Why did Jacob ask his family to give up their jewelry before dedication at Bethel?

Looks like this isn't going to be an active thread.

Daryl,

Well, maybe it won't be a hot button issue, but I do have something to say about this.

I think the whole issue boils down to the influence jewelry has on those around us, an influence that we may not be aware of. Let me illustrate with a story.

Some years ago I took a class in masonry it a local community college. In the class we were assigned to a partner for our activity part of the class that was to be done in the work yard. I took the class thinking that someday I might be able to use the skills around my home, but I soon figured out that I was no mason. Still, I stayed with the class and finished it.

The partner I was assigned to was a fellow by the name of Saul. I never knew his last name, but I really like him. He was an older fellow and a lot of fun to be around in that he was a kindly fellow and also full of good humor that we all enjoyed.

One day I was talking to Saul as we were working in the activity yard and I happened to mention that I have a cousin who teaches in the medical school at Loma Linda University. This brought a most interesting story out of Saul. Now as I relate to you the story he told me, do bear in mind that Saul was a nominal Catholic so far as I know. Here is the story he told me.

Some years before Saul had been a member of a nudist club located in the hills somewhere to the south of Loma Linda University. As it happens, one day one of their club members was injured somehow (he did not tell me the exact nature of the injury or how it happened), and so much injury occurred that they felt that if they waited for an ambulance to come get him to take him to a hospital, he would die before it got there. So, a group of them grabbed their friend and put him in a car and they headed to the emergency room at Loma Linda University Medical Center. When they got there, all of them carried their friend into the emergency room and handed him over to the doctors there to save his life. I don't recall whether he told me just how long they waited, but I got the impression that they waited until their friend was out of danger and then they left and returned to their nudist club facility.

Now, here is where things got very interesting to me as he was relating the story to me. He told me that after they left, they talked among themselves about the experience they had at the medical center at Loma Linda. They had all arrived wearing their birthday suits as they came into the emergency room. They expected to receive a very negative reception because of their condition, and yet, he said that they were extremely well treated. They wondered among themselves about the excellent, respectful treatment they received in spite of their lack of clothing. As they discussed this among themselves, they appreciated the good treatment, but they could not understand it. After puzzling over this for a while, they finally settled on a reason as to why they thought they had been so well treated.

What he said next really shocked and amazed me and I have never forgotten it. I also do not understand it, but here is what he said. They decided that the reason they had all been treated so well was that none of the people working in the hospital were wearing jewelry!! They had indeed noticed the lack of jewelry AND they somehow, for reasons I cannot fathom, they connected this with the treatment they received. To this day I do not know why they connected their treatment with the lack of jewelry on the workers, but that is the truth of what he told me. To me it makes no sense. But there it is.

After the class was finished at the end of the semester, Saul later took a job at a local hardware store and I sometimes ran into him when I went shopping there. I often enjoyed visiting with him for a few moments when I went there and I always forgot to ask him about that incident and learn more about their reasoning behind their thinking that day. Sadly, a few years later he was missing from the store and when I asked about him, they told me that he had passed away from cancer. I wish I had known and could have visited with him one more time before he passed away, but it was too late.

But this story illustrates that even things as simple as lacking jewelry on a person does convey something to those around us. And conversely, one can logically conclude that wearing it conveys a message to those around us. People may react to things about us in ways that we cannot possibly understand, and it may have an influence that we cannot possibly fathom, but just the same, that influence is there and we cannot avoid it.

And just maybe that is why Jacob asked them to remove it. Not that wearing pretty things is always wrong, but having jewelry on us may convey a message that we belong to the world and its ways of thinking and acting, which is something that God wants us not to be. His family was wearing these type of things, so maybe it spoke to those around them and to God about their commitment to him. Jacob wanted them to make a full commitment to God. Removing the jewelry was a part of making that commitment.

Something to think about. Right?

Adornment, logos, titles, all say look at me - symbols of pride & covetousness.
But Godly sobriety, discretion, kindness - are symbols of self sacrifice, of Jesus, Who can be trusted.
_______________

My father told me an interesting story years ago. I do not recall all the details, but here is what I do recall.

There was a man in the community whose wife was an Adventist and he was thinking about joining the church. Well, time went on and he came down with cancer. The church pastor with the elders and deacons were all called to pray for his healing, my father being among them (he was not the pastor). They prayed and anointed him and my father said that immediately normal color came back into his skin, which had been a deathly color before. Then after this happened, the pastor told this man that if he really wished to have life with Jesus, he needed to take the ring off his finger. He thought for a few seconds and then answered, "NO!" My father said that as soon as he said that, the normal color in this man's skin immediately drained away from his skin and the deathly color that had been there before came back. He died 2 days later.

My father always thought that if the man had said yes, he would not have died from the cancer. Based on what he told me, I think his conclusion was correct. We either hand all over to God or we don't. That may be hard to swallow, but with God its the only way.

When I was a missionary in Africa I recall a certain African church member wondering why male SDA missionaries wore shirts with colorful ties, golden tie clasps and cuff links, gold watches, preaching vigorously that African females could not wear anything that looked like gold.

Did she have a point?

I understand that the Amish will not wear buttons on their clothes because buttons are ornaments that attract attention.

Where is the "golden" line?

Yes Wendell, too often we are presumptuous & churlish in the face of God's life-saving miracles & mercy.

Give us quail!

_____________________

Adventists could learn a lot from their humble African brethren,
and from the Amish.

____________________

I once attempted to do some literature work in Amish territory in Michigan. It seemed like our Bible Story was way too modern for their taste.

They were very kind and willing to help me get some cheap gas for the car since I was doing missionary work.

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.

__________________

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.

Actually the signet ring was more like giving his Son full authority and privileges to the family business. A signet ring was like a stamp, used to confirm the person making the transaction had the full authority to do so.

In other words -- in giving him the signet ring it was a sign that the son was restored as a full and authoritative member of his estate.



And yes, man looks on the outward appearance while God looks at the heart.
So what should a child of God do as they are to be witnesses to men and women?
Their outward appearance should be such that it brings glory to God and not to self and worldliness. (or to shabbiness and disrespect)

When I see how people now a days decorate their bodies I can only feel sorry for them. It must be painful and awkward to have all those holes bored into their ears, tongues, noses, eyebrows, belly buttons, and other sites, with some metal thing dangling from them.

I remember the mission stories from when I was a child, they would show pictures of the "heathen" in foreign lands with all those piercings and stuff dangling from them and we thought -- oh those poor people, they need to hear about Christ. And what a difference in the pictures of those who were converted!


Christianity took people away from those things and encouraged the beauty that comes from an inward love for God and mankind, but as Christianity wanes the desperate need to be noticed escalates and people do strange things to try and fill that need.

Jewelry is not the greatest sin in the church -- there are other sins far more serious and often given far less attention, but I really don't think we should be promoting or by our example encouraging it.

A Christian's beauty should radiate from within
not by artificial (and often cheapening) trinkets.

So with the wedding ring. A sign of marriage until death do us part.

Ellen made it clear that in her day this did not apply to America and so the wedding ring had no clear significance in the United States. Later, when she lived in Australia and her son was getting married there to the daughter of a minister of another denomination, Ellen had no objection to her daughter-in-law using a wedding ring, because this was the custom in Australia.

Is using it as a front for peddling different than embracing and wearing it?

But then again, selling it to the yet to be converted is proper?

But then again, selling what people were going to buy anyway and using it as an opening for deeper lines of thought?

Wow! Is a signet ring jewelry? A tie or tie tack? A tag heuer or Rolex? What indeed is the taboo? If you are gifted a family heirloom are you living in sin because you wear a family ring?
Alchemy do you truly believe that those that wear jewelry are not Christians?

I was trying to convince the wife of an African pastor she should not wear her ear rings. She told me she would take them off when the male pastors stopped wearing ties.

I don't personally know any man who likes to wear a tie. Most men feel obligated to do so by the women in their lives.

Blessings,

Green Cochoa.

Was this supposed to be a response to something? What?

Who are we to convince others to remove their earrings?
In my local church a prominent member approached a lady who would tell children story, that she could not be part of the church program while she wore her earrings. Small earrings that were a gift to her from her husband. Surprise! She is not part of this church today! Interesting that the man that confronted her he himself has a Rolex and has many world toy. But he is considered a good member! Ironic?

I wonder how many of us would accept Jesus Christ into our company?

Yes, I see your point. People are cruel. But is there a limit? Should smokers be allowed to give the children story while smoking? What about two known lesbians giving the story together, arm in arm? If you say, well that's different, why? Does it matter if someone has very small hardly noticeable earrings versus someone who has multiple shoulder level dangling earrings, with a bunch of brassy clanging bracelets, and the low cut of the dress coming close to meeting its hem?

That is, are there limits?

And if so, who sets them?

But at the same time, one shouldn't say, you make the angels cry because you ....

Hypocrisy and disrespect will not be tolerated much longer.

In that day the Lord will take away the finery of the anklets, the headbands, and the crescents;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.(Isaiah 3:18-24)

When is "that day" which Inspiration is thus describing? Let's read next chapter 4.

"And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel: only let us be called by thy name, to take away our reproach.In that day shall the branch of the LORD be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and comely for them that are escaped of Israel. (Isaiah 4:1-2)

Adding these words up, we see that it points to a purification. Those who now carelessly adorn themselves, will pay a price "instead of sweet smell there shall be stink".."burning instead of beauty". When? In the day that ALL (seven) churches(women) practice such terrible and foolish disrespect while calling God their Father (only let us be called by thy name). This includes the SDA.

However during this time, soon we will see some will "escape" the purification judgment and live! They shall be "beautiful and glorious" unto the Lord.

This is just "twisted"
Just sayin'
Ya lets judge all that wear a chain or pierce or tat.
This is just a blatt of banging gongs and rah rah pumping of "purist"
Ideals.
People are the REAL and many many have greater love within them than
Many many others that "look pure"

interesting that "we" always point out the "women's" ability to tempt and cause sin... that is just babbling twisted nonsense. just saying.

How does this tie into the subject of jewelry?

Adorning ourselves is very easy unfortunately. So, I believe we need to be very careful.

Yet, I don't think dressing in a presentable manner is wrong. I don't believe we all have to live and dress dirty with torn clothes all the time. We should be clean and decent in our dress.

When is it too much? I believe jewelry and costly apparel is too much. There just isn't any need for it.

We are to dress in a manner that does not draw attention to self.

Modest, decent, practical clothes of good quality and cleanliness, that are in tune with our culture but not following the fads and fashions that are clearly not "modest, decent, practical or of serviceable quality" and are meant only to draw attention to some aspect of self.

We are to dress in a manner that does not draw attention to self. We are to exhibit the fruits of the Holy Spirit and this will give a lasting beauty to both men and women that draws people into true Christian fellowship.