Makeup/Jewelry - What the Bible says #6
The truth of the matter can be known
GEN.35:1-5 AND EXODUS 33:1-6 by Keith Hunt Some use the above scriptures to try and prove either, that God does not want His children to adorn themselves with jewelry, or that in order to come before God to worship Him in Spirit and in Truth, one must put away all jewelry from off their body and clothes. I have had personal experience with groups of people and different church organizations that teach their members to avoid the use of jewelry items such as rings, necklaces, bracelets, broaches, decorative pins, and other things that could be considered purely decorative and cosmetic. It is interesting to see how some of the ladies in these groups will push the limit of the line set for them by the elders (usually men) of their denomination. Some will have a clasp holding their blouse together, it will be quite decorative but it is not really just for decoration, but serves to hold things together, so it would seem they are allowed to have it. Then other ladies will "go to town" on wearing bright colored clothes with a fancy belt, but the clothes and skirt belt are not really decoration (so it is argued) and this is then approved, or at least the elders do not tell them they cannot have such clothing and belts. I have seen some women with very decorative shoes, silver or gold etc. buttons or straps on them, and nothing said because, well, shoes are not really decoration, but a necessity. Then I've seen some of the brightest eye catching headgear on the ladies of the "no jewelry" churches. Many of them have gold and silver ornamented wrist watches, because, well, watches are not really decoration are they? They will not wear ear-rings but will hold their dress scarf around their neck together with a flamboyant, very ornate, clasp of some kind, because, well........you already know what comes next. Some of these same people will not go to a "movie house" even if a Walt Disney picture is showing, because, movie houses are "sin" but they will allow the TV to be pounding out anything their children wish to view. I've been there I've seen it all. Then again some of the "no jewelry" groups also are "no TV" as well. Some congregations dress and look very plain and even drab in their personal appearance, but their church building or their homes are far from being "drab" - decorated with bright colors, ornamentation, fancy stained glass windows, anything but plain lighting fixtures and carpeting. Well back to our main study for this time around and the two sections of scripture we are going to look at in-depth. The first one is Genesis 35:1-5. GENESIS 35:1-5 All of this we will now do with Genesis 35:1-5. I will quote quite extensively from two very popular and famous Bible Commentaries - Adam Clarke and the commentary by Jamieson, Fausset, Brown. First from the latter Commentary, volume one, pages 222, 223. All emphasis is mine throughout. Quote: "1. God said unto Jacob, Arise, etc. ......The disgraceful and perilous events that had recently taken place in the patriarch's family must have produced in him a strong desire to remove without delay from the vicinity of Shechem. Borne down by an overwhelming sense of the criminality of his two sons - of the offense they had given to God, and the dishonor they had brought on the true faith - .......he must have felt this call as affording a great relief to his afflicted feelings. At the SAME TIME it conveyed a TENDER REBUKE. Go up to Bethel, etc. Bethel was about thirty miles south of Shechem......There, he would not only be released from the painful associations of the latter place, but be established on a spot, that would revive the most delightful and sublime recollections........make....an altar unto God, that appeared. It too frequently happens that early impressions are effaced through lapse of time - that promises made in seasons of distress are forgotten.....Jacob was LYING UNDER THAT CHARGE. He had FALLEN INTO SPIRITUAL INDOLENCE. It was now eight or ten years since his return to Canaan. He had effected a comfortable settlement; and had acknowledged the Divine mercies by which that return and settlement had been signally distinguished (cf. ch. 33:20). But for some unrecorded reason, his EARLY VOW AT BETHEL (see on ch. 28:22), made thirty years before, in a great crisis of his life, REMAINED UNPERFORMED. The Lord appeared now, to remind him of his neglected duty - in terms, however so mild, as awakened less the memory of his faults, than of the kindness of his heavenly Guardian......2. then Jacob said unto his household.....Put away the strange gods - Hebrew, gods of the stranger - of foreign nations (cf. Josh.24:20, 23; Deut.30:11, 12; .....where the word occurs in the singular). Besides the IDOLS WHICH WOULD BE GOT AMONGST THE PLUNDER OF SHECHEM, Jacob had brought, in this service, a number of Mesopotamian RETAINERS, who were ADDICTED TO SUPERSTITIOUS PRACTICES;........He might have been TOO NEGLIGENT HITHERTO IN WINKING AT THESE EVILS IN HIS SERVANTS; OR, PERHAPS, it was not till his arrival in Canaan that he had learned, for the first time, that one nearer and dearer to him, was SECRETLY INFECTED WITH THE SAME CORRUPTION(vv.31,34). Be that as it may, he resolved to an immediate and thorough reformation of his household; and in commanding them to put away their strange gods, he added, 'be clean, and change your garments,' as if some defilement, from contact with idolatry, should still remain about them. In the law of Moses many ceremonial purifications were ordained, and observed by persons who had contacted certain defilements, and without the observance of which, they were reckoned unclean and unfit to join in the social worship of God (Lev.14:4; Num.8:7; Ezra 6:20; Neh.12:30; 13:22)........4. they gave....all the strange gods....and.....earrings - strange gods - the TERAPHIM (cf.31:30,34) as well, perhaps, as other IDOLS GOT AMONGST THE SHECHEMITE SPOIL......earrings of various forms, sizes, and materials, which are UNIVERSALLY WORN IN THE EAST, AND THEN AS NOW CONNECTED WITH INCANTATION AND IDOLATRY. SOME OF THOSE EARRINGS, WHICH ARE USED AS TALISMANS OR AMULETS, HAVE FIGURES AND MYSTIC CHARACTERS ENGRAVED UPON THEM (cf Hos.2:13).....Jacob hid them under the oak - or terebinth, a towering tree......He hid the IMAGES and AMULETS, delivered to him by his Mesopotamian dependants, at the root of this tree. The TEREBINTH, being remarkable for longevity, was often employed as a landmark.... Moreover, being, like the oak, deemed a consecrated tree (Josh.24:26), to bury the IDOLATROUS OBJECTS at its roots was to deposit them in a place where no bold hand would venture to disturb the ground; and hence it was called from this circumstance - ' THE PLAIN OF MEONENIM ' - i.e., THE OAK OF ENCHANTMENTS (Judg.9:37); and from the great stone which Joshua set up - ' the oak of the pillar ' (Judg.9:6)......." End of quote. Aaaahhhh, do you see the whole context ? Do you see the history behind all this? This was nothing to do with God hating jewelry per se! This was nothing to do with the Lord hating His people adorning themselves with jewelry. This was nothing to do with God trying to tell Jacob or US today that in order to worship God in "spirit and in truth" one must "put away" all jewelry decorations from their clothes and body! This section of scripture does NOT CONTRADICT all the other positive verses in the Bible concerning God's people wearing jewelry. These verses do no contradict what we read about in EZEKIEL 16 where God uses jewelry to likening how He found Israel, washed her clean, perfumed and oiled her, dressed her in the finest linen and clothes, and decorated her with all manner of jewels, and made her so beautiful that all nations were impressed and awed by her beauty. As Jesus said: "the scriptures cannot be broken!" What a thrill, what a joy my friends to know that absolute truth. God's word does not contradict itself, God does not send out sweet water and bitter water at the same time. Many pull out certain verses from the Bible, twist them, interpret them into false doctrines, cause many to err and be led astray, cause many to believe their outward form of show or "no show" in physical appearance, is somehow more righteous and mor holy than the next fellow, many may do this, but let God be true though every man a liar. Men may have the consent and acquiescence and endorsement of other men as to their books they write trying to prove God's word says this or that, when it does not, but the plain truth is available to those who will search the scriptures daily to see if those things be so. You can know the truth and the truth will set you free from the errors of men and women who come telling you God has spoken, when God did not send them, neither did He speak to them. Now let's see what truth Adam Clarke gave to us concerning this passage in Genesis 35. Quote: "Verse 1. Arise, go to Bethel. The transaction that had lately taken place rendered it unsafe for Jacob to dwell any longer at the city of Shechem; and it seems that while he was reflecting on the horrible act of Simeon and Levi, and not do, God graciously appeared to him, and commanded him to go to Bethel, build an altar there, and thus perform the vow he had made, chap.28:20, 22. Verse 2. Put away the strange gods......elochey hannechar, the gods of the foreigners, which were among them. Jacob's servants were all Syrians, and no doubt were addicted less or more to idolatry and superstition. THESE GODS MIGHT BELONG TO THEM, OR AS SOME HAVE CONJECTURED, THEY WERE THE TERAPHIM WHICH RACHEL STOLE.......but it is more natural to suppose that these gods found now in Jacob's family were the IMAGES OF SILVER, GOLD, OR CURIOUS WORKMANSHIP, WHICH WERE FOUND AMONG THE SPOILS OF THE CITY OF SHECHEM. LEST THESE SHOULD BECOME INCITEMENTS TO IDOLATRY, JACOB ORDERS THEM TO BE PUT AWAY. Be clean, and change your garments.......In many cases the law of Moses more solemnly enjoined rites and ceremonies which had been in use from the earliest ages....... Verse 4. And - ear-rings which were in their ears. Whether these rings were in the ears of the gods, or in those of Jacob's family, we may rest assured that they were NOT MERE ORNAMENTS, BUT SERVED FOR SUPERSTITIOUS PURPOSES. Ear-rings were certainly worn as amulets and charms, first consecrated to some god, or formed under some constellation, on which magical characters and images were drawn. A very ancient and beautiful one of this kind brought from Egypt, cut out of a solid piece of cornelian, now lies before me. It was evidently intended for the ear, as the opening is too small for any human finger; and it is engraved all over with strange characters and images, which prove it was intended for a talisman or amulet. It seems to be such a one as St.Augustine describes, Epist.73, which was suspended from the tip of the ears both of men and women, not for the purpose of ornament, but through an execrable superstition, for the service of demons........." End of quote. Even without all this fine amplified commentary from the above "scholars" of Biblical Theology, the very context should tell us what this was all about. The words "strange gods" give us the sense of what was going on here in Jacob's family and all under his authority and care. Many in his household had wandered off into idolatry and the worship of false strange gods of the nations decking themselves with the superstitious charms, lucky this and lucky that clothes and jewels, used by the pagans in their affections towards their demonic gods. Jacob had allowed his household to fall into idolatry. He was not as close to the Lord as he should have been. Simeon and Levi had done much evil. It was time to repent and get back to serving the Lord with a full and clean heart. God was having mercy upon him. He was giving him a chance to make things right, to perform the oath and vow he had once promised. God was taking him back to Bethel where a fresh clean righteous start could be made. So all the physical things connected with idolatrous devil worship was to be put away. This Jacob was willing to do, and so commanded his household likewise. This section of scripture has nothing to do with the RIGHTEOUS USE OF JEWELRY FOR A DECORATION ON THE CLOTHES AND BODY OF THE CHILDREN OF GOD!! EXODUS 33:1-6 First, I want you to read back into the context of this passage. We can start in chapter 32. Here we see that the people were wearing jewelry! Note verse 2. Oh, yes they were going to put these jewels to an evil use and for an idolatrous purpose, but BEFORE this idea came into their minds, they were obviously wearing jewelry. Now if jewelry per se was so evil and unrighteous and just "not very holy" to God, if it was something He abhorred as being "vain" and "showy." Something that was too much of "this world" and too much like the heathen and unconverted nations around that did not "know" the true God and His likes of a bland, dull, drab, of dress for His worshippers, THEN WHY TELL ME HAD GOD NOT CORRECTED THEM ABOUT THIS MATTER WHEN HE WAS GIVING THE LAWS OF THE COVENANT TO THEM (back in chapters 20 - 23). Using simple logic, the Israelites had to this poin, NO IDEA that the wearing of jewelry was evil, sin, or just not quite "righteous." Go back a little further into the context. Say about chapter 25. God instructs them to build Him a TABERNACLE TO DWELL IN, and all things in the tabernacle. Start to read. The furniture for in verses 10-40, the curtains in chapter 26:1-14, the Tabernacle frames in verses 15-30, the vail for the ark in verses 31-37, the altar in chapter 27:1-8, the court of the Tabernacle in verses 9-19. Now beginning in chapter 28 we see the instructions for making the CLOTHES for the Priesthood. Read it all my friends! Let its words sink in deep, you may want to mark some of them. Say verses 4, 5, 6, 11, 13, 14, 15-21, 22-27, 31-39. THE CLOTHES FOR AARON WAS FOR GLORY AND BEAUTY!!! See chapter 28:2. His clothes were ANYTHING BUT DRAB, PLAIN OR DULL! They were anything but colorless. They were anything but lacking IN JEWELRY!!! No wonder God had said NOTHING to the people of Israel about "color and jewelry" being evil, sin, unholy, unrighteous, and an abomination for them to have on their clothes or body in worshipping Him. So what is all this about in chapter 33:1-6? Read back again into chapter 32. A GREAT EVIL had been done by the people, in making a golden calf to worship it as if it was God and not God being God. Now hold it there for a moment. I want to ask a question. You Christian ladies who do believe in wearing jewelry, do you do it for "vanity" reasons, or to "be noticed" so every eye will turn to look at you? Or is it that when you have nice undergarments on, nice over-garments on in form of dresses, skirts, blouses etc. when you have nice shoes on, when your hair is shaped nicely, have some perfume on, and a little jewelry, you FEEL GOOD! It is just very pleasant for you and it is very pleasant for the rest of us. The world is full of God's decorations in many forms, shapes, colors, and jewels, so it is not boring, dull, or drab. And God's creation is built with decoration changes from time to time. You like to dress nicely with some decoration because it just feels "good" pure and simple. Who wants to feel and look like they have been lost out in the jungle for a month? Who in the world wants to see anyone looking like they have been lost in the back woods for a month? Who wants to look and feel like they have as my mother would say "been pulled through a hedge backwards" ? Now, here's another question, It's on the way back to Ex.33, but this all helps explain it. Do you dress going to your wedding (the conventional full gown type I'm thinking) with your gardening clothes on? No, you do not. If you are a spectator at a wedding, do you dress for it and attend with your sleeping clothes on? I think not. If going to a music recital in a fancy building with the President of the USA there, or say [Now King Charles] will you go dressed in your mechanic or bakery clothes? No, I do not think so. If attending a funeral will you go dressed in your beach party clothes with a towel thrown over your shoulder? No you will not. I go dressed in all my cowboy finery, fancy colorful shirt, with silver collar clips, carved leather belt with a big decorative buckle, a decorative neck tie with a jewel clasp, and some boots that have silver toe and heel plates. I feel good in that outfit, it fits the situation, as all the men will be dressed in somewhat the same way. The ladies will have all their fancy square dance dresses on. It is the right clothing for the right time and situation. Such clothing and jewelry makes you feel fine and dandy, it is uplifting and enjoyable. Jewelry is usually worn to make you feel good and to lift the spirits. It is festive stuff, to help set the festive time, and rejoice the inner spirit. It is usually worn when happy and carefree, when wanting to rejoice. People do not usually wear much if any jewelry when attending a funeral. There is as Solomon was inspired to write, a time and place for everything under the sun. A time to laugh, a time to cry, a time to work, a time to sleep, a time to sing, a time not to sing, a time to play, a time to rest, a time...... to wear jewelry and a time to not wear jewelry! Ah, now are you beginning to see the answer to Exodus 33:1-6? The Israelites had just committed a GREAT SIN in chapter 32. The Lord had PLAGUED them! (verse 35). This was no laughing matter! This was no festive time! This was no time to square dance the barn down! This was no wedding time! This was no time for going to the circus and having fun and laughter! This was no warm sunny afternoon beach party down in southern Florida in the middle of the winter! There is a time and place for everything. Their is a time and place for the wearing of jewelry, BUT THIS WAS NOT THE TIME NOR WAS IT THE PLACE!! When they heard from God concerning this matter, they were not in any happy mood or festive mind set I can tell you. It is written: "THEY MOURNED, AND NO MAN PUT ON HIS ORNAMENTS." They were at a funeral not a wedding this time around. And they sure were not going to dress as if they were going to attend the local country square dance jamboree, or "evening at the Pops with...." whoever was conducting the concert of joy and frivolity. This was no time to be happy, up-beat, to be singing in the rain, nor the sound of music. It was a time to be singing the blues if any singing was to be done. God knew there was a time and place for everything under the sun. He knew it was a time for them to "put off your ornaments, so I may know what to do with you." When in Rome they say, do as the Romans. God was in no festive mood, it was not the time for decorations. So the people did as the Lord told them to do. But did the people of Israel after this was all over NEVER AGAIN wear jewelry? The rest of the Bible says and proves THEY SURE DID! And with God's blessing and approval a lot of the times. Certainly we see individual people of God wearing jewelry without any condemnation from God, MANY times after this incident in Exodus 33. There it is, the truth of the matter concerning these two often used and often misapplied sections of scripture. Truly the truth will set you FREE!! .................................................... |
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