WEARING LINEN
Deuteronomy 22:11; Leviticus 16:1-4; Revelation 19:6-8; Galatians 6:1; Acts 18:24-28
I want to speak about linen. Wool causes heat. We sometimes say that woollen clothing stirs up the flesh, in principle; but linen is smooth and cool. Linen is comfortable when it is hot, but I want to speak of what linen speaks of morally in the Scriptures.
Leviticus 16 describes a very difficult time in the history of the children of Israel. Aaron’s two sons had died before the sanctuary (see Lev.10:1-7). It was a grievous failure of the priesthood and would remind us of the sorrows that have entered into the history of the church. We are to feel that sorrow. One result of the failure in Leviticus 10 was that Aaron’s liberty in the divine presence was limited. He obviously had more liberty before this sorrowful matter took place. Moses always had liberty to go into the sanctuary at any time. There was no limit on Moses entering in, but because of the disobedience of Aaron’s two sons, God said to Moses, “Speak unto Aaron thy brother, that he come not at all times into the sanctuary inside the veil”. When he offered the sin offering and the burnt offering, he had to wash and to adorn himself with linen. It says, “A holy linen vest shall he put on”.
In divine things, the flesh has no place; I would remind the dear brethren of that – there is no place for the flesh in divine things. There is no place in the assembly for the flesh. You can tell by Paul’s epistles to the Corinthians, that he felt the need to warn them not to act in the flesh. It was to be judged in every heart, so that the flesh had no opportunity to express itself in the assembly. The believers in Corinth were saying, “I am of Paul, and I of Apollos, and I of Cephas”, 1 Cor.1:12. Their minds were running on fleshly lines, but that is not the spirit that should mark the assembly.
I suggest that the linen girdle is a reference to our affections. Then it says, “and with the linen mitre shall he be attired: these are holy garments; and he shall bathe his flesh in water, and put them on”. That was in order that Aaron should be suitable for the presence of God. It is very important that we as believers, seeking to please God, should be suitable for His presence. We can be very casual, at times, when we come into His presence; but that is not what God intends. God is never casual with us, and never has been. God is holy and righteous. He has intervened to secure people for Himself by the giving of His Son, and through the workings of grace and divine love we have been secured for the assembly. We should thank God continually for the forgiveness of sins – just thank Him all the time for the forgiveness of sins: it is such an immense matter. You know that your sins are gone, and you rejoice in that; but we never forget that we are forgiven sinners and that would keep us humble. I think that is suggested in Aaron’s linen garments.
The passage in Leviticus 16 refers to the day of atonement. We had a Jewish person as our neighbour at home, and I spoke to him and he said, ‘Yesterday was the day of atonement, but I am the same old person now’. I said, ‘But atonement is made!’. What a joy to say that – atonement has been made; it has been eternally established by the blood of Christ. That is wonderful. Your heart throbs with the thought of it.
We should refer to Deuteronomy 22. It says, “Thou shalt not wear a garment of mixed material, woven of wool and linen together”. The wool serves the flesh. You cannot serve God in wool, in the flesh; you must serve Him in linen. Linen is so important.
The first five verses of Revelation 19 give an account of God’s judgment on the false church, which had corrupted the earth. Its removal makes way in verses six to nine for the Lamb’s wife, that is the assembly, who “has made herself ready”. I think that is the time we are in now. The assembly has companied with Christ through so much. Think of all that is written in the first three chapters of this book, where John wrote about the assemblies in Asia and the Lord’s mind as to them, no doubt applicable to the whole assembly. Our passage comes to the end of the present time, and the Spirit of God draws attention to “the Lamb”: “Let us rejoice and exult, and give him glory; for the marriage of the Lamb is come”. Think of the feelings of Christ: “the marriage of the Lamb is come”. He has been waiting for this moment, waiting a long time for it. It goes on to say, “and his wife has made herself ready”. The wife refers to the assembly viewed in its responsible history here throughout the Christian dispensation. This scripture reminds us that the Lamb’s wife is also the bride.
“And it was given to her that she should be clothed in fine linen, bright and pure; for the fine linen is the righteousnesses of the saints”. What attire she has. It is perfectly in keeping with Christ, the fine linen. It is lovely to see that; it is lovely to get a view of the assembly in her fine linen. He will present the assembly to Himself as He wants to see her, and the Spirit has served in the preparation because He knows the feelings of Christ, the features that He longs to see. The Spirit Himself conveys to us the features the Lord desires and is looking for. The Holy Spirit of God makes clear to us what Christ seeks: “that she should be clothed in fine linen, bright and pure; for the fine linen is the righteousnesses of the saints”. All that you and I and every true believer does contributes to this attire. It is beautiful bridal attire, and she is for the heart of Christ. No wonder that it says, “And he says to me, Write, Blessed are they who are called to the supper of the marriage of the Lamb. And he says to me, These are the true words of God”.
This paragraph starts with “And I heard as a voice of a great crowd, and as a voice of many waters, and as a voice of strong thunders, saying, Hallelujah, for the Lord our God the Almighty has taken to himself kingly power”. Other families beside the assembly will be involved in that. John the baptist expressed it when he said, “He that has the bride is the bridegroom”, John 3:29. How did he know that? He must have seen Christ as the Man of God’s choice, and so recognised that He must have a suitable companion and wife. John the baptist’s voice will be amongst those that form “a voice of a great crowd”. All the other families will enter into this acclaim of the assembly making herself ready for the marriage of the Lamb. These things are immediately ahead of us, and they are exhilarating.
Dear young brethren, read the ministry given as part of the recovery to the truth, and write down what impresses you. Then go back to what you have read and the next time, something else will impress you. The word of God is like that – it always provides fresh impressions, every time you go back to it. This great voice is spoken of “as a voice of a great crowd, and as a voice of many waters, and as a voice of strong thunders, saying, Hallelujah, for the Lord our God the Almighty has taken to himself kingly power”. Christ is coming into His kingship, the universal kingship of Christ, and the assembly will be with Him. Is that not wonderful? He will never forget the assembly. Over these last two thousand years, He has been serving the assembly. He sent the Spirit to be here with the assembly, and the Spirit all through that period has given to saints the longings, feelings, and judgment that are suitable to Christ. I do not doubt that we depend on the Holy Spirit to maintain a right assessment of things among the saints.
In Galatians it says, “if even a man be taken in some fault, ye who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of meekness, considering thyself lest thou also be tempted”. Such spiritual persons are wearing linen in the sense we are speaking of it. It means that you are sober, and you consider yourself lest you are tempted as well, and you are in a spirit of meekness. It is a very great thing to restore a person taken in a fault. We need to restore persons, and this is the only way to do it.
In Acts 18 we read about Priscilla and Aquila, a very interesting couple. They first come to light at Corinth (see vv.1,2). I presume Paul stayed with them or was with them at Corinth when he went there. How true they were to Paul. In the passage we read, they are at Ephesus. Apollos, a very eloquent man and mighty in the Scriptures, arrived at Ephesus. It says, “And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue. And Aquila and Priscilla, having heard him, took him to them”. I think they showed the quality of linen. They wanted to help this brother. He came from North Africa and he was eloquent, and the spirit of meekness must have marked Aquila and Priscilla because it says, “having heard him, took him to them and unfolded to him the way of God more exactly”. In the sense we are speaking of it, they were wearing linen. It has been said that Aquila and Priscilla would have taken Apollos to their home to make known to him the way of God more exactly. You see tenderness in their actions: there is nothing to stir up the flesh in what they said, and they would speak to him in a comely way. Linen is cool and fresh. They “unfolded to him the way of God more exactly” and the result is that “And when he purposed to go into Achaia, the brethren wrote to the disciples engaging them to receive him, who, being come, contributed much to those who believed through grace”.
Now Apollos is wearing the linen. That is what happens. Whatever we do, if we do anything, it is good to take on the thought of the linen. Paul is an example. He had no regard for the flesh. In Corinth, Paul portrayed “Jesus Christ, and him crucified”, 1 Cor.2:2. He would take no credit for himself. The same was true of Priscilla and Aquila. They are mentioned in 2 Timothy 4:19: “Salute Prisca and Aquila, and the house of Onesiphorus”. It is generally thought that Timothy was in Ephesus when Paul wrote to him, so Aquila and Priscilla must have been there too. And when Paul wrote to the Romans, he saluted Priscilla and Aquila (see chap.16:3). They are a brother and sister for every environment, whether in Corinth or Ephesus or Rome. They are devoted to the will of the Lord. They are easy to get on with, but quite determined to follow the will of the Lord. We can say that they both wore the linen: it is very precious. I thought these references to Priscilla and Aquila were interesting. They were at Corinth, probably at Ephesus, and in Rome as well. It shows that they were adaptable to any circumstance. They were very fine brethren.
We also have the reference in John 13 to the Lord taking the linen towel and girding Himself (v.4) so that He could wipe the feet of His own. That would have impressed them. Christ never stirred up the flesh in persons; He never said anything that stirred up the flesh in anybody. That is the manhood of Christ: His words would do nothing but convict those who heard, if they were sinners; and to change them if it were possible. That was His grace.
The wearing of linen is very special. It is easy for me to stir up the flesh in someone else. We can do it so easily. But the great thing is to wear the linen. Aaron and his sons that remained wore the linen. They were hindered, there was not the full liberty, but linen was available to them. And thank God it is available to us now. In our relations together let us wear the linen, beloved brethren. It would mean serving one another in sobriety and in love; and the results will be precious, I do not doubt it.
May the Lord bless the word.
Address at Grimsby
14 June 2025
Norman Henry