So what's the big deal about wearing cosmetics and jewelry? Everybody wears them, and besides there are many, many beautiful Christian women who wear them. Does the Bible have anything to say about the wearing of colorful cosmetics and jewelry?

Years ago I had two pamphlets that discussed this topic at length and I want to give credit to the authors, R. E. Francis with George Vandeman and Joe Crews. R. E. Francis was a retired professor at Southern College. George Vandeman was a theologian and the host of the television program It is Written.  Joe Crews was a theologian and the founder of Amazing Facts. He was the author of Creeping Crompromise and Enemy at the Gate.

Here are some of the notes I took from these pamphlets. Some were paraphrased; some were taken verbatim.

God believes in jewelry for He is the Great Jeweler. The streets of the New Jerusalem in Heaven are made of gold, and the gates to the city are made of pearls.

God covered his anointed cherub, Lucifer, with jewels. Ezekiel 28:11-13 read: "...Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. 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; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.

For Aaron, His high priest in the earthly sanctuary, God designed and decked his garment and ephod with jewels. There was a breastplate of gold on which twelve large precious stones were set in sockets of gold. Added to these were two large onyx gems, one on each shoulder. And these two gem stones were encircled by six each of the twelve which occupied the breastplate. A golden mitre or crown rested upon his head. Beautiful and dignified indeed! The colors of gold, blue, red, and white exquisitely arranged upon his person! He stood out distinctively. God deliberately planned it to be this way.

As you can see God was an exquisite Designer and Jeweler. So why the prohibition of jewelry and other outward ornamentation?

God placed these jewels on Lucifer and Aaron. These jewels were designed to reflect certain characteristics of God. Lucifer was in character to some degree what his jewels represented God to be. Does gold represent righteousness? Rev 3:18; Rev 19:8. Does the blue of the sapphire represent loyalty, true-blue loyalty? Ps 89:2; Esther 8:5; Numbers 15:38-39. Lucifer had both. Hence Lucifer could wear these jewels meaningfully. He was in good taste in an unfallen society, living as he did in the presence of God, the Great Jeweler!

But Lucifer sinned and walked out of the glory. Ezekiel 28:15-19; 2 Peter 2:4; Isaiah 14:12-14; Jude 6. His hallelujahs ceased. The glory-to-God intent of the jewels had vanished, tints and tones. And, if he were to wear them now--in his sin--it would be hypocrisy. He would be falsely advertising those spiritual qualities not represented by his jewels. The best they could now do for him would be to satisfy a fleeting attempt at self-glorification.

When God is depicted in the Bible as putting jewelry on His people, it is symbolic of a holy character or the changed character He develops in us. When we put jewelry on ourselves, it is an indication that we are trying to do for ourselves that which only God can do.

Even though we have seen that Lucifer and Aaron wore jewels, here are some of the reasons God's people today should not wear jewelry. I will list just four:

The first reason is 'The Jesus' Example Reason'. Jesus is our example and we should follow in his steps. 1 Peter 2:21. Before Jesus came to earth, He was Almighty God with infinite glory and power. When He came to our earth, He laid aside his glory, walked off the streets of gold, away from the gates of pearl--to become a creature of the dust, a man, the God-man. He walked out of His glory; He took off 'His jewels.' He certainly left behind a literal paradise full of them.

In Philippians 2:5-8 we're told that Jesus "took upon Him the form of a servant...and became obedient unto death." Consider the life of servants. Do they wear crowns on their heads and their persons decked with jewels? Jesus did not conform to this world--its spirit, its customs and its jewels. Romans 12:2. He is our example. He, the King of jewels, the Creator of jewels, was without jewels when he lived on this earth. He lived without jewels so that one day we can wear heaven's crown jewels. He wore a crown of thorns here that we might wear a crown of gold there. At the cross, evil men cast lots for his garment, yet no lots were cast for His jewels because there were none! Luke 23:34.

The second reason is the 'I am responsible for my influence reason'. Read 1 Corinthians, Chapter 8. This chapter depicts this principle clearly. For the Apostle Paul's enlightened mind, the meats offered to idols were not altered one iota by any heathen ceremony. But to the superstitious minds of the new converts, seeing Paul partake of this food would cause them to be confused. He would have been a stumbling block to them. Rather than confuse their minds, Paul simply refrained from partaking of these meats. Can we apply this principle to the wearing of jewelry? We certainly can. I will no longer wear rings and other jewelry while the world lasts, lest I confuse and be a stumbling block to my brothers and sisters in matters pertaining to jewelry.

On this subject, Joe Crews told a story of a little girl who adored her kindergarten Sabbath School teacher. During the church service the little girl would often be permitted to sit with the teacher and her husband. Since the couple didn't have any children of their own, they were delighted to have the child sit with them. Being of an affectionate nature, the little girl would cling to the hand of her teacher much of the time. On Sabbath during sermon, the woman glanced down at the little girl and notice that she had slipped off the wedding ring and placed it around her little finger. Somewhat perturbed, the woman recovered the ring and put it back on her own finger.

Week by week, much to her chagrin, she noticed how obsessed the tot seemed to be with the ring. She fondled and caressed the ring and often tried to remove it unobtrusively, so that she could slip it around her childish fingers. The growing fascination of the little girl for the golden circle became an increasing concern to the older woman.

Knowing the Bible teachings about ornaments, her conscience had not been at ease from the time she had started wearing the ring. Now she was unable to enjoy the worship service as she sought to divert the girl's vain attention from the article of adornment.

At last she could bear it no longer. Under deep conviction that she was placing a stumbling block in the path of the child, she removed the offending ring once and for all.

Later, she related the experience to her pastor and described the feelings of guilt which tormented her for placing temptation before the face of an innocent little girl.

The third reason presented is 'The Consecration reason'. The Bible links jewelry to one's sense of consecration or lack of it. Genesis, Chapter 34, tells of Dinah's defilement and of Jacob's sons murdering the Shechemite males. So bad was the situation that Jacob cried out,'Ye caused me to stink' in the community. Jacob saw the necessity for an immediate consecration-revival meeting. Let's read from Genesis what happened.

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 change your garments. 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. And they gave unto Jacob all the strange gods which were in their hands, and all their earrings which were in their ears and Jacob hid them under the oak which was by Shechem." Notice that before they were to come before God, they had to strip themselves not only of the strange gods in their possessions but their jewelry as well.

God was sorely displeased with His people for they had made a golden calf to worship. This had brought a grievous plague in the land. The children of Israel were told to go up to Canaan, the land God had promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, but God would not go up with them lest He consume them in the way. Upon hearing this, the people mourned and no one put on their 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." Exodus 33:1-6.

Concerning this incident, Joe Crews wrote: "It is of more than passing interest to note that this prohibition was laid down in connection with their going into the promised land. God said, 'I will send an angel before thee; and I will drive out the Canaanite, the Amorite...for I will not go up in the midst of thee; for thou art a stiff-necked people.' Exodus 33:2,3. It is significant that they were required to strip off the ornaments before they could enter the promised land. Does this have anything to do with us? Indeed it does. Paul assures us in 1 Corinthians 10:11 that "all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come."

The fourth and last principle is 'The Comparison Reason'. If the Lord were to come today, there would be only two classes of people to meet Him:

      a. The ready and the unready.
      b. The just and the unjust.
      c. The gold and the dross
      d. The wheat and the tares
      e. Zion and Babylon.

Zion is a biblical expression for God's people. Isaiah 51:16. Zion comes in two groups:

Compare earth's last day Zion (church) Revelation 12 and modern Babylon's harlot woman (apostate church) Revelation 17.

In Revelation 12, the woman or church is robed in an all-white gown. She has no literal jewelry on her person except a symbolic crown of 12 stars representing the 12 apostles and their victorious faith. She is a living jewel. She is God's Zion in our day.

In Revelation 17, the unfaithful woman (harlot) stands clad in scarlet and purple, decked with gold and precious stones.

The above two women represents two different types of characters, two different types of dress, two different types of jewelry, and for two different purposes. One reflected Jesus in her heart; the other scintillates on the outside.

We know that Aaron's garment and ephod were decked with jewels. What's interesting was that on the Day of Atonement when the high priest went in to the Most Holy Place to meet with God, he took off all of his many jewels including his crown of gold. Instead, he appeared before God in the white robe of the common priest, symbolic of Christ's righteousness. This depiction of Aaron before God, as representative of God's Zion or God's people, tells the story of our attitude toward jewelry. This, by faith, is how we should look today. Not in Aaron's high priestly garb, not even literally in Aaron's common-priestly garb, but most certainly in the robe of Christ's righteousness and with the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit within. This is the acceptable jewelry for God's people today. Spiritual jewelry, unseen but by God, this is what God wants for us today!

What about colorful cosmetics? Should God's women wear them? Joe Crews in his Colorful Cosmetics & Jewelry mentioned that the earliest record in existence concerning the use of colorful cosmetics is found in 2 Kings 9:30. Here's the text: "And when Jehu was come to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it; and she painted her face, and tired her head, and looked out at a window."

The use of colorful cosmetics was a consistent mark of heathen women and unfaithful women throughout the Bible record.

Let's read about God's people in their backslidden condition in Jeremiah 4:30. Notice that they were depicted to the prophet as a harlot or an unfaithful wife. "And when thou art spoiled, what wilt thou do? Though thou clothest 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."

The Prophet Hosea described the hypocrisy and unfaithfulness of the children of Israel in 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 forgat me, saith the Lord."

And in Ezekiel 23:40 we read: "And furthermore, that 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."

Over and over again, the Bible connects the wearing of colorful cosmetics and jewelry with sin, apostasy and heathenism.

Hasn't the time come for God's people to put away their sins, their gods, their apostasy, their ornaments and come to Bethel to meet with Him? And isn't the Promised Land just ahead and we need to repent and consecrate ourselves to God and strip ourselves of all our ornaments?

While your face is toward that city
with its wealth of jasper walls
Where the pearly gates are open wide to stay,
Still remember there are diamonds scattered all along life's road
There are many, many pearls by the way.

Chorus

There are many, many pearls by the way,
You may find them if you watch as well as pray,
Heaven's wealth is lying scattered
all along life's dusty road,
Gather up some precious pearls by the way.

Would you have your crown to sparkle
like the stars that shine at night?
Brighter than our golden sun which shines today?
Do not wait to get to heaven to select your jewels there,
But keep looking for life's pearls by the way.

Every crown of earth will perish,
every gem return to dust,
There is written over all the word 'decay';
Not a thing, however precious, can you take to yonder shore,
But the pearls that you may find by the way.

Every little act of kindness,
every loving noble deed,
Every word that for the Master you may say,
Every soul that you may garner for the harvest of our God,
Are the pearls that you may find by the way.

--Johnson Oatman, Jr.





Will There Be Any Stars?
I am thinking today of that beautiful land
I shall reach when the sun goeth down;
When through wonderful grace by my Saviour I stand,
Will there be any stars in my crown?

Refrain

Will there be any stars, any stars in my crown,
When at evening the sun goeth down?
When I wake with the blest in the mansions of rest,
Will there be any stars in my crown?

In the strength of the Lord let me labor and pray,
Let me watch as a winner of souls;
That bright stars may be mine in the glorious day,
When His praise like the sea billows rolls.

O What joy will it be when His face I behold,
Living gems at His feet to lay down;
It would sweeten my bliss in the city of gold,
Should there be any stars in my crown.

--E. E. Hewitt












Will There Be Any Stars in My Crown Midi