OCTOBER 9, 2023 – HAUGHTY ADORNMENT

READ: Is. 3:16-4:1

And it shall come to pass, that instead of a sweet smell there will be a stench; instead of a sash, a rope; instead of well-set hair, baldness; instead of a rich robe, a girding of sackcloth; and branding instead of beauty.          – Is. 3:24

This passage concerns wealthy women in Jerusalem, the city of the church. There is corruption: the poor are oppressed while the leaders indulge themselves in the plunder (vv.14,15). Their wives benefit from this. These daughters of Zion flaunt their jewels.

Yet Zion is the city of God, where He wants to dwell with the humble of heart and bestow His grace upon the meek. However, these women do not belong with Zion or God: they draw all attention to themselves with their haughty body language and the lustful way they walk, making their anklets jingle. In doing so, they reveal their adaptation to a pagan, decadent culture that worships the body and follows the law of the strong.

In 1 Pet. 3:3-6 this behavior of women in the church is sharply condemned: “Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious.” It’s about that last part!

Verses 18-23 list numerous precious items such as jewelry, clothing, perfume, and pagan objects, including crescents and amulets. All of this dominates the lives of these arrogant women. Their entire idolatrous lifestyle is at odds with the humble life lived in the fear of the LORD.

But God will remove all of that. He pronounces His judgment. They will receive the opposite: foul odor instead of sweet fragrance, and so on. The wickedness of these women corresponds to the wickedness of the men; God’s judgment also falls upon them (vv.25,26). Those who forsake God should fear suffering one affliction after another.

How do you approach clothing and adornments in today’s world?

Singing: Ps. 49:4