A Note To The Image Of God Called Woman (4) - Part 4

A NOTE TO THE IMAGE OF GOD CALLED WOMAN (4) - PART 4

By: Adom Ofori-Asenso 

November 19, 2013.

JEWELRIES (OF ANY KIND INCLUDING WEDDING RINGS) AND MAKE-UP

This note will address the issue of Moses instructing the Israelites to go for articles (jewels; KJV) of gold and articles (jewels; KJV) of silver from the Egyptians during their Exodus (Exodus 12:35; see below). I pray the Holy Spirit grants us full guidance, wisdom and revelation into the Word.

As a matter of fact, Moses did not specifically instruct the Israelites to go for JEWELRIES because as recorded he instructed them to go for articles (NIV) or jewels (KJV) of silver and gold. However, we may give the benefit of the doubt that probably, as part of asking these things from the Egyptians, they may have collected jewelries as well because later on in Exodus chapter 32, we realize the Israelites were putting on jewelries. These articles may also include anything made of silver and gold such as cups, plates, gold/silver bars and anything you can think of being made of silver and gold. What God did for the Israelites as recorded in Exodus 12: 36 (see below), was that He made the Egyptians give freely to the Israelites so that they will gain wealth. This is a great word of encouragement to Christian believers that; when God delivers you from any situation, He makes your enemies honour you. Gold and silver in itself is not evil (Genesis 2:11-12 “11 The name of the first is the Pishon; it winds through the entire land of Havilah, where there is gold. 12 The gold of that land is good; aromatic resin and onyx are also there.) and that is why the streets in heaven and mansions are made of gold and other precious stones; it is the use of it in redefining the creation of God which is detestable in the sight of God. At creation, one of the instructions God gave man on his creation including man himself was to take care of them; Genesis 2:15 “The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to WORK IT AND TAKE CARE OF IT”. Taking care of God’s creation is work of maintenance and not recreation or redefining. Creating holes in your ear, adding fake hair to your hair (black African hiding your kinky hair and putting on Brazilian hair or hair made of rubber i.e synthetic hair, braiding fake hair to your hair to look long as 20 inches when in actual God gave you 5 inches hair), painting your face, tattooing, hair dyeing etc are all acts of recreation. However, washing your hair, bathing, clothing (which God himself gave man), moisturing your skin, combing your hair, braiding your own hair are all acts of maintenance or caring for God’s creation and presents you as you.

Moses therefore instructed the Israelites to go for these articles not for hanging on their bodies but for wealth and that is why God made the Egyptians give freely to the Israelites so as to increase their wealth (Proverbs 13:22 “A good man leaves an inheritance for his children’s children, but A SINNER’S WEALTH IS STORED UP FOR THE RIGHTEOUS”). Also, these Israelites were a nation which came out of Jacob whom we saw in the previous note (4 part 2) that they got rid of their jewelries and buried them, however, 430 years of living in Egypt (Exodus 12:40) made them go back to what they once got rid (Exodus 32:2 “Aaron answered them, ‘Take off the gold earrings that your wives, your sons and your daughters are wearing, and bring them to me”). As I explained in the previous note (4 part 2) with Acts 17:30, God overlooked some of these acts UNTIL, the Israelites ended up using these jewelries to make an idol or a smaller god for themselves and God finally exposed to them His displeasure in the wearing of jewelries by instructing them to take them off (Exodus 33:3-6 “3 ‘Go up to the land flowing with milk and honey. But I will not go with you, because you are a stiff-necked people and I might destroy you on the way’. 4 When the people heard these distressing words, they began to mourn and no one put on ANY ornaments. 5 For the Lord had said to Moses, ‘TELL THE ISREALITES, ‘YOU ARE A STIFF-NECKED PEOPLE (*they got rid of their jewelries in Jacob’s household in Genesis 35 in order to purify themselves which pleased God and God changed Jacob’s name to Israel. And here they are going back to the very thing they took off*). If I were to go with you even for a moment, I might destroy you. NOW TAKE OFF YOUR ORNAMENTS AND I WILL DECIDE WHAT TO DO WITH YOU’. 6 So the Israelite STRIPPED OFF THEIR ORNAMENTS AT MOUNT HOREB). At Horeb, God decided He will no longer move with the Israelites; however He (God) will send His angel to go with the Israelites to the promise land because He is a faithful God and will honour His promise He made to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Later on, God decided He will go with them on one condition that they take off their jewelries (Exodus 33:1-6).

 Exodus 33:1-6
1 Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Leave this place, you and the people you brought up out of Egypt, and go up to the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, saying, ‘I will give it to your descendants’. 2 I will send an angel before you and drive out the Canaanites, Amorites, Hittites, Perizites, Hivites and Jebusites. 3 Go up to the land flowing with milk and honey. But I will not go with you, because you are a stiff-necked people and I might destroy you on the way’. 4 When the people heard these distressing words, they began to mourn and no one put on any ornament. 5 For the LORD had said to Moses, ‘Tell the Israelites, ‘You are a stiff-necked people. If I were to go with you even for a moment, I might destroy you. NOW TAKE OFF YOUR ORNAMEMTS and I will decide what to do with you.’ 6 So the Israelites stripped off their ORNAMENTS AT MOUNT HORED.
 This is the covenant God made with the Israelites at Mount Horeb (*never to put on jewelries because it is detestable in God’s sight*) which God later gave terms and conditions to this covenant at Moab in Deuteronomy 29:1 “1 These are the terms of the covenant the Lord commanded Moses to make in Moab, IN ADDITION TO THE COVENANT HE HAD MADE WITH THEM AT HOREB.” This same covenant, God reminded in Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Hosea, Peter, Timothy. Therefore do not be deceived that this covenant was just one off for the Israelites at that time.  God does not change. God had declared His displeasure in adornment with jewelries and He confirmed that in the New Testament in Peter and Timothy. Do not be deceived that the interpretation of jewelries in 1 Peter 3:3 and 1Timothy 2:9 is MODERATION. The jewelries mentioned in Peter and Timothy are not permissible because God had indicated in previous books in the Bible his displeasure in them and God had clearly instructed no one to put them on. Someone may also say that, if jewelries were bad, why didn’t Jesus warn women about them when He was on earth?  The Bible has made it clear to us that, so many are the things Jesus did that were not recorded; John 21:25 “Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written”. Therefore, nothing justifies you to say that Jesus never spoke about jewelries. Many pastors go to the Old Testament and preach TITHES. Why don’t they say TITHES was one off for the Israelites at that time? Yet when it comes to jewelries, they tell you it was just for the Israelites not us even when God made in clear when He renewed that covenant at Moab (*Deuteronomy 29*), that it was for all believers present and yet to come and also reaffirmed it in Peter and Timothy. Deuteronomy 29:14-15 “14 I am making this covenant, with its oath, NOT ONLY WITH YOU 15 WHO ARE STANDING HERE WITH US TODAY IN THE PRESENCE OF THE LORD OUR GOD BUT ALSO WITH THOSE WHO ARE NOT HERE TODAY (*the Gentiles including you and I*)

The Israelites tested the righteous jealousy of God (Exodus 20:22-23 “22 Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Tell the Israelites this: ‘You have seen for yourselves that I have spoken to you from heaven: 23 Do not make any gods to be alongside me; do not make for yourselves gods of silver or gods of gold.) and that is why the very first commandment out of the ten reads; Exodus 20:3 “You shall have no other gods before me”. My friends, please seek divine revelation into scriptures from God to grasp the fact that putting on jewelries is act of creating an idol or god (*with a small ‘g’*). God makes us aware in Isaiah 40:18-20 (see below), that it is idols who are fashioned with silver chains (jewelries) and his image cannot be compared to that. Therefore, a spiritual insight into Exodus 20:22-23 (see above) indicates how God hates mimicking idols alongside His own image He created you to be through the wearing of jewelries. You may also argue that God asked the Israelites to take off their ornaments for only that period because of the Idol they made with them and therefore does not apply to us in the New Testament church. Don’t forget that even before the Golden Calf, Jacob and his household took off their jewelries. Also, after the Golden Calf, God emphasized his displeasure in his people putting on jewelries a second time with the Israelites in Moab and made a covenant to that effect, a third time through Joshua and also through  his prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Hosea and also in the new testament through in Timothy and Peter.
Also in Moab, God made the Israelites aware that they have limited revelation of Him (Deuteronomy 29:2-4 “2 Moses summoned all the Israelites and said to them: Your eyes have seen all that the Lord did in Egypt to Pharaoh, to all his officials and to all his land. 3 With your own eyes you saw those great trials, those miraculous signs and great wonders. 4 BUT TO THIS DAY THE LORD HAS NOT GIVEN YOU A MIND THAT UNDERSTANDS OR EYES THAT SEE OR EARS THAT HEAR.) and this emphasizes the point I keep making that, God gradually revealed Himself to humanity over the generations and the new testament church has greater revelation of God than the old testament believers and that is why apostle Paul cautions us in Acts 17:30, that the era where God overlooked certain acts of ignorance was in the past (old testament) but now he calls all men to repent. During the renewal of the Horeb covenant in Moab, God gave terms and conditions to that covenant and that is where God indicated that, when anyone who goes back to putting on jewelries again, hell fire will be the end of that person (Deuteronomy 29:16-20).

***********Deuteronomy 29:16-20 with explanation
16 You yourselves know how we lived in Egypt (*the place where the Israelites were influenced by the Egyptians and they went back to idol worship and the putting on of jewelries after they got rid of them and buried them in Genesis 35*) and how we passed through the countries on the way here. 17 You saw among them their detestable images (*putting on jewelries is a detestable image before God because you are fashioning God’s image into the image of idols which God has spoken of in Isaiah 40:18-20*) and idols of wood and stone, of silver and gold (*You realize that God made a distinction between detestable images {KJV reads ‘abominations’ which can be traced to Ezekiel 7:20, see above} and idols. So please resist any root of deception from Satan to convince you that God was not talking about putting jewelries on the body but rather God is only against carvings of idols. Remember that after the Israelites made the Golden Calf, the action Moses took (Exodus 32:20) was to burn the Golden calf (idol) whiles the action God took (Exodus 33:4-6) was to instruct them to take of the jewelries (detestable image). This means that, Moses, did not grasp the full displeasure of God towards jewelries until God himself revealed it completely to the Israelites. Because if the problem was just with the Golden Calf, then Moses burning it should have settled it but God was not satisfied with only the burning of the Golden Calf and further instructed the removal of the jewelries*). 18 Make sure there is no man or woman, clan or tribe among you today whose heart turns away from the LORD our God to go and worship the gods of those countries; make sure there is no root among you that produces such bitter poison. 19 When such a person hears the words of this oath, he invokes a blessing on himself and therefore thinks, ‘I will be safe, even though I persist in going my own way’ (*This is what is happening in present day Christianity; when many Christians having heard that it displeases God for women and men to put on jewelries, they reject the message and follow their own way of wearing the jewelries bearing in their own minds that it is a lie that it will take one to hell and they will make heaven at all cost with those jewelries on.*). This will bring disaster on the watered land as well as the dry. 20 The LORD will never be willing to forgive him; his wrath and zeal will burn against that man. All the curses written in this book will fall upon him, and the Lord will blot out his name from under heaven (*eternal damnation in hell if one does not repent from wearing jewelries*).*****************************************************************

**********************Brief insight on GRACE
Don’t let anyone deceive you with a false interpretation of GRACE by telling you that these punishments stated in Deuteronomy 29:16-28 can never be your portion because it was for those who lived under law and now we live under GRACE. God explains GRACE to us in Titus 2:11-12 “For the GRACE of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. 12 It teaches us to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age (*meaning, the GRACE God has made available in this present age gives us an added responsibility to live Christ-like lives and not to relax as if nothing is at stake*) and Paul cautions this misinterpretation of GRACE in Romans 6:1-2 “1 What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that GRACE may increase? 2 By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer”? Living under the law means that when you sin, you will at all cost face the punishment even when you are sorry. On the other hand, GRACE means that when you sin, the punishment awaiting you does not come upon you instantly. God gives you the opportunity to REPENT of that sin and seek for forgiveness before you reach his seat of judgment where there is no GRACE. The scripture which says MERCY TRIUMPHS OVER JUDGEMENT has also been manipulated by Satan to lead many astray (James 2:12-13 Speak and act and as those are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom (*GRACE*), because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful (*which means that never conclude that people can never REPENT, CHANGE, or ACCEPT the TRUTH you preach to them. Be merciful by praying for them, that God will open their eyes to know and understand the message you preach. God will not be merciful to you, if you conclude on someone that he/she can never change from any particular sinful act*). Mercy triumphs over judgment!). This scripture defines GRACE, which means that, gone are the days when you sin, you face instant judgment. But in this present age, when you sin, God shows MERCY over JUDGMENT to grant you the opportunity to repent whiles on earth. When you die without REPENTING, Hebrews 10:26 (see below), tells us that, the mercy that triumphs over judgment ceases (*because it only happens whiles you have breath on earth*) and only judgment is left for you to face. Even if God decides to show mercy at the judgment seat (Romans 10:15-16 “15 For he says to Moses, ‘I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion. 16 It does not, therefore, depend on man’s desire or effort, but on God’s mercy (*God has shown his mercy to humanity by making salvation and grace available through the crucifixion of our Lord Jesus Christ on the cross so that we are saved by faith in Jesus alone. Anything outside faith in Jesus Christ is stepping out of God’s mercy and following your own desire and effort to attain a certain salvation which is not recognized by God and for that matter will not take you to heaven*), that mercy will not be shown for you to enter heaven with the sin that was taking you to hell but rather for you to come back to earth to repent of whatever was taking you to hell and warn others about it and that is the reason we have some of the genuine divine revelations of heaven and hell from people who died and God showed them mercy by giving them a second change. But I tell you my friends; these second chances are very rare and scarcely happen and may even not happen.
Hebrew 10:26-29 “If we deliberately keep on sinning AFTER WE HAVE RECEIVED KNOWLEDGE OF THE TRUTH, no sacrifice of sin is left (*a true believer of Christ who has professed Christ and been baptized but willfully rejects things the Bible warns against and DOES NOT REPENT of them will have his name erased from the Book of life because he has insulted the Spirit of GRACE {Hebrews 10:29}*)   , 27 BUT ONLY A FEARFUL EXPECTATION OF JUDGMENT AND A RAGING FIRE THAT WILL CONSUME THE ENEMIES OF GOD. 28 Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy (*the meaning of living under the law*) on the account of two or three witness. 29 How much more severely do you think a man deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God underfoot (*the meaning of accepting Christ does not mean you can continue living in sin and go unpunished. It means you are accepting the GRACE God offers so that when you commit sins, you can ask for forgiveness and REPENT.  A believer in Christ who feels comfortable in living in sin and bears the mentality that come what may, he will still make it heaven because he has believed in Christ and DOES NOT REPENT, has trampled the Son of God under foot*), who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified, and who has insulted the Spirit of GRACE?
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Years after, when Moses handed over to Joshua, Joshua renewed the covenant again with the people of Israel in Joshua 24 (*I will encourage you to read the whole chapter*). One peculiar thing with this covenant is that, it is a repetition of what Jacob (Genesis 35:2) told his household over 430 years ago.
JOSHUA// Joshua 24:23 “Now then, said Joshua, ‘throw away the foreign gods that are among you and yield your hearts to the LORD, the God of Israel”.
JACOB// Genesis 35:2 “So Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, ‘Get rid of the foreign gods you have with you, and purify yourselves and change your clothes”.
Prior to Joshua giving them the instruction in Joshua 24:23 (see above), Joshua tells them in Joshua 24:19-20 “Joshua said to the people, ‘You are not able to serve the LORD. HE IS A HOLY GOD; HE IS A JEALOUS GOD. He will not forgive your rebellion and your sins. 20 If you forsake the LORD and serve foreign gods, he will turn and bring disaster on you and make an end to you, AFTER HE HAS BEEN GOOD TO YOU.” He told them this because the Israelites, after Jacob had told them to get rid of their foreign gods and jewelries and God stripping them off their ornaments/jewelries at Mount Horeb, they still went back to it and were claiming they were serving God faithfully (Joshua 24:16-18, see below) when they were living in disobedience to God (Joshua 24:14-15, Joshua 24:19-20, Joshua 24:23).

This stiff-necked attitude of the Israelites continued and God spoke about these jewelries again in Ezekiel 7:20 (NIV) “20 They were proud of their beautiful jewelry and used it to make detestable idols and vile (*unpleasant or objectionable*) images (*the putting on of jewelries is an act of creation which changes the image of God which God created you into a vile image of an idol which is detestable in God’s sight*). Therefore, I will turn these into unclean thing for them”. In KJV, Ezekiel 7:20 reads “20 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 (*the putting on of jewelries is an act of creation which changes the image of God which God created you into an abominable and detestable image*): therefore have I set it far from them (*that is why God exposed this displeasure of putting on jewelries to the Israelites at Mount Horeb and set it far from them by instructing them to take them off*)”.

Again in Jeremiah 4:30, God mentions both jewelries and make-up.
Jeremiah 4:30 “30 What are you doing, O devastated one? Why dress yourself in scarlet and put on jewels of gold? Why shade your eyes with paint (*God knows about make-up and He has shown his displeasure with it*)? YOU ADORN YOURSELF IN VAIN (*Adornment with jewelries and make-up are detestable in the sight of God*). Your lovers despise you; they seek your life (*the standard of this world which is the standard of Satan makes you understand that putting jewelries on your body and make-up is what enhances your beauty. Without them, you can be beautiful but not beautiful enough. Having adorned yourself with all these jewelries and make-up and you finally die and end up in hell fire, that is when you will realize those jewelries and make-up which looks so harmless in this world are satan’s deception of causing you to disobey the word of God so that you will end up with him in hell. I pray this does not become your portion and are convicted on this issue quickly before it is too late*).

In addition, Jezebel is the only woman in the Bible who put make-up on her face; 2 Kings 9:30 “30 Then Jeru went to Jezreel. When JEZEBEL heard about it, she painted her eyes, arranged her hair and looked out of the window”. Many years afterwards, Jesus warned the church concerning those who follow in the ways of Jezebel through John in the book of Revelation; Revelation 2:20-22 “20 Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess. By her teachings she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols. 21 I have given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling. 22 So I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways”. You can also refer to the third note I delivered titled ‘WOMAN! KNOW THAT SATAN HAS SECRETS UPON WHICH HIS DECEPTIONS THRIVE BUT GOD REVEALS THEM TO ALL THOSE WHO DILIGENTLY SEEK THE LORD’ for more explanation on the  Revelation 2 above.

Also through the prophet Hosea, God reminds the Isrealites concerning his displeasure with the adornment with jewelries. I will highlight a few verses below and encourage you to the whole of Hosea Chapter 1, Chapter 2 and Chapter 3.  

Hosea 2:2
2 Rebuke your mother, rebuke her, for she is not my wife, and I am not her husband. Let her remove the adulterous look from her face and the unfaithfulness from between her breasts

Hosea 2:8
8 She has not acknowledged that I was the one who gave her the grain, the new wine and oil, who lavished on her silver and gold – which they used for Baal.

Hosea 2:13
13 I will punish her for the days she burned incense to the Baals; she decked herself with the rings and jewelry and went after her lovers, but me she forgot.  

When you read Hosea 2:14-23, you will realize that among the things God restored to Israel after God rebuked them in Hosea 2:1-13, jewelries were not included and God rather emphasized in verse 17 that “17 I will remove the names of the Baals from her lips; no longer will their names be invoked”. Also see Hosea 2:13 above.

God also reminds us about His displeasure in jewelries in Isaiah 30:21-22 “ 21 Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears  will hear a voice behind you saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it.’ 22 Then you will defile your idols overlaid with silver and gold and your images (*Your very own image created in the image of God*) covered with gold; you will throw them away like menstrual cloth and say to them ‘Away with you!”

This is where we will draw the curtain concerning the Israelites in regards to  jewelries/make-up and I pray that you will hear that voice or conviction as stated in Isaiah 30:21 above that ‘this is the way; walk in it’.
God willing, the will address the remaining bullet points in the subsequent note.

All Glory to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit for the divine revelation of His Word.

WHILES I TELL YOU THESE THINGS, I AM KEEPING MY OWN SELF IN THE LINE THROUGH THE SUFFICIENT GRACE AND MERCY OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST LEST I MYSELF MISS HEAVEN.


BIBLICAL REFERENCES 
Exodus 12:35-36
35 The Israelites did as Moses instructed and asked the Egyptians for articles of silver and gold and for clothing. 36 The Lord had made the Egyptians favorably disposed toward the people, and they gave them what they asked for; so they plundered the Egyptians.

Isaiah 40:18-20
18 To whom, then, will you compare God? What IMAGE will you compare him to? 19 As for an idol, a craftsman casts it, and a goldsmith overlays it with gold and fashions silver chains for it. 20 A man too poor to present such an offering selects wood that will not rot. He looks for a skilled craftsman to set up an idol that will not topple.

Joshua 24:16-18
16 Then the people answered, ‘Far be it from us to forsake the LORD to serve other gods! 17 It was the LORD our God himself who brought us and our forefathers up out of Egypt, from that land of slavery, and performed those great signs before our eyes. He protected us on our entire journey and among all the nations through which we travelled. 18 And the LORD drove out before us all the nations, including the Amorites, who lived in the land. We too will serve the LORD, because he is our God.
Culled from https://www.facebook.com/notes/adom-ofori-asenso/a-note-to-the-image-of-god-called-woman-4-part-4/671434882887282