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Does God Care What I Wear?

 

George L. Faull

 

 

I Samuel 16:1-12, "1 And the LORD said unto Samuel, How long wilt thou mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? Fill thine horn with oil, and go, I will send thee to Jesse the Bethlehemite: for I have provided me a king among his sons. 2 And Samuel said, How can I go? If Saul hear [it], he will kill me. And the LORD said, Take an heifer with thee, and say, I am come to sacrifice to the LORD. 3 And call Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show thee what thou shalt do: and thou shalt anoint unto me [him] whom I name unto thee. 4 And Samuel did that which the LORD spoke, and came to Bethlehem. And the elders of the town trembled at his coming, and said, Comest thou peaceably? 5 And he said, Peaceably: I am come to sacrifice unto the LORD: sanctify yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice. And he sanctified Jesse and his sons, and called them to the sacrifice. 6 And it came to pass, when they were come, that he looked on Eliab, and said, Surely the LORD'S anointed [is] before him.  7 But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for [the LORD seeth] not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart. 8 Then Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, Neither hath the LORD chosen this. 9 Then Jesse made Shammah to pass by. And he said, Neither hath the LORD chosen this.  10 Again, Jesse made seven of his sons to pass before Samuel. And Samuel said unto Jesse, The LORD hath not chosen these. 11 And Samuel said unto Jesse, Are here all [thy] children? And he said, There remaineth yet the youngest, and, behold, he keepeth the sheep. And Samuel said unto Jesse, Send and fetch him: for we will not sit down till he come hither. 12 And he sent, and brought him in. Now he [was] ruddy, [and] withal of a beautiful countenance, and goodly to look to. And the LORD said, Arise, anoint him: for this [is] he."

 

This text is an abused one. It is alleged that since God looks on the heart, not on the outward appearance God does not care how we dress. This is an absurd assumption. Note the description of David in verse 12: 

I Samuel 16:12, "And he sent, and brought him in. Now he [was] ruddy, [and] withal of a beautiful countenance, and goodly to look to. And the LORD said, Arise, anoint him: for this [is] he."

It is true, we should not judge the usefulness of a man because of commanding appearance or height. We need to look at the heart of a man as God does. However, man does look at appearance, so we can cause men to judge us wrong if we dress so as to cause them to misjudge us. This verse should not be used to encourage immodesty or sloppiness, but rather having a godly heart so as to please God.

 

MY PROPOSITION IS THAT CLOTHES REFLECT THE HEART,

SO GOD DOES CARE ABOUT HOW WE DRESS.

 

I.     IF NOT, WHAT IS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF TELLING US OF ADAM AND EVE'S NAKEDNESS? 

 

A.      The first thing Adam and Eve were aware of  when they learned right from wrong, was to be ashamed, and attempted to cover their nakedness.

            Genesis 2:25, "And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed."

            Genesis 3:7, "And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they [were] naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons."

 

B.        The first lesson God taught them, after promising a Savior , was how to dress.

          Genesis 3:21, "Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them."

 

C.        He showed them that their idea of modesty, and His idea of modesty  were not the same.

            Genesis 3:7, "And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they [were] naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons."

            Genesis 3:21, "Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them."

1.         Aprons - A garment "to wrap around the loins."

2.         Robes - A garment with sleeves and that came down to the knees, but rarely to the ankles. See Gesenius #3801.

3.         Tunic - This inner garment which Jesus wore, was gambled over, not the outward robe. LXX #5509 in Greek..

           4.         This was given to both man and woman. Men can be immodest, as well as women.

 

D.        The atonement involves "covering" or "being clothed." The very root word of atonement means "to cover." The institution of blood sacrifice shows that blood must be shed for the covering of sin. The spiritual application of this is very instructive.

 

E.         Clothing is a badge of admitting a knowledge of one's sinfulness before God. 

  1.         A man conscious before God knows that he needs a covering. [People in a nudist camp are ignorant of their sin.] 

            2.         Un-fallen man needs no covering.

            3.         But redeemed men must be clothed, not naked.

Revelation 7:9, "After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands."

           

F.         God cares if we wear clothes, and how modest they are.

 

II.    WHAT IS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF TELLING US THE STORY OF NOAH AND HIS NAKEDNESS?

Genesis 9:20-27, "20 And Noah began [to be] an husbandman, and he planted a vineyard: 21 And he drank of the wine, and was drunken; and he was uncovered within his tent. 22 And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brethren without. 23 And Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid [it] upon both their shoulders, and went backward, and covered the nakedness of their father; and their faces [were] backward, and they saw not their father's nakedness. 24 And Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done unto him. 25 And he said, Cursed [be] Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren. 26 And he said, Blessed [be] the LORD God of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant. 27 God shall enlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant."

 

            A.        The blessings on Shem and Japeth was due to their sense of modesty.

Genesis 9:23, "And Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid [it] upon both their shoulders, and went backward, and covered the nakedness of their father; and their faces [were] backward, and they saw not their father's nakedness."

 

   B.        The curse of the Canaanites was due to immodesty.

                        Genesis 9:25, " And he said, Cursed [be] Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren."

           

            C.        God cares if what we wear is modest and discreet, even in the family.

 

III.       WHAT IS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF GOD'S INSTRUCTION TO THE PRIESTS?

 

            A.        As to steps to the altar:

Exodus 20:26, "Neither shalt thou go up by steps unto mine altar, that thy nakedness be not discovered thereon."

 

            B.        As to garments covering thighs:

Exodus 28:42, "And thou shalt make them linen breeches to cover their nakedness; from the loins even unto the thighs they shall reach."

 

            C.        God cares how our dress affects others, even in worship.

 

IV.       WHAT IS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF GOD'S WORDS TO ISRAEL ABOUT CLOTHING?

 

            A.        It was to be distinct from others' clothing.

Numbers 15:37-41, "37 And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying, 38 Speak unto the children of Israel, and bid them that they make them fringes in the borders of their garments throughout their generations, and that they put upon the fringe of the borders a ribbon of blue: 39 And it shall be unto you for a fringe, that ye may look upon it, and remember all the commandments of the LORD, and do them; and that ye seek not after your own heart and your own eyes, after which ye use to go a whoring: 40 That ye may remember, and do all my commandments, and be holy unto your God. 41 I [am] the LORD your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: I [am] the LORD your God."

 

            B.        He did not allow unisex clothing as the  heathen wore.

Deuteronomy 22:5, "The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman's garment: for all that do so [are] abomination unto the LORD thy God."

 

            C.        They were not to appear as foreigners who did not know God:

                        1.         Baldness

Leviticus 21:5, " They shall not make baldness upon their head, neither shall they shave off the corner of their beard, nor make any cuttings in their flesh."

                        2.         Tattoos

Leviticus 19:28, "Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I [am] the LORD."

                        3.         Eyebrows

Deuteronomy 14:1, "Ye [are] the children of the LORD your God: ye shall not cut yourselves, nor make any baldness between your eyes for the dead."

                        4.         Marred beards                                  

Leviticus 21:5, "They shall not make baldness upon their head, neither shall they shave off the corner of their beard, nor make any cuttings in their flesh."

                        5.         Achan wanted the Babylonian garment.

Joshua 7:21, "When I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonish garment, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted them, and took them; and, behold, they [are] hid in the earth in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it."

                        6.         God's people were to appear different!!!

                        7.         God cares if we look like heathens.

 

V.        WHAT IS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF GOD SPEAKING OF "THE ATTIRE OF A HARLOT?'

Proverbs 7:10, "And, behold, there met him a woman [with] the attire of an harlot, and subtle of heart."

 

A.        If you will not admit that clothing shows people who you are, you must admit that it is a statement of what you want to be. [Cowboy - fireman - superman - black trench coat, etc.]

 

B.        Jezebel - Sought to attract attention by what she wore.

II Kings 9:30, "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."

 

C.        Isaiah 3:16-24, "16 Moreover the LORD saith, Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, and walk with stretched forth necks and wanton eyes, walking and mincing [as] they go, and making a tinkling with their feet: 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. 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, 19 The chains, and the bracelets, and the mufflers, 20 The bonnets, and the ornaments of the legs, and the headbands, and the tablets, and the earrings, 21 The rings, and nose jewels, 22 The changeable suits of apparel, and the mantles, and the wimples, and the crisping pins, 23 The glasses, and the fine linen, and the hoods, and the vails. 24 And it shall come to pass, [that] instead of sweet smell there shall be stink; and instead of a girdle a rent; and instead of well set hair baldness; and instead of a stomacher a girding of sackcloth; [and] burning instead of beauty."

            1.         Their clothing matched their attitude.

            2.         The dress reflects the heart, and God reads the heart.

 

            D.        God cares if we appear as immoral people.

 

VI.       WHAT IS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF GOD'S COMMAND TO CLEAN UP WHEN WE COME   

            BEFORE HIM TO LEARN HIS WILL?

           

A.        Exodus 19:10-11, 14, "10  And the LORD said unto Moses, Go unto the people, and sanctify them to day and to morrow, and let them wash their clothes, 11  And be ready against the third day: for the third day the LORD will come down in the sight of all the people upon mount Sinai.  14  And Moses went down from the mount unto the people, and sanctified the people; and they washed their clothes"

 

         B.        He is the Judge of the earth. 

 

C.        God cares what we look like when we approach Him collectively.

 

VII.   WHAT IS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF GOD'S ANGER AT AARON AND AHAZ FOR MAKING GOD'S PEOPLE NAKED?

 

  A.        Exodus 32:25 "25  And when Moses saw that the people [were] naked; (for Aaron had made them naked unto [their] shame among their enemies:)"

           

  B.        II Chronicles 28:19 "19  For the LORD brought Judah low because of Ahaz king of Israel; for he made Judah naked, and transgressed sore against the LORD"

 

            C.        God cares if we are made naked to our shame.

 

VIII.    WHAT IS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THESE NEW TESTAMENT REFERENCES?

 

            A.        Jesus was grieved by clergy garb because clothes show our attitudes.

Mark 12:38, "And he said unto them in his doctrine, Beware of the scribes, which love to go in long clothing, and [love] salutations in the market places."

Luke 20:46, "Beware of the scribes, which desire to walk in long robes, and love greetings in the markets, and the highest seats in the synagogues, and the chief rooms at feasts."

 

B.        Jesus shows us clothed when accepted by the Heavenly Father. We are given a robe.

Luke 15:11-22, "11 And he said, A certain man had two sons: 12 And the younger of them said to [his] father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth [to me]. And he divided unto them [his] living. 13 And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living. 14 And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want. 15 And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. 16 And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him. 17 And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! 18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, 19 And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants. 20 And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. 21 And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. 22 But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put [it] on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on [his] feet."

 

            C.        Paul addresses men and women's "coverings" in the assembly as clothes reveal our attitudes.

Clothes had a message of subjection and non-subjection, as the hair shows shame or glory.

I Corinthians 11:6, "For if the woman be not covered, let her also be shorn: but if it be a shame for a woman to be shorn or shaven, let her be covered."

I Corinthians 11: 14-15, "14 Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him? 15 But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her: for [her] hair is given her for a covering."

 

            D.        The Evangelist is specifically told to tell women how to dress.

I Timothy 2:9-10, "9 In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broidered hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array; 10 But (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works."  (Obviously then, some clothes do not become a women who is professing to be Godly.)

 

            E.         Peter showed a relationship between attire and attitudes, and how it affects the unsaved mate.

I Peter 3:1-5, "1 Likewise, ye wives, [be] in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives; 2 While they behold your chaste conversation [coupled] with fear. 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; 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. 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."

 

            F.         God pictures a bride as one adorned for her husband's satisfaction.

Ezekiel 16:8-22, "8 Now when I passed by thee, and looked upon thee, behold, thy time [was] the time of love; and I spread my skirt over thee, and covered thy nakedness: yea, I swore unto thee, and entered into a covenant with thee, saith the Lord GOD, and thou becamest mine. 9 Then washed I thee with water; yea, I thoroughly washed away thy blood from thee, and I anointed thee with oil. 10 I clothed thee also with broidered work, and shod thee with badgers' skin, and I girded thee about with fine linen, and I covered thee with silk. 11 I decked thee also with ornaments, and I put bracelets upon thy hands, and a chain on thy neck. 12 And I put a jewel on thy forehead, and earrings in thine ears, and a beautiful crown upon thine head. 13 Thus wast thou decked with gold and silver; and thy raiment [was of] fine linen, and silk, and broidered work; thou didst eat fine flour, and honey, and oil: and thou wast exceeding beautiful, and thou didst prosper into a kingdom. 14 And thy renown went forth among the heathen for thy beauty: for it [was] perfect through my comeliness, which I had put upon thee, saith the Lord GOD. 15 But thou didst trust in thine own beauty, and playedst the harlot because of thy renown, and pouredst out thy fornications on every one that passed by; his it was. 16 And of thy garments thou didst take, and deckedst thy high places with divers colors, and playedst the harlot thereupon: [the like things] shall not come, neither shall it be [so]. 17 Thou hast also taken thy fair jewels of my gold and of my silver, which I had given thee, and madest to thyself images of men, and didst commit whoredom with them, 18 And tookest thy broidered garments, and coveredst them: and thou hast set mine oil and mine incense before them. 19 My meat also which I gave thee, fine flour, and oil, and honey, [wherewith] I fed thee, thou hast even set it before them for a sweet savor: and [thus] it was, saith the Lord GOD. 20 Moreover thou hast taken thy sons and thy daughters, whom thou hast borne unto me, and these hast thou sacrificed unto them to be devoured. [Is this] of thy whoredoms a small matter, 21 That thou hast slain my children, and delivered them to cause them to pass through [the fire] for them? 22 And in all thine abominations and thy whoredoms thou hast not remembered the days of thy youth, when thou wast naked and bare, [and] wast polluted in thy blood."

Revelation 21:2, "And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband."

 

            G.        God uses "nakedness" as a symbol of being "spiritually destitute."

Revelation 3:17-18, "17 Because thou sayest, 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: 18 I counsel thee 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; and anoint thine eyes with eye salve, that thou mayest see."

Revelation 16:15, "Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed [is] he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame."

Revelation 7:14, "And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb."

 

H.      God cares if what we wear is harmonious with our calling as humble, modest, Godly sons and daughters.

 

CONCLUSION:

Isaiah 61:10, "I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh [himself] with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth [herself] with her jewels."    

Jesus, the epitome of modesty, hung naked on a cross so you could be Spiritually clothed. We should not be conformers, but transformers. We should be the example, not the gullible follower of Satan's fashions of the world.

Romans 12:1-2, "1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, [which is] your reasonable service. 2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what [is] that good, and acceptable, and

perfect, will of God."