I don't know about leaning from the Amish. We had qite a large settlement of them is S. Indiana where I came from. I once offered a friend EGW's book on the "Mark of the Beast". I ask if he would read it. He said for me to check back with him in a week of so. I did. He handed me the book and told me that his elder wouldn't let him read it.
I respect their hard work, but not the way they treat their children.
Harold.

His elder wouldn't let him read it?

Interesting.

It's true Harold, there is no individual religious freedom among the Amish. Private Bible study is frowned upon; everyone must submit to the Church elders in matters of doctrine. Obviously we shouldn't learn from that. But they (& Mennonites) live simply off the land, relying on community and enjoying great economic independence. SDAs have long been counseled (& warned) to do likewise, but most couldn't fell a tree or split a log to warm their backsides, or tell loam from clay.

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That's a good question Daryl. I've been pondering on this the past week. Here is what I got up 'til now.

First of all the Bible doesn't say that Jacob asked his household to give up jewelry.

AV Gn 35:2 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[khaw-laf' "prop. to slide by i.e. (by implication) to hasten away, pass on, spring up, pierce or change."] your garments: 3 And let us arise, and go up to Bethel; and I will make there an altar unto God, who answered me in the day of my distress, and was with me in the way which I went.

Jacob ask them to put away their strange gods and be clean by which it includes a "change"(khawlaf) of their garments. I thought the definition of khawlaf a little vague. When we are unsure of a definition of a word, at times looking at the definition of each letters of the Hebrew word reveal insight on the true definition. So Khawlef is spelled with the following letters: He Cheth Lamed and Phe Here’s the meaning of these letters: 1st Letter: He--reveal; 2nd:cheth--heart; 3rd : lamed--authority; 4th: phe--speak. We put these meanings together : reveal heart authority speak So Jacob ask something like “to put garments that reveals the authority of their heart that speaks”.

The following verse shows how Jacob’s household responded to his request.

AV Gn 35:4 And they gave unto Jacob all the strange gods which [were] in their hand, and [all their] earrings[neh'-zem, comes from an unusual root meaning “a nose-ring”] which [were] in their ears; and Jacob hid them under the oak which [was] by Shechem.

So the Bible specifies that they gave all the strange gods and their earrings. No other jewelry were specified, but it was the earrings that they gave Jacob.

I suspect that what Jacob requested his household has to do with the law in Ex 21:6. Which says that when a slave does not want to be freed on the start of the Sabbath 7th year because he loves His master; then the master brings the slaves to Elohim who pierces his ears to the door of his house.

We need to go deeper than the letter of the law, and come to understand the spiritual reality of it that is very relative to our own spiritual growth and demonstrates the Lord's process of our salvation. All the law is spiritual and in this case it means that this slave's ears were opened. This servant loved his master and was in full agreement with his laws. At first when he was "under the law" serving time because of his sins according to the law of servitudes, he was forced to obey the law of his master. For the slave to return to the master and refusing his freedom, shows that the laws of the master were now in his heart. Therefore, the man now wanted to obey out of his heart the laws of his master.

The “door” to which the servant’s ear is attached to is Christ Himself. Jesus said “I am the door”. So Ex 21:6 signifies & prophecies that the perpetual servant was hearing the words of Jesus Christ Himself. Paul and the other apostles refer themselves as servants of Jesus Christ also. They understodd this law and out of love refused their freedom and return to the Master as a perpetual slave.

Now, relating this to Jacob’s household handing out the earrings they had in their ears could signify that they are giving up hearing the words of the strange gods.

Does anyone have a "rebuttal or an Amen" for Elle's post?
Sounds logical and please what is with "our" chastisement of "jewelry"? Next thing we will EDIT the ring off of the Prodigals Fathers finger and melt it in the fire if judgement! As for causing cancer to take a life because someone will not take off a ring! That is ludicrous. ...

The above is a very unusual method of translating Biblical Hebrew1

The normal method begins with the typical three (3) letters that are put together to form the Hebrew root. Once that basic meaning has been determined the other letters in the word are examined to see how they modify the root meaning.

I am aware that there are people who advocate the position that Elle has expressed in regard to the letters of the Hebrew alphabet.

Here is one such:


This position begins with a comment right out of the history of the development of the alphabet. This history is well known. Any good dictionary of the English language will give the developmental background of every letter of the English alphabet. This historical development known in general terms for every alphabet that exists, The historical fact is that letters in a typical alphabet began as an ideograph that had specific meaning.

But, that historical meaning may have little to do with the meaning of individual words that use that letter of the alphabet.

Modern languages do not look to that ancient meaning of individual letters to determine the meaning of modern words. Instead, modern languages look the to see how meaning has developed from the order and combination of the letters that are put together in a word.

In the Hebrew language, the root, which is often three (3) Letters, is considered of basic importance, modified as I stated, by the additional letters in the Hebrew word.

Ah, the adornment of man... careful with that Polo pony shirt, the label of clothing is now sin!?? seriously bizarre that man looks at and "judges" the outward appearance! Thank God, He looks upon the HEART!

and as for the Prodigals Father, he should be ashamed and condemned for the "Signet Ring" that is Jewelry is it not?

Because God called their "ornaments", or jewelry, idols. I find this an important part of Christian Living as we can be a poor witness for Christ without saying a word. We can be walking down the street and strangers seeing us with jewelry on will immediately think we are worldly rather than Christian.

I believe it makes it harder to witness for the truth when you are openly compromising truth with wearing jewelry.

Times change.