God's Law Regarding Clothing -- Deuteronomy 22:5
In verses 5-12 of Deutoronomy chapter 22, we find several laws that God gave to Moses to give to the Israelites which Matthew Henry suggests get into the details of life and living. The laws of men do not usually do that, but God is interested in all aspects of our lives and this passage is evidence of that. Henry says, "that even in them (these little things) we may be in the fear of the Lord, as we are under his eye and care." So, let's take a look at the first such law found in verse 5.
This is no doubt one that has caused controversy within the Church in general for years and to the individual Christian more recently as the world's trends seem to contradict what God is commanding here. Verse five states,
"A woman shall not wear man's clothing, nor shall a man put on a woman's clothing; for whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord your God."
This is no doubt a difficult verse for any of us to tackle these days.
Let's begin by stating that in the Old Testament days, clothes worn by both men and women were very 'similar' but, as David Guzik says there were some specific differences and they were certainly worn in different ways by men and women. So, what is God really saying here in this verse?
Well, for starters, we need to consider where God was possibly coming from. Cross-dressing, according to Guzik, was a feature of pagan, idolatrous worship in the ancient world. Henry tells us that in the worship of Venus, women appeared in armour, and men in women's clothes. This custom continued for the idolatrous Gentiles for centuries and as such, as our verse says, "is an abomination to the Lord your God."
The commentator Chuck Smith raises the issue of women wearing pants or what he calls pantsuits. This has been a controversy in the Church for years. I like what he says. He suggests we are living in a strange age where men and women are dissatisfied with being men or women, as the case may be. They're having sex changes or they're dressing and making their faces up like the other sex which they are not. But I particularly like what he says when people argue that since women wear pantsuits in church, this other behavior can be justified. (Before I share his response, let me interject a thought -- anyone who believes that everything that goes on in a church is godly, needs to rethink, big time.). Here is how Smith responds:
"Well, let me tell you something, I never wear one of those pantsuits that the women wear. I don't consider that men's apparel at all. But the whole idea behind it is of lesbianism or homosexuality, where you are affecting to be one of the opposite sex or seeking to be one of the opposite sex, and that is what is actually being, you know, what He's coming down on here. Women who are trying to be men and men who are trying to be women."
So, for Smith, and me, the issue is not what you wear. If I were a Scot, I'd likely wear a kilt. As a very young Greek, I wore a "Foustanella" pictured above, as the uniform of the elite Greek soldier and presidential guard. So, it's not about wearing similar clothing that God seems to object to and calls abomination, it's about whether or not one wears clothes of the other sex with the desire or intention of being like the other sex. So, it's about the mind and the heart. As most sins against God are.
Guzik puts it this way. He says, the command is not against similar clothes, but it is a command "against dressing in a manner that deliberately blurs the lines between the sexes." That's what I believe God is opposed to and sees as an abomination.
But that's only my view. I would love to hear yours.
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That is the best answer I have ever seen regarding women wearing slacks or pant suits. When I was young my mother refused to wear slacks for the reasons stated but as the years wore on she relented. The reasoning in the above blog makes great sense and I thank you for it.
ReplyDeleteGlad this helped. It makes sense that it is the heart that matters and the heart's intent, rather than the action all the time. What we see physically is not always the problem -- it is the heart. Thanks Bob for your faithful commenting.
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