayest, (saith Christ) I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing, and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked." (Revelation 3:17) So that nakedness implies, in the scriptural and spiritual sense of the word, a soul that is destitute of all covering before God. A sinner unawakened, unregenerated, hath nothing to clothe him against the calamities of the rain, and storm, and tempest of divine wrath; hence the whole of their corruption must appear; and how then, independent of every other consideration, can such an one enter the kingdom of God? "Here shall in no wise enter into it" (saith the decided language of the word of God when describing the glories of heaven, and the characters that dwell there) "any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie." (Revelation 21:27) Hence sweetly doth Jesus admonish to take of him the suitable covering. "I counsel thee (saith Christ) to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear." (Revelation 3:18)
It was not perhaps without reference to something of the same kind, though not so explained and brought to light as it is now by the gospel, that the easterns went without sandals into the temple. Moses at the hush was commanded by the Lord to put off his shoes from off his feet, for the place whereon he stood was holy ground. (Exodus 3:5) Hence perhaps arose the custom of the priests ministering in the temple with their feet uncovered; and the frequent washings appointed in the Jewish ordinances had a gospel significancy, to intimate both the uncleanness and nakedness of our poor fallen nature, and both needing the cleansing by Christ's blood, and the clothing in Christ's righteousness, with which to appear before God. What a blessed thing is it that Jesus, when finding his church in this state of spiritual nakedness, and cast out as the child in the open field of nature, to perish, passed by and bid us live; yea, washed us, clothed us, and made us beautiful in his comeliness put upon us, that our renown went forth among the heathen for our beauty. (Ezekiel 16:1-14) Surely, every child of God may well say, "I was a stranger, and Jesus took me in; naked, and he clothed me." (Matthew 25:35-36)
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Hawker, Robert D.D. Entry for 'Naked'. Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance and Dictionary. https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/pmd/n/naked.html. London. 1828.
