Jewelry

Remember Abraham sent a faithful servant back to his former homeland, Nahor, to get a wife for Isaac from his relatives there? By the water well, when Abraham’s servant realized that Rebekah was the woman Isaac was to marry, he immediately got out the jewels he had brought along for the occasion. He gave her two gold bracelets and a gold nose ring. (Rebekah must have quickly slipped the jewelry on and run home excitedly to tell her family about what had happened by the well.) A nose ring! Probably, it was an acceptable form of jewelry during the Old Testament times. But nowadays, if you wear a nose ring, people would label you a rebel, a punk, or something else.

The Old Testament mentions jewels and jewelry many times. Both men and women wore jewelry. They commonly wore “armlets, bracelets, signet rings, earrings, and necklaces.” (Numbers 31:50). The Israelites took their jewelries from the people with whom they were at war (when they won the war, of course). 2 Samuel chapter 8 records David gaining a big amount of gold, silver, and bronze when he conquered the nations surrounding Israel. He dedicated all of it to the Lord. His son Solomon also used gold, silver, and bronze to build the fabulous temple in Jerusalem.

The New Testament, however, specifically mentions jewelry only once. Peter was speaking to wives, but this is also applicable to men. “Your adornment must not be merely external – braiding the hair, and wearing gold jewelry or putting on dresses; but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God.” Don’t we look in the mirror everyday to check our outward appearance? But how often do you examine your inner condition, which is more important to God?

People nowadays are always concerned with outward appearances, including believers. It is not a sin to be well-dressed (Proverbs 31:22), but it is wrong to be obsessed with outward appearances at the expense of inner beauty. A beautiful woman who lacks inner beauty and character is like a pig with a gold ring in its nose, according to Proverbs 11:22.

It is wrong for a believer to place too much value on external appearances. It is also wrong to seek man’s approval rather than to strive to please God. Remember, God always looks at your heart. So, clothe yourself with a gentle and quiet spirit. Like the Proverbs 31 woman, strength and dignity should be our clothing. We should open our mouth in wisdom. Teaching kindness should be on our tongue. We should not eat the bread of idleness. After all, charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a person who fears the Lord, he shall be praised.