It was not long after the beginning of time people put on clothes for the first time. After they became aware of good and evil their first action was clothing themselves (Genesis 3:1-7). God aided the new practice by providing even more adequate clothing than what Adam and Eve made for themselves. Thus the need for covering our bodies began.
When I considered what God had to say about what we should wear, I observed that the Bible had little to say about what to wear, in both the old and new testaments. There were some guidelines given, but they were few. In the old testament the clothing for priests was meticulously specified, and men and women were told not to wear clothes meant for their counterpart gender (Deuteronomy 22:5). In the new testament women were told to dress with modesty and discretion in addition to a warning not to emphasize outward finery of dress, jewelry and hair (1 Timothy 2:9, 1 Peter 3:3). Beyond those things, I was unable to find more references about God's desire for our clothing.
I discovered some general principles, though, and some necessary implications from which to draw conclusions. The first, and likely most important principle, to impress me was the theme throughout the Bible that God looks upon the heart, not the outward man. God plainly stated this when Samuel anointed young David as king of Israel (1 Samuel 16:7). The contrast of David with Saul, the first king of Israel, is stark. Saul was the king that the people begged for against God's will. Though David didn't impress Samuel as particularly "kingly," Saul was the perfect picture (to man's eye) of a valiant warrior king (1 Samuel 9:2) The men were vastly different in character, though. Saul was whiny, selfish and rebellious. David was humble, obedient and devoted to God. Jesus gently corrected Martha's misplaced focus as she sought to provide for Jesus' physical needs while her sister chose the greater things, listening to "the Lord's word" (Luke 10:18-42). He also required that the wealthy ruler sell all his possessions to give to the poor so that he could trade that life for one of following Jesus (Luke 18:18-23). Over and over are examples of this principle recorded in Scripture. I concluded that, beyond the very few requirements stated earlier, Jesus is not concerned about what we wear. In fact, He encouraged us not to worry about what we will wear, eat or drink, but instead to seek spiritual things first, trusting that God will supply the meager physical things that we need. It was clear to me that great emphasis on any physical thing is wasted emphasis, but seeking the right heart is of great value. Though little was said about what we put on our bodies, much was recorded about what should be put on. Rom. 13:12-15 - put on “the armor of light” and “Jesus Christ,” leaving no provision for the flesh and its lusts. Eph. 4: 17 -24 - discontinue our walk of sin and “put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of truth.“ Eph. 6 further encouraged us to put on the spiritual armor because our battle against sin is not of this physical realm. Phil. 3:2-11 warns us not to fall prey to false teaching and tells us who we have become: those who worship God, putting no confidence in the flesh. Paul goes on to tell how he has counted all his former earthly clout as rubbish. Colossians 3 warns us to no longer walk in sin but “as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other...and beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.“ (vss.12-14) Many things were written for us to “put on,“ but none included adornment of our physical bodies.
4 comments:
You are right on. In my experience when people have strong convictions about their outward appearance, they have taken one passage which spoke to their opinion and not seen the whole counsel of God. At the same time a heart in tune with God's can out of ignorance be misguided also. That is why it is important to be continually in prayer and study of the Word so that our ignorance is exposed. It also seems that outward appearance is more easily judged than the heart, which only God can discern. Perhaps that is why we mortals focus on that.
Hi!
I think too we need to be careful of thinking we know *why* people dress as they do. I have worn dresses/skirts almost exclusively for quite a few years now, but it is not a conviction. It is, and has always been, a strong preference. But certainly not something I would/could bind on anyone else--even my own daughter.
As you've pointed out--other than modest apparel, God doesn't spell things out specifically!
As your Mom says, we really need to be in the Word continually. If we are, it is sure to keep us looking at our own lives.
judy in tx - absolutely! With all the changing stages of my wardrobe I have numerous times been shoved into some box labeled other than the truth of the matter. In some future post that will likely be addressed in a rebuttal section. I have heard it asserted a lot that you can tell a lot about a person's heart by what they wear. It is all assumption - which sometimes might be correct - but only accidentally. God alone knows the heart fully.
I know what you mean about being "put in a box." And I hate being put in one. And then, I am likely to turn around and put someone else into a box. In fact, just today, we were at the local used bookstore and two young men were coming toward me, tattoes, etc. and I thought, I hope they don't knock me down. I only had to pass one though, and as we passed, there was this wonderfully courteous, excuse me. And I was so glad. I was glad to be wrong. And it is one of those things that make me think. Appearances MAY tell a lot, but as you say, not ALL. It is a hard, long job to root out all my wrong ideas!
Keep blogging!!
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