"Thou lovest evil more than good, and lying rather than to speak righteousness. Selah." Psalms 52:3
I recently stumbled across a series of pics on Google while researching a certain topic. Many of them were picket signs of angry women and men shouting to the world, "Keep Your Law Off My Body!" It elicited deep meditative thoughts. What is my attitude towards God when He asks me to dress for His glory and not mine? What is my responsibility to family, daughter, friends, and foes in being mindful of the way I dress?
By choosing to dress a certain way does this determine whether I am on God's side or Satan's? No one needs to be confused about or stumble away from Christianity's God because of my outward appearance; by the way I "dress" up myself.
"The dress is the index of the character." When I was younger, I wondered what that meant. As I grew older I became more mature in my understanding. For a Christian, the focus is always on the power of the law in the heart. Dress is a strong indicator that God's Law is center stage, in the heart and life because of Christ,... or not. In keeping all of the law in love, by grace, we tell the world we are 100% on Heaven's side.
As a teenager and college student, I didn't always dress with modesty in mind. I dressed in styles that showcased my athletic physique. I was dressed like TBoz, Left Eye, Chili, and Aaliyah popular female R&B artists in the 1990s and early 2000s. I also dressed in preppy mini skirts that showed off my legs and my toned body sometimes in various designs. I was always asked if I was a model or a ballerina, and I was even asked to be a model for a fashion show by a Russell Simmons agent because of my confident walk and model physique. I hadn't always dressed in a worldly way. Deep in my heart I always knew I was not being faithful.
As a little girl, growing up Seventh-day Adventist, I came from a culture where females didn't wear pants nor shorts (except around the home for certain chores or play, and even when worn they were not tight nor so short that they were indecent) or anything vulgar. We learned that God valued modesty and purity. He also didn't want any man or woman to confuse or pollute the minds of others by cross-dressing: "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 [an] abomination unto the LORD thy God." Deuteronomy 22:5. He created humanity to reflect His mind and character.
From where was the best place to reflect God's character? His temples. God calls us "temples" and this is not by mistake. Worldwide, temples are sacredly revered. God wants us to revere the body temple too. "What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?" 1 Corinthians 6:19 (see also 3 John 2). We are temples of His holy character.
Not only does He call us temples, but peculiar (special, treasures), holy (promoting purity and cleanliness), a part of His priesthood (ambassadors), sanctified and anointed for service at all times. 1 Peter 2:9. Wow! This is a profoundly high calling. Then how are God's holy people commanded by Him to dress being perpetual ambassadors and spiritual priests?
In Egypt, many of God's people had come under the influence of worldly dressing, they had lost sight of God's way. God sought to bring about a reform in distinguishing the holy from the profane, through the teachings of the earthly sanctuary.
"...that they may make Aaron's garments to consecrate him, that he may minister unto me in the priest's office... and they shall make holy garments for Aaron thy brother, and his sons, that he may minister unto me in the priest's office." Exodus 28:3
The pattern and principle of proper dress for both Christian men and women are showcased in the ancient sanctuary and throughout God's Word. How did God's priests dress? Holy priests were first "dressed" to represent Christ and His character. Let's look closely at Exodus 28 to discover more on this controversial topic:
The word for "glory" in Hebrew is word number 3519- kabowd, glory, honor, splendor, dignity, reputation, and reverence.
The word for "beauty" in Hebrew is word number 8597- tiph'arah which means-
glory, beauty, honour, bravery, comeliness; attributes of God. This is also associated with pa'ar, word 6286: adornment.“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. For after this manner in the old time the holy women also, who trusted in God, adorned themselves." 1 Peter 3:4-5 KJV
God's laser focus is that everything He gave us must lead toward Christian character building... and must support Heaven's lifestyle of love, holiness, and worship. Our clothing is no exception. The way we dress must first meet heaven's approval in promoting God's beauty and His glory. When people see a Christian they must immediately see beauty balanced by modesty, dignity, reverence, and honor while consistently promoting God's reputation. Kabowd!
On the other hand, Satan intends to lead us to be narcissistic, self-focused, and self-absorbed. Vanity is his focus and he uses and depends on that which is artificial and base to get attention and worship. "Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of [expensive, frivolous, provocative] apparel;" 1 Peter 3:3 KJV
Let us get back to Exodus 28.
And thou shalt speak unto all that are wise hearted, whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom,... Vs. 3
God did not leave the design of the holy garment up to man's perspective... not up to worldly, unchristlike fashion designers whose desire is to exploit and sexualize for pleasure and monetary gain, no, He designed and gave the pattern to Moses. He also specified the chief purpose of the garment so that the structure would complement the function of each layer. God provided skilled laborers so that holy garments would be made by minds and hands that were sanctified and that would advocate and support God's "dress reform" which focuses on modesty, health, holiness, and beauty. (see also Genesis 3: 7,21)
The garments had a purpose other than beauty...they were consecration garments and were a pre-requisite for ministry. The following verses should lend some clarity to my claim.
40 And for Aaron's sons thou shalt make coats, and thou shalt make for them girdles, and bonnets shalt thou make for them, for glory and for beauty. 41 And thou shalt put them upon Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him; and shalt anoint them, and consecrate them, and sanctify them, that they may minister unto me in the priest's office.
The priests (church leaders) were the example setters of God's expectations for the entire congregation regarding all His laws, precepts, and statutes. They dressed inwardly and outwardly to showcase His glory, His holiness, and His beauty...not their own. If the men ( fathers and sons, leaders and kings) were expected to dress modestly, then why do most women (mothers and daughters, leaders and queens) feel that they are exempt today?
Take note, that 90% of the time, if not more, most men are modestly covered throughout the day. God commands this kind of dressing all the time AND especially IN THE CHURCH:
"And they shall be upon Aaron, and upon his sons, when they come in unto the tabernacle of the congregation, or when they come near unto the altar to minister in the holy place; that they bear not iniquity, and die: it shall be a statute for ever unto him and his seed after him." Vs. 43. It was a sin worthy of the death penalty to enter God's presence any other way.
Unconverted and ignorant Christians follow their desires instead of following God's plan. Why? As humans in a sin-marred world, we are naturally prone to dress to showcase our baseness. 1 John 2:16. Like Lucifer, (Satan), we love to showcase the beast hiding within: the lust of the flesh (sexiness, lewdness, promiscuousness); the lust of the eye, and the pride of life (give me more!: clothes, shoes, education, bigger houses, entertainment, ambition, attention). We don't truly need more, but just to feed material desires, we pursue more and more "stuff" and less and less God's will to the detriment of our physical and spiritual health. 3 John 2; Isaiah 14:12-14; Ezekiel 28:17
But God knows that some have journeyed down this road because of how they were taught by example and sometimes misapplied Bible texts (1 Samuel 16:7; Joel 2:13). Yet upon further study they would learn that when Christ talks about our dress, He is talking about the entire human being, internally and externally being dressed with "Christ". Therefore he urges us to cover both our physical and spiritual nakedness: "... put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof." Romans 13:14. Read the entire chapter... very interesting.
One Last Thing!...
God's priests wore a gold plate on their heads that no one could miss. On it, something special was proclaimed: And thou shalt make a plate of pure gold, and [en]grave upon it, like the engravings of a signet, HOLINESS TO THE LORD. Exodus 28:36.
This plate was placed on the forehead as a visible witness of who they were, to whom they belonged; and who they loved and worshipped. When people see any Christian, immediately in their minds they should be transported to heaven. They will bow in reverence proclaiming in obeisance, "Holy are you Lord!" Secondly, they will say about us, "These Christians respect and honor God. They are 'holiness unto the Lord'- sanctified, set apart, and committed to His cause. The way we dress, tells whose side we are on, whether it be God's or Satan's. Let us not allow our perverted appetites to keep us in a sinful state.
I know that it is hard to starve the flesh... to live contrary to our perverted likes and dislikes. I too had to learn that I was not being a Christian witness or example by the way I dressed. It is easy to say to God, our Creator, "Keep your laws off my body, when appetite and intemperance, is our master, and when being like the world ...non-believers, is the center stage of all our selfish desires. But have you considered that one day the faithful will live in the presence of Holy beings in Heaven? You and I will be filling the seats of fallen angels. Therefore our practice of modesty and finding pleasure in obedience begins here. Otherwise, we will try to make Heaven a runway that advertises vanity and lust instead of purity, true beauty, and holiness.
Let us pursue Godliness and show the entire world that we love God's laws and that we would rather die than take them off our bodies and out of our minds! Run from the popular Christian attitude trending today that tramples God's laws which promote a better lifestyle.
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Very well put together article emphasizing the Glory of God!