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by Pastor Alan Brooks
I have learned in my Pastorate that there are some issues that are major "battle grounds" for believers to settle in their life. The devil will work overtime to convince us that we have "rights" to our own way in these areas (yet see Romans 12:1-2). A "flesh-oriented" Christian will give you 100 reasons why NOT TO...but "spiritual-minded" folks do it God's way!
I've learned that women battle: 1) submission to husband's authority, 2) hair 3) clothing
I've learned that men battle: 1) submission to God's authority, 2) hair 3) loving and leading family
Now IF what I've just said is true, then ladies, you are going to have a harder time with what I say here than the men are. If you get this matter settled...it will determine a number of other matters (mixed swimming, dancing, pornography, etc.) I'm going to suggest to you that the Bible does have clothing guidelines...it gives 3 specific guidelines for what to wear. ____________________________ 1.) Our Clothing Ought to Cover Our Nakedness (Genesis 3:21) "Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them." Genesis 1 speaks of God's creation. Genesis 2 speaks of God placing Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. In 2:25 we see they were naked. Was there any guilt about that nakedness? NO! Before their fall into sin, did God make any attempt to cover that nakedness? NO! We know that in Genesis 3, they fell into sin by taking of the fruit of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Now, for the first time, they KNEW what was GOOD and what was EVIL. With that new knowledge, what EVIL did they first notice? They first noticed that their own nakedness was EVIL. What was their natural reaction to realizing their nakedness? They covered themselves ~ specifically with aprons (3:7) You that work in a kitchen know what an apron is...the English definition of apron is a "girdle or belt for the waist". Consider this: Did aprons satisfy Adam & Eve's ideas of what covered nakedness? YES! (They looked at those fig leaf aprons & reasoned, "we're covered now!") But consider...did these aprons satisfy God's ideas of what covered nakedness? NO! (God look at the fig leaf aprons and said "You're not covered yet!") Look at the changes that God made to Adam and Eve's covering (Genesis 3:21) Notice that God: 1) Used skins instead of fig leaves 2) Didn't make aprons of skins...but God made coats of skins to clothe them. That word "coat" is different than "apron"... for a coat means, "a long shirt-like garment". When this coat was put on Adam and Eve, God was satisfied that their nakedness was covered. "Oh, I see what you're building up to... you mean that a woman needs to have more than her loins covered." NO! They BOTH need more than their loins covered! God made no exception for that man here! Ladies, if you run around with just loins covered, according to God, is your nakedness covered or not covered? Not Covered. That principle is true whether you are a man or a woman. Obviously, a coat drapes over the shoulders and falls down... but how far down must it go? Some will say, "It ought to go down the leg." But how far down the leg? Others, will say, "It must reach the thigh", or "reach the knee", or "reach the shin", or "reach the ankle?" But wait... we are not asking what "others" say, we are asking what God says. Does God give any specific verses that tell us when He calls something "nakedness"? Exodus 28:40; the clothing for Aarons' sons (priesthood). See vs.42. They were commanded to wear "breeches to cover their nakedness". So, they would have been considered naked without these breeches. And we are told where those breeches covered? "the loins even unto the thighs". When a man or a woman has a bared loin ~ God considers them naked. When a man or a woman has a bared thigh ~ God considers them naked. A man's clothing and a woman's clothing ought to cover his/her loin and his/her thigh. Isaiah 47:1; God is judging the enemy nations of Babylon & Chaldea. (and He compares those nations to a woman). Isaiah 47:5; Notice, something has happened that she is no more called, "the Lady". What has happened? Isaiah 47:3; "Thy nakedness shall be uncovered, yea, thy shame shall be seen". Okay, something that Babylon and Chaldea has just done has uncovered their nakedness. What is it? Isaiah 47:2. We're told they "bared the leg". Exactly how? Specifically they "uncover(ed) the thigh". Ladies, maybe you will never understand this (because you don't think like a man)...but there is something about uncovering your thigh that leads a man (who sees that bared thigh) to sensual thoughts. It that woman happens to be your own wife, then enjoy it... but if that woman is one who is not your wife, you are courting trouble. A woman that draws attention to her thighs (by exposing them) is advertising something. (And ladies, God hold YOU also accountable for that sin; Matt. 5:28) Explain: My wife and I visited a home of a waitress, who bragged that she could get enough extra tips on one weekend's work (to buy herself a new dishwasher) IF she just hiked up the hemline on her already mini-skirt a little higher. Okay,
does it matter if we put your unexposed thigh in the setting of... NO! God would call them ALL nakedness...because the principle of exposing your thigh is still the same! Hey, the Bible is not against mixed swimming, it's against mixed nakedness! The devil's business is removing clothes/exposing nakedness (Luke 8:27, Acts 19:16)... The Lord's business is covering your nakedness (Mark 5:15; John 21:7) Throughout the Bible, the body from bottom of neck to knees must be covered. Anything short of that would be exposing nakedness. (2 Samuel 10:4) "Wherefore Hanun took David's services, and shaved off the one half of their beards, and cut off their garments in the middle, ever to their buttocks, and sent them away." If the buttocks (bum) of a person is the 1/2 way point of their clothing...then the bottom of their clothes extended part the knee (certainly it came to the middle of the shin). IF shoulder to knee is to be the minimum length of our clothing...then whether you are standing, or sitting, of climbing stairs... your thighs and knees will always be covered, and you will never be accused by God of nakedness. Listen, even a man will be careful not to expose the nakedness of his thighs (Exodus 20:26) ~ here, a Jewish male priest was to be careful of not showing his thighs! Why..."that thy nakedness be not discovered thereon." So, Clothing Guideline #1 - MUST COVER NAKEDNESS (from shoulder to knee). ________________________________________________________ 2.) Our Clothing Ought to be Distinctly Different from that of the Opposite Sex (Deut.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." Do you know that God has made the man and the woman different? (Hmmm!) God never made Eve to be just like Adam, he made Eve to complete (math term: compliment) Adam. Yet the devil has made every attempt to break down those lines of distinction. Let me show you: In the hair, God designed it for
a man to have short hair (1 Cor. 11:14) [The devil will change that around if he can. And when the devil has succeeded in getting a woman to chop her hair short, or to get a man to grow his hair long. God is appalled. Why? God designed a difference!] We are warned in the Bible that in the last days, men and women will turn from Biblical instructions to do what they want. We have certainly seen that in these distinctives. In our last 50 years, we have seen a breakdown in this distinction. Does the fact that 2001 accepts long hair on men make it okay? No! The Bible is the standard! What if every male in your family (even Christians) has long hair? Is it then right for a man to have long hair, or for a woman to have short hair? NO! So, if you didn't know whether long hair belonged on men or women, would you simply check the hair styles of 2001, or 1949? Of course, you would have to go back to study the hair of Christians back in 1949, and you would quickly determine what was right before the Devil broke down the distinction. In
the authority, God designed it for a man to lead (Eph. 5:23) In the jewellery, God designed for a woman to wear jewellery (Gen 24:22,30; Isaiah 61:10) [Yet, every time the devil got God's people to mingle with the world (Egyptians), the men began to wear jewellery; clearly something that God designed for women (Ex. 32:2; Judges 8:24).] When Jacob began to head back to Bethel, he demanded that a house-cleaning take place in his home (Gen. 35:2) Notice what was specifically removed from the men in vs.4 "earrings which were in their ears" (Judges 8:24) [The devil is still trying to deck himself with jewelry that God designed for a woman, and when a man does...then God is appalled. Why? God designed a difference!] So, if you didn't know whether it was proper for men or women to wear jewelry, would you simply check the jewelry styles of 1999 or 1949? Of course, you would have to go back to study the jewelry of Christians back in 1949, and you would quickly determine what was right before the Devil broke down the distinction. LIKEWISE, in the clothing, God designed it that the men's and women's be distinctly different (Duet 22:5). That word "abomination" means "an object of extreme hatred, or greatly detested". If you'll do a serious study of that word "abomination", you'll find that there are 3 categories of such given in the Bible: "abomination unto you (a Jew)", "abomination" and "abomination unto God (the Lord)". Although the first one was a Jewish ceremonial restriction that was nailed to the cross (Col.2:13-17), those things that the Bible calls an "abomination unto God" are STILL hated by God today (see Deut.7:25; 12:31; 17:1; 18:10-12; 23:18; 24:4; 25:14-16; 27:15). Will you notice that added to that list of Abominable Things unto God EVEN STILL NOW is Deut.22:5 (the interchanging of clothes between a man and a woman). God is against this unisex idea today that's seen in clothing! - in Jewish society, the men's clothing was very different from the women's. - in North American society, men's clothing was very different from a woman's (UNTIL THE LAST 40 YEARS!) Why? Because God placed lines of distinction in men's and women's clothing. Crossing those lines (according to Deut. 22:5) is abominable in God's sight! 1.) If a dress is a woman's attire, then God thinks a man wearing
a dress is abominable! What is meant by 1 Kings 18:46 "gird up they loins" ~ a man pulled the bottom of his robe through and up the tuck it into the front of his belt (in order that he might run). This is the Bible's closest to pants. But will you notice that when this is mentioned, WHO it's associated with (in Job 38:3; 40:7)? Always a man! Let me give you some considerations in this PANTS on men, and DRESSES/SKIRTS on women was the "norm" UNTIL this 20th century... - Even pictures on Public Bathroom doors articulate a difference (for they picture a man in pants, & a woman in dress). - Webster's 1828 Dictionary ~ "trowsers": "a loose garment worn by males, extending from the waist to the knee or to the ankles, and covering the lower limbs. - Webster's 1971 Dictionary ~ "trousers" : "a garment worn by men and boys, extending from the waist to the ankles, covering the lower part of the trunk, and each leg separately." - TIME magazine - Jan. 6, 1967 So Clothing Guideline #1 - MUST COVER NAKEDNESS (from shoulder to
knee) _______________________________________________________ 3.) Our Clothing Ought to be Modest (1 Tim 2:9) "In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness & sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array". That word, "modest", is opposite to the work "bold"; - a person speaking boldly draws attention to themselves with what they say, while a person speaking modestly doesn't draw attention to themself. - a person singing boldly draws attention to themselves with how they sing, while a person singing modestly does not draw attention to themself. - a person dressing boldly draws attention to their body by how they dress, while a person dressing modestly does not draw attention to their body. God has designed your body to please only your spouse (1
Cor. 7:4) God described the godly woman's "apparel" (1 Tim 2:9) as MODEST... not attracting attention to itself. This is in direct contrast to the apparel of Prov. 7:10, "there met him a woman with the attire of an harlot". Young's Analytical Concordance says that 1 Tim 2:9 apparel is "long robe". This is the idea of the flowing shape of a robe does not accentuate or draw attention to any one part of the body. "Skin tight" clothing is not the "modest (long robe) apparel" that Paul spoke of. To be perfectly blunt, there are two areas of a woman that are sexually
exploited, Both men and women who are godly and modest will watch our WHATEVER they do that they are covered appropriately. With these 3 guidelines for a Christian's clothing, let us put these new fads (from the last 40 years) to a test. You tell me IF and WHAT each of these violate? - see through clothes... CONCLUSION: The Bible does give very clear guidelines for clothing on men and women. #1 It must Cover what God calls "Nakedness", (neck to
knees) Ladies and Gentlemen, these standards guided women and men until the mid 1900's, and then Satan removed them. Does your clothing satisfy God's standard for men and women?
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