Bible Answers to Your Questions on Jewelry,

Ornaments, and Personal Decoration

 

Chapter 1

Taken from the book "Jewelry, Ornaments, Personal Decoration and More...The Spiritualism Connection"

by Gwen and Rick Shorter (Used by Permission)

 

How does the Bible refer to Jewelry?

Ornaments — Judges 8:26

Ornaments — Jeremiah 4:30

Ornaments — Exodus 33:4-6

Ornaments — 2 Samuel 1:24

Ornaments — Ezekiel 16:11

Ornaments (tinkling) — Isaiah 3:18

How does the dictionary refer to ornaments and jewelry?

Ornaments/Ornamentation: Something that adorns or decorates. That which embellishes; something added to another thing, rendering it more beautiful to the eye. Decorations; to deck; to adorn. ("Jewelry" is a relatively modern name for "ornaments.")

Jewelry/Jewel(s)(ed): Ornaments, such as bracelets, or rings made of precious metals, set with gems or imitation gems; a small natural or artificial gem; a costly ornament of precious metal or gems; to adorn with jewels.

Thought Questions: Which definition is more inclusive—ornaments or jewelry? Do you think a scarf can be an ornament?

What kinds of ornaments/jewelry, adornment and personal decorations are mentioned in the Bible?

•  Earrings (amulets)— Genesis 35:4; Isaiah 3:20

•  Golden earrings— Judges 8:24

•  Chains—Isaiah 3:19

•  Bracelets— Genesis 38:25

•  Rings— Exodus 35:22

•  Jewels of gold and silver— Genesis 24:53

•  Jewels—2 Chronicles 20:25

•  Nose jewels (piercing)— Isaiah 3:21

•  Ornaments— Judges 8:26

•  Ornaments of gold— Jeremiah 4:30

•  Ornaments of the legs (anklets)— Isaiah 3:20

•  Pearls—1 Timothy 2:9

•  Tablets (necklaces)— Numbers 31:50

•  Collars (pendants, broaches)— Judges 8:26

•  Crisping Pins (richly ornamented purses)— Isaiah 3:22

•  Changeable suits of apparel (party clothes, negligees
and capes)— Isaiah 3:22 (Living Bible)

•  Costly array (expensive clothing)— 1 Timothy 2:9

•  Glasses, fine linen, hoods and veils (mirrors, lovely lingerie, beautiful dresses and veils)— Isaiah 3:23

•  Broided (braided) hair—1 Timothy 2:9

•  Plaited hair—1 Peter 3:3

•  Well set hair— Isaiah 3:24

•  Facial paint— Jeremiah 4:30

•  Eye paint—Ezekiel 23:40

•  Sweet smell (perfume)— Isaiah 3:24

•  "Marks" or "cuttings on your flesh" (tattoos or piercing or branding)— Leviticus 19:28; Mark 5:2, 5

Where can I find the different ornaments/jewelry in the Bible?

Earrings

• and all their earrings which were in their ears— Genesis 35:4
• and the tablets, and the earrings— Isaiah 3:20
• earrings —Exodus 35:22; Judges 8:25
• decked herself with her earrings— Hosea 2:13

Golden earring(s)

• golden earring(s)— Genesis 24:22; Judges 8:24; Exodus

32:2, 3

Chains

• the chains— Isaiah 3:19
• chain of gold about his neck— Daniel 5:7
• golden chain about his neck— Genesis 41:42
• chains— Numbers 31:50

Bracelets

• bracelets— Exodus 35:22; Genesis 38: 18, 25
• and the bracelets— Isaiah 3:19
• and two bracelets for her hands— Genesis 24:22, 30, 47
• and bracelets— Numbers 31:50
• which put bracelets upon her hands— Ezekiel 16:11; Ezekiel 23:42

Rings

• the rings —Isaiah 3:21
• his ring . .. and put it upon Joseph's hand— Genesis 41:42
• and seal it with the king's ring— Esther 8:8,10
• and put a ring on his hand— Luke 15:22 and rings— Exodus 35:22
• rings —Numbers 31:50

Thought Question: Since rings are jewelry, where did the custom of wearing a ring to signify marriage originate?

Jewels (Trinkets, a small ornament of Jewels) decked herself with .. . her jewels— Hosea 2:13

• precious jewels—2 Chronicles 20:25
• precious stones ... all manner of pleasant jewels— 2 Chronicles 32:27
• nose jewels— Isaiah 3:21 fair jewels—Ezekiel 16:17,39; 23:26 jewels of silver and jewels of gold— Genesis 24:53; Exodus 3:22; 11:2; 12:35
• jewels of gold— Exodus 35:22; Numbers 31:50; 1 Samuel 6:8,15; Job 28:17

Ornaments (Personal decoration of all kinds)

• ornaments— Ezekiel 16:11; 23:40; Isaiah 61:10; Jeremiah 2:32; Exodus 33:4, 5, 6; Judges 8:21,26
• ornaments of gold — 2 Samuel 1:24; Jeremiah 4:30
• tinkling ornaments— Isaiah 3:18
• ornaments of the legs— Isaiah 3:20

Pearls

• pearls —Job 28:18; 1 Timothy 2:9; Revelation 17:4; 18:12,16; 21:21
• goodly pearls— Matthew 13:45

Tablets (Necklaces)

• Tablets—Numbers 31:50; Exodus 35:22; Isaiah 3:20

Collars (pendants, necklaces and broaches) or pendants for the ears

• collars— Judges 8:26

What other kinds of ornaments/jewelry and adornment evolved over the years but are not mentioned in the Bible?

•  the cuff link

•  the clip

•  tie tack

•  barrettes

•  decorative combs

•  hair ornaments (jewels)

•  the decorative buckle

•  body piercing—tongue, navel, nose, lip, etc.

•  dinner or cocktail ring (the conversation piece)

•  engagement ring

•  wedding ring and band

•  the man's ring

•  toe rings

•  watches (that are more jewelry than time-keepers)

•  medallions

•  hat ornaments

•  head ornaments (diadems, tiara, frontlets, circlets, etc.)

•  broaches of all kinds

•  collar pins (with symbolic or associative meaning)

•  handles of walking canes or sticks

•  jewelry boxes, snuffboxes, etc.

•  costume jewelry, scarves and hats

What are the different ways the Bible refers to ornaments/jewelry, adornment, and personal decoration?

If the understanding of the biblical texts does not quickly connect in your mind, it may be because

1. Isaiah 28:10 "Precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little."

2. The Bible defines itself; it is its own interpreter.

Strange Gods

• Genesis 35:2-4 "Then Jacob said unto his household, and to all that were with him, Put away the strange gods that are among you, and be clean.... And they gave unto Jacob all the strange gods which were in their hand, and all their earrings which were in their ears."

Strange Vanities

• Jeremiah 4:30 "And when thou art spoiled, what wilt thou do? Though thou clothes t thyself with crimson, though thou deckest thee with ornaments of gold, though thou rentest thy face with painting, in vain shalt thou make thyself fair; thy lovers will despise thee, they will seek thy life."

• Jeremiah 8:19 "Behold the voice of the cry of the daughter of my people because of them that dwell in a far country: Is not the lord in Zion? is not her king in her? Why have they provoked me to anger with their graven images, and with strange vanities?"

Tinkling Ornaments

• Isaiah 3:18 "In that day the Lord will take away the bravery of their tinkling ornaments ..."

Filth

• Isaiah 4:4 "When the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and shall have purged the blood of Jerusalem from the midst thereof by the spirit of judgment, and by the spirit of burning." (See Isaiah Chapter 3)

• Ezekiel 16:36,39 "Thus saith the Lord god; Because thy filthiness was poured out, and thy nakedness discovered through thy whoredoms with thy lovers, and with all the idols of thy abominations,... they shall strip thee also of thy clothes, and shall take thy fair jewels, and leave thee naked and bare."

Idols

• Psalm 115:4 "Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men's hands."

• Psalm 135:15 "The idols of the heathen are silver and gold, the work of men's hands."

• Colossians 3:5 "Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth;... and covetousness, which is idolatry."

• 1 Samuel 15:23 "For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry."

Thought Question: If I knowingly adorn myself or dress contrary to Bible truth, does that make me guilty of idolatry?

Detestable Things

• Ezekiel 7:19, 20 "They shall cast their silver in the

streets, and their gold shall be removed: ... As for the beauty of his ornament, he set it in majesty: but they made the images of their abominations and of their detestable things therein: therefore have I set it far from them."

Whoredoms

• Ezekiel 16:15,17 "But thou didst trust in thine own beauty. ... 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."

• Ezekiel 23:19 "Yet she multiplied her whoredoms in calling to remembrance the days of her youth, wherein she had played the harlot in the land of Egypt."

Wickedness

• Ezekiel 16:17-18 "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, And tookest thy broidered garments, and coveredst them: and thou hast set mine oil and mine incense before them."

• Ezekiel 16:23 "And it came to pass after all thy wickedness, (woe, woe unto thee! Saith the Lord god;) ..."

Note: Ezekiel 16 and 23 are allegories describing the unfaithfulness of Israel to the Lord, yet it expresses in plain terms what the Lord approves of and what He condemns. (See Ezekiel 16:17)

Abominations

• Ezekiel 16:22 "And in all thine abominations and thy whoredoms thou hast not remembered the days of thy youth."

• Ezekiel 16:2 "Son of man, cause Jerusalem to know her abominations.'"

• Deuteronomy 18:9 "When thou art come into the land which the lord thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations."

• Ezekiel 7:20 "As for the beauty of his ornament, he set it in majesty: but they made the images of their abominations ... therefore have I set it far from them."

• Jeremiah 7:30 "For the children of Judah have done evil in my sight, saith the lord: they have set their abominations in the house which is called by my name, to pollute it."

How does the Bible say God feels about abominations?

• Proverbs 6:16-19 "These six things doth the lord hate; yeah, seven are an abomination unto him. A proud look,…”

• Jeremiah 44:4 "... Oh, do not this abominable thing

that I hate."

The Lord hates abominations!

What does the Lord say about those who practice these abominations?

• Isaiah 66:3 "Yea, they have chosen their own ways, and their soul delighteth in their abominations.'"

• Jeremiah 16:17,18 "For mine eyes are upon all their ways: they are not hid from my face, neither is their iniquity hid from mine eyes. And first I will recompense their iniquity and their sin double; because they have defiled my land, they have filled mine inheritance with the carcasses of their detestable and abominable things." (See also vs. 19, last part.)

• Ezekiel 11:21 "But as for them whose heart walketh after the heart of their detestable things and their abominations, I will recompense [pay back or punish] their way upon their own heads, saith the Lord God."

• Revelation 21:27 "And there shall in no wise enter into it [Heaven and the New Jerusalem] any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life."

What prophets and men of God spoke against the earing of ornaments/jewelry and personal decoration?

Jacob

• Genesis 35:1-4 "And God said unto Jacob, Arise, go up to Bethel, and dwell there: and make there an altar unto God, that appeared unto thee when thou fleddest from the face of Esau thy brother. Then Jacob said unto his household, and to all that were with him, Put away the strange* gods that are among you, and be clean, and change your garments: .. . And they gave unto Jacob all the strange gods which were in their hand, and all their earrings which were in their ears; and Jacob hid them under the oak which was by Shechem." *see glossary

Moses

• Exodus 33:1-6 "And the lord said unto Moses,

• Depart, and go up hence, thou and the people which thou hast brought up out of the land of Egypt, unto the land which I swore unto Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, Unto thy seed will I give it: and I will send an angel before thee; and I will drive out the Canaanite, the Amorite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite: unto a land flowing with milk and honey: for I will not go up in the midst of thee; for thou art a stiffnecked people: lest I consume thee in the way. And when the people heard these evil tidings, they mourned: and no man did put on him his ornaments. For the lord had said unto Moses, Say unto the children of Israel, Ye are a stiffnecked* people: I will come up into the midst of thee in a moment, and consume thee: therefore now put off thy ornaments from thee, that I may know what to do unto thee. And the children of Israel stripped themselves of their ornaments by the mount Horeb." *see glossary

Gideon

• Judges 8:24, 25 "And Gideon said unto them, I would desire a request of you, that ye would give me every man the earrings of his prey. (For they had golden earrings, because they were Ishmaelites.) And they answered, We will willingly give them. And they spread a garment, and did cast therein every man the earrings of his prey."

Isaiah

' Isaiah 3:16-21, 26 "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: 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. In that day the Lord will take away the bravery of their tinkling ornaments,.. . the chains, and the bracelets,.. . and the ornaments of the legs,... and the tablets*, and the earrings, the rings, and nose jewels... . And her gates shall lament and mourn; and she being desolate* shall sit upon the ground." *see glossary

Jeremiah

• Jeremiah 4:30 "And when thou art spoiled, what wilt thou do? Though thou ... deckest* thee with ornaments of gold, though thou rentest thy face with painting, in vain shalt thou make thyself fair; thy lovers will despise thee, they will seek thy life." *see Hosea 2:13 below.

Ezekiel

• Ezekiel 23:40 "Ye have sent for men to come from far, unto whom a messenger was sent; and, lo, they came: for whom thou didst wash thyself, paintedst thy eyes, and deckedst thyself with ornaments."

(Notice in the two previous texts the combination of facial paint with the wearing of ornaments.)

Hosea

• Hosea 2:13 "And I will visit upon her the days of Baalim, wherein she burned incense to them, and she decked* herself with her earrings and her jewels, and she went after her lovers, and forgot me, saith the lord." *see glossary

Note: Baalim is the plural of Baal. Genesis defines it "images of Baal." Some writers explain the word as indicating or including the various modifications of Baal, such as Baal-Peor, Baal-Berith, Baal-Zebub. Of course, anyone who worshiped Baal(im) was worshiping Satan. See Judges 3:7-8.

Zephaniah

• Zephaniah 1:7, 8 "Hold thy peace at the presence of the Lord god: for the day of the lord is at hand: for the lord hath prepared a sacrifice, he hath bid his guests. And it shall come to pass in the day of the lord's sacrifice, that I will punish the princes, and the king's children, and all such as are clothed with strange apparel*" (See also Jude23.) *see glossary

Paul

• 1 Timothy 2:9 "In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest* apparel, with shamefacedness* and sobriety*; not with braided hair* or gold, or pearls, or costly array."

• Acts 20:33 "I have coveted no man's silver, or gold, or apparel." *see glossary

James

• James 2:2-5 "For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly* apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile* raiment; and ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool: ... Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him?" *see glossary

Peter

• 1 Peter 3:3 "Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair* and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel."

•  See Chapter 7, "And More . .. Hair and Cosmetics."

John

• Revelation 17:4 "And the woman* was arrayed in purple and scarlet color, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication."

Note: "The woman" here symbolizes the false church. The description is consistent with what God disapproves of. See Revelation 18

Who wore ornaments/jewelry, adornment and personal decoration in the Bible?

The Egyptians

• Exodus 12:35 "And the children of Israel did according to the word of Moses; and they borrowed of the Egyptians jewels of silver, and jewels of gold."

• Genesis 41:42-44 "And Pharaoh took off his ring from his hand, and put it upon Joseph's hand, and arrayed him in vestures of fine linen, and put a gold chain about his neck.. . . And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I am Pharaoh, and without thee shall no man lift up his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt."

Note: Egypt— a country in northeast Africa. They mode slaves of the children of Israel and made their lives bitter with hard bondage. (Exodus 1:13, 14) But the Lord delivered them. "The lord called unto him [Moses] out of the mountain, saying, Thus shall thou say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel; Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings, and brought you unto myself." Exodus 19:3,4

Because of the disobedience of the Egyptians, what did God say He would do?

• Ezekiel 29:12,14,15 "And I will make the land of Egypt desolate:... and I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations, and will disperse them through the countries… And I will bring again the captivity of Egypt, and will cause them to return into the land of Pathros, into the land of their habitation; and they shall be there a base* kingdom. It shall be the basest* of the kingdoms; neither shall it exalt itself any more above the nations: for I will diminish them, that they shall no more rule over the nations. " *see glossary

The Midianites

• Numbers 31:1-2, 7, 49-51 "And the lord spoke unto Moses, saying, Avenge the children of Israel of the Midianites: afterward shalt thou be gathered unto thy people." "And they warred against the Midianites, as the lord commanded Moses; and they slew all the males." "And they said unto Moses, Thy servants have taken the sum of the men of war which are under our charge, and there lacketh not one man of us. We have therefore brought an oblation for the lord, what every man hath gotten, of jewels of gold, chains, and bracelets, rings, earrings, and tablets, to make an atonement for our souls before the lord. And Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold of them, even all wrought jewels."

Note:The Midianites were the descendants ofMidian, the son of Abraham's second wife, Keturah.They were enemies of Israel.

Because of the disobedience of the Midianites, what did God do?

• Judges 6:14 "And the lord looked upon him [Gideon], and said, Go in this thy might, and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the Midianites; have not I sent thee?"

• Judges 7:2 "And the lord said unto Gideon, The people that are with thee are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel vaunt themselves against me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me."

• Judges 7:12,15 "And the Midianites and the Amalekites and all the children of the east lay along in the valley like grasshoppers for multitude. .. . Gideon . .. said, Arise; for the lord hath delivered into your hand the hostofMidian."

• Judges 8:28 "Thus was Midian subdued before the children of Israel, so that they lifted up their heads no more. And the country was in quietness forty years in the days of Gideon."

• Psalm 83:9,10 "Do unto them as unto the Midianites; . . . which perished at Endor: they became as dung for the earth."

The Ishmaelites

• Judges 8:24 "And Gideon said unto them, I would desire a request of you, that ye would give me every man the earrings of his prey, (For they had golden earrings, because they -were Ishmaelites.)"

• Psalm 83:2-7 "For, lo, thine enemies make a tumult: and they that hate thee have lifted up the head. They have taken crafty counsel against thy people, and consulted against thy hidden ones. They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance. For they have consulted together with one consent [mind]: they are confederate against thee: the tabernacles of Edom, and the Ishmaelites; of Moab, and the Hagarenes; Gebal, and Ammon, and Amalek; the Philistines with the inhabitants of Tyre... ."

Note: Ishmaelites —descendants of lshmael, the son of Abraham and Hagar who was cast out after the birth of Isaac.

The Persians and the Medes

• Esther 3:8-12 "Haman said,. . . If it please the king, let it be written that they [the Jews] may be destroyed: and I will pay ten thousand talents of silver to the hands of those that have the charge of the business, to bring it into the king's treasuries. And the king took his ring from his hand, and gave it unto Haman. . .. Then were the king's scribes called on the thirteenth day of the first month, and there was written according to all that Haman had commanded unto the king's lieutenants, and to the governors .. . and to every people after their language; in the name of king Ahasuerus was it written, and sealed with the king's ring."

The Babylonians

• Daniel 5:7, 13,16-17 "And the king spake, and said to the wise men of Babylon, Whosoever shall read this writing, and shew me the interpretation thereof, shall be clothed with scarlet, and have a chain of gold about his neck, and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom. ... Then was Daniel brought in before the king. And the king spake and said unto Daniel, ... I have heard of thee, that thou canst make interpretations, and dissolve doubts: now if thou canst read the writing, and make known to me the interpretation thereof, thou shalt be clothed with scarlet, and have a chain of gold about thy neck, and shalt be the third ruler in the kingdom. Then Daniel answered and said before the king, Let thy gifts be to thyself, and give thy rewards to another. ..."

The Ammonites, Moabites and Children of ML Seir

• 1 Chronicles 20:22, 25 "And when they began to sing and to praise, the lord set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come against Judah; and they were smitten.... And when Jehoshaphat and his people came to take away the spoil of them, they found among them in abundance both riches with the dead bodies, and precious jewels, which they stripped off for themselves, more than they could carry away: and they were three days in gathering of the spoil, it was so much."

Thought Question: Who do you think is pleased when we deck and adorn our bodies with gold, silver and jewels? Why?

The Philistines

• 1 Samuel 6:4, 8 "Then said they, What shall be the trespass offering which we shall return to him? They answered, Five golden emerods, and five golden mice, according to the number of the lords of the Philistines. ... And take the ark of the lord, and lay it upon the cart; and put the jewels of gold, which ye return him for a trespass offering, in a coffer by the side thereof; and send it away, that it may go."

The Zidonians

• 1 Chronicles 1:13 "And Canaan begat Zidon his first born,. . ."

Note: The Zidonians were descendants of the Canaanltes who were cannibals. Jezebel was a Zidonian and a very wicked woman.

• Ezekiel 28:22-23 "Thus saith the Lord god; Behold, I am against thee, O Zidon. .. . For I will send into her pestilence, and blood into her streets; and the wounded shall be judged in the midst of her by the sword upon her on every side; and they shall know that I am the lord."

• 1 Kings 11:1, 9-10, 31, 33 "But king Solomon loved many strange women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites. ... And the lord was angry with Solomon, because his heart was turned from the lord God of Israel, which had appeared unto him twice, and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods: but he kept not that which the lord commanded. . .. Thus saith the lord, the God of Israel, Behold, I will rend the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon, and will give ten tribes to thee: .. , Because that they have forsaken me, and have worshipped Ashtoreth* the goddess of the Zidonians,.. . and have not walked in my ways, to do that which is right in mine eyes, and to keep my statutes and my judgments, as did David his father."

• 2 Kings 23:13 "And the high places that were before

Jerusalem, which were on the right hand of the mount of corruption, which Solomon the king of Israel had builded for Ashtoreth the abomination of the Zidonians ... did the king defile."

• 2 Kings 9:30 ".. . Jezebel. . . painted her face, and tired [adorned] her head, and looked out at a window."

• 1 Kings 16:30-31 "And Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the lord above all that were before him. And it came to pass, as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he took to wife Jezebel the daughter ofEthbaal king of the Zidonians."

• Judges 2:13 "And they forsook the lord, and served Baal and Ashtaroth."

*Ashtaroth (Ashtareth) was the companion deity to Baal. Ashtaroth, orAstarte, was a goddess of the Sidonians, and also of the Phillistines. As Baal is supposed to have represented the sun, so Astarte is thought to have represented the moon. She was also known as "the queen of heaven."

Apostate Israel

• Isaiah 3:16-26 (King James Version) "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: therefore the Lord will smite* with a scab the crown of the head of the daughters of Zion, and the lord will discover [expose] their secret parts. In that day the Lord will take away the bravery [beauty] of their tinkling ornaments about their feet, and their cauls, and their round tires like the moon, (necklaces), the chains, and the bracelets, and the mufflers, the bonnets, and the ornaments of the legs, and the headbands, and the tablets, and the earrings, the rings, and nose jewels, the changeable suits of apparel, and the mantles, and the wimples, and the crisping pins, the glasses, and the fine linen, and the hoods, and the vails. 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. Thy men shall fall by the sword, and thy mighty in the war. And her gates shall lament and mourn; and she being desolate shall sit upon the ground." *see glossary

• Isaiah 3:16-26 (New King James Version) "Moreover the Lord says: Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, and walk with outstretched necks and wanton eyes, walking and mincing as they go, making a jingling with their feet, therefore the Lord will strike with a scab the crown of the head of the daughters of Zion, and the Lord will uncover their secret parts. In that day the Lord will take away the finery: the jingling anklets, the scarves, and the crescents; the pendants, the bracelets, and the veils; the headdresses, the leg ornaments, and the headbands; the perfume boxes, the charms, and the rings; the nose jewels, the festal apparel, and the mantles; the outer garments, the purses, and the mirrors; the fine linen, the turbans, and the robes. And so it shall be: 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. Your men shall fall by the sword, and your mighty in the war. Her gates shall lament and mourn, and she being desolate shall sit on the ground."

Satan Himself

• Ezekiel 28:13,14,17 "Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created. Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth... . Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty."

Note: Satan is the one who inspires men and women to adorn themselves with jewels, precious stones, gold, silver, ornaments, etc., for the sole purpose of bringing attention to self.

What was the continual sin of ancient Israel as well as modern Israel?

• Judges 2:12 "And they forsook the lord God ... and followed other gods, of the gods of the people that were round about them, and provoked the lord to anger."

• Leviticus 18:30 "That ye commit not any one of these abominable customs *, which were committed before you, and that ye defile not yourselves therein: I am the lord your God."

• Leviticus 20:23, 26 "And ye shall not walk in the manners of the nation, which I cast out before you: for they committed all these things, and therefore I abhorred them . .. And ye shall be holy unto me: for I the lord am holy, and have severed you from other people, that ye should be mine."

• 2 Kings 17:15 "And they rejected his statutes, and his covenant,. . . and his testimonies which he testified against them; and they followed vanity, and became vain *, and went after the heathen that were round about them concerning whom the lord had charged them that they should not do like them."

Proverbs 12:11 "He that followeth vain persons is void of understanding."

*see glossary

Thought Question: What is the difference between ancient Israel following the Zidonians and modern Israel following the fashions of Paris, London or New York (the world)?

Instead of following the customs of the pagans and heathens who know not God nor obey Him, who are we counseled to follow?

• Matthew 16:24 "Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me."

• 1 Kings 18:21 "How long halt ye between two opinions? If the lord be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him."

• John 10:27 "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me."

• Proverbs 15:9 "The way of the wicked is an abomination unto the lord: but he loveth him that followeth after righteousness."

• 3 John 11 "Beloved, follow not that which is evil, but that which is good."

Because . . . "we have not followed cunningly devised fables!" 2 Peter 1:16.