What Does the Bible Teach Concerning Ornaments?

LESSON 2

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE TEACH CONCERNING EARRINGS, MAKEUP AND OTHER ORNAMENTS?

You are welcome to another edition of Insights from God's Word, a Bible study programme that is committed to sharing God's Word by allowing the Bible to speak for itself.

In this edition, we continue with our series on Christian Adornment. The topic for this study is: What Does the Bible Teach Concerning Earrings, Makeup and other Ornaments? It is interesting to learn that the Bible has much to say concerning earrings, makeup and other ornaments. In the Bible, jewellery or ornaments served several purposes. Some few I want to mention include:

i) Its use as currency or a medium of exchange (Genesis 24:22; Exodus 30:13-16; Numbers 31:50; Matthew 10:9).

ii) Its use as freewill offerings (Exodus 30:11-16; Matthew 2:11).

iii) Its use by priests and kings as symbols of authority (Exodus 28:2-39; Esther 3:10, 12).

In this study however, I want us to focus on the use of ornaments for personal adornment. As we go through the pages of Scripture, we gain wonderful counsels with regards to this topic. However, just like other plain teachings of Scripture, one is likely to find room to justify his or her position by examining only quotes which seem to support his or her way of living. It is my sincere prayer that the Lord will lead us to behold wonderful truths in His Word as we open the pages of Scripture in this study.

Friends, as Jacob journeyed with his family from Haran to the land of Canaan, God reminded him of the promise he had made to Him at Bethel (see Genesis 28:10-22). From Genesis 35, we read about God's encounter with Jacob: "35:1 And God said unto Jacob, Arise, go up to Bethel, and dwell there: and make there an altar unto God, that appeared unto thee when thou fleddest from the face of Esau thy brother.

35:2 Then Jacob said unto his household, and to all that were with him, Put away the strange gods that are among you, and be clean, and change your garments:

35:3 And let us arise, and go up to Bethel; and I will make there an altar unto God, who answered me in the day of my distress, and was with me in the way which I went.

35:4 And they gave unto Jacob all the strange gods which were in their hand, and all their earrings which were in their ears; and Jacob hid them under the oak which was by Shechem."

(Genesis 35:1-4) From the passage above, we learn that before the patriarch could come into the presence of God and worship, he had to get rid of all the strange gods among his people. We notice from the passage how Jacob had to also collect the earrings of his family members in addition to the strange gods, and securely hide them. The story makes it clear that Jacob and his family could not appear before the Lord with their earrings. Now, a deep question we must try to find an answer to is this: Is there an intricate connection between idol worship and the wearing of ornaments such as earrings? As we proceed in this study, the Bible will give us clear answers in regard to this question.

In the process of time, God established Jacob in the Land of Canaan. In the heathen land of Canaan, Jacob instructed his household to continue to obey and worship the true God. However, it wasn't long before the family of Jacob found themselves in the heathen land of Egypt; a land where the Pharaoh could declare "Who is the LORD, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the LORD, neither will I let Israel go" (Exodus 5:2). In this heathen land, the people of Israel gradually forgot the laws of their God as the patriarch and his sons fell asleep. As they mingled with the people, they copied various forms of pagan practices including the wearing of ornaments.

But God had not forgotten His promise to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. In the fullness of time, the Lord sent the prophet Moses to deliver Israel from the bondage of Egypt. After Moses has had a long struggle with Pharaoh, God delivered His people out of Egypt with an outstretched arm. But there were many things that the children of Israel had to unlearn before they could inhabit the land of promise. One of these things was the wearing of ornaments which they had copied from the Egyptians. Their long attachment to the pagan lifestyle of Egypt had influenced them in this direction, and God had lessons for them with regards to the practice.

When the people of Israel reached Mount Sinai, God decided to give them His Ten Commandments through the prophet Moses. As Moses kept long on Mount Sinai, his brother Aaron was influenced by the people to make a golden calf with the ornaments that they possessed from Egypt. We read the story from Exodus 32 as follows: "32:1 And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.

32:2 And Aaron said unto them, Break off the golden earrings, which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them unto me.

32:3 And all the people brake off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron.

32:4 And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.

32:5 And when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation, and said, To morrow is a feast to the LORD.

32:6 And they rose up early on the morrow, and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play."

(Exodus 32:1-6) From the passage above, we learn clearly that when Moses came back from communing with God, the people were joyfully worshiping a molten calf which had been made from their golden earrings. The fury of Moses was sharp and explicit. In righteous indignation, he threw down the two tables of stone which contained the Ten Commandments of God (see Exodus 32:19). Even though Moses pleaded with God to forgive Israel (see Exodus 32:7-14, 31-32), several were the judgements that came upon the people for this sin (see Exodus 32:20-35). From Exodus 33, we read about the change that came upon the people after God had communed with them through Moses on the issue of ornaments: "33:4 And when the people heard these evil tidings, they mourned: and no man did put on him his ornaments.

33:5 For the LORD had said unto Moses, Say unto the children of Israel, Ye are a stiffnecked people: I will come up into the midst of thee in a moment, and consume thee: therefore now put off thy ornaments from thee, that I may know what to do unto thee.

33:6 And the children of Israel stripped themselves of their ornaments by the mount Horeb."

(Exodus 33:4-6) From the passage above, we learn something significant about the abhorrence that God has towards the wearing of ornaments. Even as Jacob had to do away with the strange gods and earrings within his household before approaching God, so did God command the people of Israel to strip off their ornaments from their bodies lest He destroys them. In several areas of Scripture, there has always been a link between idol worship and the wearing of ornaments such as earrings. Let us consider few of such examples:

1) During the time of the prophet Hosea, the people of Israel departed from worshiping the true God to worship idols (see Hosea 1, 2). God pronounced judgement on His own people because of this apostasy. We read from the prophet Hosea the following in relation to this point: "And I will visit upon her the days of Baalim, wherein she burned incense to them, AND SHE DECKED HERSELF WITH HER EARRINGS AND HER JEWELS, and she went after her lovers, and forgat me, saith the LORD" (Hosea 2:13; Capital Emphasis Added). In this text, we see a clear connection or link between idol worship and the wearing of ornaments.

2) From the prophet Isaiah, we also read the following in relation to the people of ancient Israel: "Their land also is full of idols; they worship the work of their own hands, that which their own fingers have made" (Isaiah 2:8). Now, as God pronounced judgement on His own people because of idol worship, we realise what they had added to their apparel. From Isaiah 3:17-21, we read the following: "3:17 Therefore the LORD will smite with a scab the crown of the head of the daughters of Zion, and the LORD will discover their secret parts.

3:18 In that day the Lord will take away the bravery of their tinkling ornaments about their feet, and their cauls, and their round tires like the moon,

3:19 The chains, and the bracelets, and the mufflers,

3:20 The bonnets, and the ornaments of the legs, and the headbands, and the tablets, and the earrings,

3:21 The rings, and nose jewels,"

(Isaiah 3:17-21) Beloved, I believe the biblical point is well made. The wearing of ornaments such as earrings has always had a connection with pagan practices. In fact, in the history of ancient Israel, it was slaves who had their ears pierced through if they wanted to have a perpetual relationship with their masters (see Exodus 21:1-6). Amazingly, when we open the New Testament, we learn that the command for God's people to stay away from ornaments was in force during the time of Christ. Of the several traditions of the Pharisees and scribes that Christ spoke against, He never made any negative statement with regards to God's instruction concerning ornaments. Moreover, after the ascension of Christ, the early church upheld this teaching (see 1 Timothy 2:9-10; 1 Peter 3:1-5).

Friends, the Bible makes it clear that the people of ancient Israel were called out of idolatry to represent the living God. The Scripture referred to them as a kingdom of priests and an holy nation (see Exodus 19:6). As spiritual Israel, it is interesting to know that the apostle Peter also refers to us as a royal priesthood and an holy nation (see 1 Peter 2:9). We are sons and daughters of God, and joint heirs with Christ (Romans 8:14-17). We therefore cannot wear things that will portray us as worshipers of strange gods, or demean us as slaves.

At this point in our study, an important question that begs for an answer is this: But I have read about some good Bible characters who wore ornaments? Friends, you are going to find isolated examples of such cases in Scripture. But the question we need to rather ask ourselves is this: Why and where did these people of God wear these ornaments? An interesting example of this case is found in the book of Exodus. From Genesis 41:41-43, we read the story about how Pharaoh, the king of Egypt set Joseph over all the land of Egypt, and actually placed his own ring on his finger. He also adorned him with vestures of fine linen and placed a gold chain on his neck. This was basically an Egyptian custom that the Pharaoh followed in making the people of Egypt aware that Joseph was now a ruler in the nation. We should also not forget the fact that this incident happened not in Israel, but in a Gentile land.

Another interesting example of this case is found in the book of Daniel. From Daniel 5, we read about how the Babylonian king, Belshazzar, gave a command to adorn Daniel with a chain of Gold about his neck after he had interpreted the strange writing on the wall (see Daniel 5:29). However, we learn from Daniel 5:16-17 about how the prophet Daniel refused this offer prior to the interpretation of the dream. We should also not forget the fact that this incident happened not in Israel, but in a Gentile land.

Furthermore, we read from Esther 8:2 about how king Ahaseurus took off his ring which he had taken from Haman, and gave it to Mordecai. In this instance, the ring actually symbolized kingly authority. Moreover, we should not forget that this case also happened in a Gentile land. Beloved, the only king in Israel who is recorded as wearing an ornament beside the crown of authority is king Saul. The bracelet of his arm, we are told, was taken off by his servant at the point of his death (see 2 Samuel 1:10). We should however not forget that king Saul had before this time departed from the Lord, and was even consulting with familiar spirits (see 1 Samuel 28:7). In this example in relation to Saul, we once again see the connection between idol worship and the wearing of ornaments.

From the gospel of Luke, we read Christ's parable of the prodigal son (see Luke 15:11-32). In this parable, we learn that when the repentant son returned home to the Father, he expressed the desire to be taken back as a servant. However, in answer to his plea, the Father placed the family's signet ring on his finger, signifying his continual position as an honoured son in the family. Similarly, on very rare occasions, the Scripture portrays God adorning the people of Israel with jewellery (see Ezekiel 16:1-14; Isaiah 61:10). But friends, when interpreting such passages, we must be careful to stay within the poetic contexts in which they are set. Besides this point, it is important for us to also note that the people of Israel, who were the first recipients of these poetic words, did not think that God had permitted them to use such ornaments. Thus friends, we cannot in anyway use parabolic passages such as Luke 15:11-32, Ezekiel 16:1-14 and Isaiah 61:10 to justify the wearing of diverse forms of ornaments; for the Scripture does not condemn a practice in some passages, and approve them in others (see John 10:35; Malachi 3:6; Hebrews 13:8).

At this point in our study, I want to ask a very important question: How many Christian women will feel comfortable to see their male brethren wear ornaments such as earrings? I believe many sincere Christian women will not encourage such a practice. Now, my follow up questions are these: If earrings are okay for women, what about men? If someone is pleased to adorn herself with "a simple earring", can we really condemn those who put on several of these rings? What will be our attitude if the pastor's wife wore a feet or nose ring to church? Outside of the Bible, who gives the standards with regards to ornaments? Beloved, the clear point I want us to catch from these questions is that we can only live by the clear thus saith the Lord. And as we have seen over and again in this study, the Lord had consistently showed His abhorrence for the diverse forms of ornaments that were worn by His people (review Genesis 35:1-4; Exodus 33:4-6).

Today, many women and young ladies in the church feel there is nothing wrong in applying makeup such as eye shadow, lips paint, face paint, nail polish and even bleaching chemicals upon their skin. But if such ladies had spent time in Scripture, they would have learnt the origin of all these abominations. In the book of 2 Kings, we read the following: "And when Jehu was come to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it; AND SHE PAINTED HER FACE, and tired her head, and looked out at a window" (2 Kings 9:30; Capital Emphasis Added).

Beloved, just like ornaments, the Bible clearly trace the origin of makeup to idolatry; for it was the idolatress queen Jezebel who is first recorded as painting her face in an attempt to seduce the valiant man, Jehu (review 2 Kings 9:30). It is sobering to learn that it is only when God's people become spoiled that they venture into applying ornaments and makeup upon their body. Here is the biblical evidence: "And when thou art SPOILED, what wilt thou do? Though thou clothest thyself with crimson, though thou deckest thee with ornaments of gold, though thou rentest thy face with painting, in vain shalt thou make thyself fair; thy lovers will despise thee, they will seek thy life" (Jeremiah 4:30; Capital Emphasis Added).

Friends, from the various passages we have considered so far, it is clear that the Bible does not approve the wearing of ornaments of any kind. Now, having made this categorical statement, I believe someone is likely to ask me the following question: "What about the wedding ring? What does the Bible teach concerning it?" My dear friend, the answer to this question is straightforward. You see, the term wedding ring is not found anywhere in the Bible. Like all other ornaments, it has its origin from paganism. Let us hear what a highly respected Catholic author has to say about this: "The use of temples, and these dedicated to particular saints, and ornamented on occasions with branches of trees; incense, lamps, candles; votive offerings on recovery from illness; holy water; asylums; holy days and seasons, use of calendars, processions, blessings on the field, sacerdotal vestments, the tonsure, THE RING IN MARRIAGE, turning to the east, images at a later date ... are all of pagan origin, and sanctified by their adoption into the church" (Essay on the development of Christian doctrine, by Cardinal John Henry Newman, p 359; Capital Emphasis Added). Beloved, from the various passages we have considered so far, it is clear that the Bible does not support the wearing of ornaments. Several of the scriptural passages we have considered have consistently linked the wearing of various kinds of ornaments with idolatry. Now, someone may ask: why do you bother us with these little things while there are bigger issues in Christendom to talk about? My answer to this question is this: You see, most little things have larger implications. A small fire if not attended to, will ruin a huge mansion. The fact is, if you regard ornaments as something insignificant, then why can't you take them off as the Scripture demands? Why has it become an idol that you surprisingly worship? Why do you spend so much time and money on them while the people around you and the work of God suffer? The apostle Peter admonished women in the early church regarding ornaments with these unambiguous words: "3:3 Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel;

3:4 But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.

3:5 For after this manner in the old time the holy women also, who trusted in God, adorned themselves, being in subjection unto their own husbands:"

(1 Peter 3:3-5) Friends, the passage above makes it clear that Godly women do not seek to adorn themselves with diverse kinds of ornaments. Rather, they appreciate the inner beauty "which is in the sight of God of great price". It is clear that women and young ladies who have made Christ the centre of their lives do not feel insecure in relation to modern loose trends of ornaments. Rather, they ravish in the natural beauty of their make up, and join together with the psalmist in extolling the Lord with these beautiful words: "I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well" (Psalm 139:14).

Exhortation: "And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God" (Luke 16:15).

In our next study, we will consider the topic: The Issue of the Wedding Ring: Some Counsels from the Spirit of Prophecy. The Spirit of Prophecy references for this study are TM 180.2 and 4T 630-631, 640-648. Please do well to go through these paragraphs before the next study is released.

Stay blessed and keep shining for King Jesus.

Maranatha!

Powered by White Throne Ministries