Women's Adorning
This past week I received a telephone call from a Christian lady with whom I am not acquainted and she was concerned with the passage in I Timothy 2:9. She was especially troubled with the part concerning the hair. I took time to write her some thoughts on the passage of scripture. Then I decided that with women and men putting so much emphasis today upon beauty, appearance and hair-do, it may be an appropriate time to share these thoughts with others for what they are worth.
One should first read carefully the entire second chapter of the book of I Timothy and you will note that the primary thought is the conduct in the church, the place of men and women. The public worship is to be conducted by the man. Women are to keep silent in the church and not to usurp authority over the man. She is forbidden to teach and to lead in public prayer. (I Tim. 2:1-8, 11-15).
What then is the women's place? The answer is given in verses 9, 10. Her adorning or ornament is her behavior and chaste manner by which she adorns herself and the church. It is not the outward adorning of the person, but her meek and quite spirit, godliness, and fear of God. Peter tells us that she can even win her husband to Christ by her manner of life, her Christian example. (I Pet.3:1-7). There is in everyone that real you; that inward characteristic, internal attribute and there is also that outward indication or evidence of it. Jesus said, by their fruits ye shall know them. The way you act, talk, dress, fix your hair; may and very likely does reflect the real personality.
The true ornament or adorning is that which will make any person appear well and beautiful to others. But it is not the outside but rather what is on the inside!
DRESS. Many people are vain in their dress. The word modest signifies what is beautiful, neat, clean, suitable to ones station in life. The Christians station is to show forth the excellency of him who called you out of darkness into light. (I Pet.2:9). The apostle is not forbidding neatness, cleanliness, nor good clothes. He is not saying that she should totally neglect her personal appearance. She should not be an offence to her husband because of neglect. Religion (true religion) promotes neatness, cleanliness, and proper attention to our external appearance which is in keeping with our Christian life.
He is forbidding immodest manner of dressing which is calculated to excite impure desires in the spectator; that dress that proceeds from vanity; that which calls too much attention to one's self. He is talking about those who spend too much time and attention on their appearance, which leads women to neglect the more important adorning of their minds, which makes them careless of their families, and runs an expense more than their husbands can afford. (Prov. 31: ).
HAIR. Part of the dress, beautification, and make-up of women then, as now, was the adornment of the hair. Some of the women then paid too much attention to the hair and some of their customs and attitudes are becoming more prevalent today, so we must beware. The particular time in history in which Paul was writing women were addicted to ridiculous extravagance of the adornment of the hair. Quoting from this period of time. "... so great is the trouble she takes in quest of beauty; with so many tiers does she load, with so many continuous stories does she build up on high her hair. She is as tall as Andromache in front, and behind she is shorter." Clement of Alexandria comments on the same problem when he says that women do not even touch their own head for fear of disturbing their hair, and sleep comes to them with terror lest they should unaware spoil it. It was braided with great care and arranged in various forms, and often ornamented with spangles, combs, gold and silver nets, and silver wire interwoven. They fashioned their hair with beads, ribbons, and plates of gold and silver.
We are not to suppose that a mere braiding or plaiting of the hair is improper, for there may be no more simple or convenient way to care for it. The sense here is that Christian women are not to imitate those of the world, not to appeal to the vanities of dress, not to be improper in appearance. The allusion here is to the excessive extravagant way that prevailed, they had set their heart upon the outward (external) appearance rather than the "hidden man of the heart", the "ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price." (I Pet. 3:4)
JEWELS. The mention of gold and pearls is not to be supposed that all use of gold or pearls in dress is forbidden; but the idea is that the Christian is not to seek these as the adorning which she desires. It may be a difficult question to settle how much ornament is allowable, but we may be certain it is wrong if the external decoration occupies the mind more than the virtues of the heart, and which engrosses the time and attention more than it should. The apparel should be such as not to attract attention; such as become our situation; such as will not leave the impression that the heart is centered on this and this alone. It is not appropriate for Christian women (or men) to be known or distinguished for personal appearance and external decorations only. If Christians, they have seen the vanity of these things, and have set the heart on more substantial things. They set their affection on things above. (Col. 3:1). They are professed followers of the Lord and "go about doing good".
They were even forbidden to put on apparel if it were of that nature which was principally the ornament by which we were distinguished. Whether apparel, hair, jewelry, make-up, etc. if it were immodest, extravagant, and over-done then it was not proper for the Christians.
Our personal appearance is important and it often reflects the personality, the kind of person wearing the clothes. Therefore, we may be reflecting the meek and quite spirit, or we may be exemplifying by our appearance a person whose god is their clothes and personal adorning. Our Christian profession maybe nullified by our dress, make-up, or hair. The sound of our action and appearance may be so loud that they can't hear what we say.
The key words in the passage seem to be these: In like manner women adorn themselves with good works. (I Tim. 2:9, 10).
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