Is it not Biblical for men to wear earrings? part 2

As with certain issues, such as smoking, use of makeup, celebration of birthdays, and others, there is no specific “Thou shalt not…” regarding earrings to be found in the Bible. But there areprinciples in Scripture to which we can look. One is found in I Corinthians 11:14: “Does not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame to him?” Paul is saying that common sense—“nature”—tells us that men should look like men, not women. They should not have long hair, because it is a sin—“a shame.”

This principle applies to earrings. Typically and historically, it has been women who wear earrings.  Even in today’s liberal, laid-back society, it is still mostly women who do this. Also factor in that, in recent decades, men choosing to live “alternative lifestyles” often chose to pierce their ears as a signal to others. Notice Deuteronomy 22:5: “The woman shall not wear that which pertains unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman’s garment: for all that do so are abomination unto the Lord your God.”

Zephaniah 1:8 states, “And it shall come to pass in the day of the Lord’s sacrifice, that I will punish the princes, and the king’s children, and all such as are clothed with strange apparel.” The Jamison, Fausset and Brown Commentary explains “strange apparel” as “…garments forbidden by the law—e.g., men’s garments worn by women, and vice versa.” So we can now see why it is wrong for men to wear earrings. It is a SIN for men to appear effeminate!

Another scriptural principle applies. Aside from looking unmanly, men with earrings have traditionally been viewed as strange, outlandish, or rebellious. But a Christian must not appear this way. The apostle Paul wrote, “Abstain from all appearance of evil” (I Thes. 5:22). So, even appearance in a matter is important. 

Also, jewelry of this type for men only appeals to vanity. Human beings naturally want to be accepted by the world around them. But what does God say about this? “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world” (I John 2:15-16). Christians must come out of the world (Rev. 18:4). And people should remember them for their character—not whether or not they bought into the latest fad.

God’s Word does mention earrings worn by men in several places, but they ALL involve God’s servants telling people toremove or give up earrings. See Genesis 35:4; Exodus 35:22; Numbers 31:50; andJudges 8:24-26. Also, recall the story of the golden calf (Exodus 32). Aaron fashioned it out of the Israelites’ earrings—including the men’s (vs. 2-4). In this account, idolatry is linked to earring-wearing!

Interestingly, the Bible does talk about men having their ears pierced, but it is not desirable. Notice: “And it shall be, if he say unto you, I will not go away from you; because he loves you and your house, because he is well with you; then you shall take an awl, and thrust it through his ear unto the door, and he shall be your servant forever…” (Deut. 15:16-17; also Ex. 21:5-6). In ancient Israel, a slave (“servant”) who wished to remain with his master had his ear pierced. Certainly no one today wishes to be an indentured servant!

It should now be clear that God condemns earrings for men. It is a sign of unmanliness, rebellion, vanity and worldliness—and even idolatry and slavery! 

Is it not Biblical for men to wear earrings?

In this part of the world earrings are commonly worn by females as part of their make-up when they dress. When it comes to a question of men having biblical support for them to wear or not to wear earrings, much is left to be desired. There is a quest. The Holy Spirit must surely handle the quest. He must provide an alternative that would glorify the Almighty God.

There was problem in the wilderness when Moses went to God collect to Torah that was to guide the Israelites. Aaron who was shepherding the Israelite's allowed certain things that made God to be angry. Moses was also angry. His anger almost led to another serious problem for him.!

Ex. 32:1-10 "And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron and said untohim, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we know not what is become of him. And Aaron said unto them, Break off the golden earrings, which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughter, and bring them unto me. And all the people brake off the golden earrings, which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron. And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. And when Aaron saw, it, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation, and said, To morrow is a feast to the LORD.

And they rose up early on the morrow and offered burnt offerings and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink and rose up to play. And the Lord said unto Moses, Go, get thee down; for thy people which thou broughtest out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves. They have turned aside quickly out of the way, which I command them: they have made them a molten calf, and have worshipped it, and have sacrificed thereunto, and said; which have brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.

And the Lord said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and behold, it is a stiff-necked people: Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may wax hot against them and that I may consume them and I will make of thee a great nation. 

Both men and women were in the wilderness where the above story happened. The only available thing for them to use to replace god was the earring on them. Can you imagine that. This is ridiculously simple. They made other gods beside the Almighty with the use of earrings. Whatever you are doing that has replaced God in your life has become an idol. It may not even be earrings. If God frowns at earrings, let us be careful so that it would not become our God when men and women take to wearing it.

I Cor.6:12 "Everything is permissible for me" but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible for me" - but I will not be mastered by anything". - 

Paul was exhorting the Corinthians Church to per peculiar in their way of behavior because the blood of Church has redeemed them. The same admonition is coming to us today to tailor the way of the world or the flesh. For mean to wear earrings may be permissible because of your setting. It may be permissible because of your culture. Nevertheless, we should not be mastered by anything because we are witnesses for Jesus.

I Cor. 10:23 "Everything is permissible" - but not everything is

beneficial. "Everything is constructive. Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others.

Earring for men is not constructive. It is seeking to promote worldliness and the bible warns us concerning the love for the world.

I John 2:15-17 "Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world - the cravings of sinful man, the lust of the eyes, and the boasting of what he has and does - comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and it desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever"

I am aware earring is part of our female's dressing in some denominations. Some don't even use it based on conviction. However, the question of whether it is lawful for women to wear it is not before us now. This is controversial. Since I am not answering questions that have to do with dressing, I will not dwell on that. However, for men to put on earrings, it abnormal, lustful desires of the eyes. Like I have said it may be acceptable in some customs and religions but certainly not in Christianity.

What then is the will of God?

Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 "Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including, every hidden thing, whether it is good of evil.

We must answer these questions that God will bring into judgment:

. Are you born again? John 3:3, 7

. Will what I am wearing including earrings bring others to Christ or drive them away?

. Will Jesus be glorified in my dressing including the putting on of earrings?

. Is it a good report for me as a Christian to wear earrings even as a man? - Philippians 4:8

If you want more to read on the implication of some of the imported ideas from customs, traditions and demons, please consult our internet and view past answers to past bible questions where I dealt with the topic "Are tattoos and piercing OK?

A prayer for revival

“Oh Lord, the great and dreadful God, keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love Him, and to them that keep His commandments. We are unworthy to approach Thy Throne of Grace by our own righteousness, except by the Blood of Thy Son Jesus Christ, our Lord. We are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousness are as filthy rags and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities like the wind have taken us away.

 We have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled against Thee, by departing from Thy commandments. O Lord, our sins and iniquities testify against us. Our iniquities have separated us from Thee, and our sins have hidden Thy face from us.

Neither have we obeyed the voice of the Lord our God to walk in His ways and to follow His commandment of loving and serving God with our whole heart and with all our soul. Nor have we loved our neighbors as ourselves as we have failed to minister to the strangers, the poor, the orphans and widows. Nor have we loved our brethren in Christ thereby abiding in darkness in that we have failed to minister to the poor saints and to the missionaries in various mission fields. We have gloried in the spiritual gifts given to us by Thee, and have not gloried in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. We have become arrogant with our eyes being blinded by our self-righteousness.

 Because of our backslidings, all the evil has come upon us; Thou hast sent a drought in the place of rain. Our churches have become desolate, and our adversary has trodden down many vineyards. The children of God have gone into captivity before the enemy. O God, we weep, our eyes runneth down with water; we spread forth our hands and there is none to comfort us. We are in distress. The joy of our heart has ceased; our dance is turned into mourning. The crown is fallen from our head; woe unto us, that we have sinned! Remember, O Lord, what is come upon us, consider and behold our reproach. Thou hast afflicted us for the multitude of our transgressions, and Thy judgments are righteous.

O Lord, we have a name that we live but are dead. We have become wretched, and miserable and poor and blind and naked.

Wilt Thou not revive us again that Thy people may rejoice in Thee? O Lord, revive the dry bones and breathe Thy life into us so that we may live again for Thy glory!  Restore Thy Church to its original glory and power. Unless Thou sendest us the latter rain, we will perish in the wilderness; our churches will become extinct; our nation will be lost.

O Lord, we beseech Thee to make bright clouds and send us showers of rain so that our wilderness will turn into a pool of water.

O Lord, we are desperately in need of showers of rain upon our land. Thousands of souls whom we have failed to reach with Thy glorious gospel are descending into the bottomless pit. Unless Thou sendest a revival to our nation, it will go the way of prediction by violence and civil wars as many nations have already plunged into this snare.

O Lord, there are many mountains in our land which we could not reach out with Thy glorious gospel. O Lord, send a revival to the valleys of dry bones in these mountains. Oh that Thou wouldest rend the heavens, that Thou wouldest come down, that these mountains might flow down at the Thy presence!

O Lord, revive Thy work in the midst of the years; restore us the years that we lost due to laziness or slumber in evangelism, by way of a Heaven-sent revival. Let our hearts be turned to our fathers on whose blood or sacrifices the Church was founded so that we may follow their footsteps. Let our hearts be turned to our spiritual children in captivity so that we may take care of and deliver them from captivity.

In Jesus’ Holy Name, we pray. Amen. 

A Sword

"Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword."  - Matthew 10:34

Isaiah declared that the Messiah would be the "Prince of Peace" (Isaiah 9:6). And when the angels announced Jesus' birth, they proclaimed "peace among men with whom He is pleased" (Luke 2:14). Indeed, peace was central to His ministry. Yet Jesus said He "did not come to bring peace, but a sword." Why?       He spoke these words after calling the 12 to be His disciples. He gave them authority and then sent them to "heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons," saying, "Freely you received, freely give" (v. 8). He warned that they would face attacks and fierce opposition. They would be "sheep in the midst of wolves" (v. 16). They needed to be ready to stand firm and be bold about confessing their relationship with Him "before men" (v. 32).       The disciples could not be under any illusions. Being a follower of Jesus meant stepping into battle. This was a battle in which they could not be guaranteed the support or loyalty even of their friends or family, for Jesus warned that "a man's enemies will be the members of his household" (v. 36). There certainly was no guarantee of popularity.       They had to be sure of their personal commitment and ready to fight. They had to love God and His Kingdom more than anything else, and they had to be willing to risk everything to follow Jesus. There could be no compromise.       This same message remains true today. Yes, Jesus came to bring peace. As we follow Him, trust Him, obey Him, and are filled with the Spirit, we can have peace in our hearts in any situation. But we also can expect to face opposition, rejection, and persecution at times. We must make a firm, unshakable, uncompromising commitment to follow Jesus-no matter what comes our way.       Make sure that you are prepared...committed...sold out.

A TURNAROUND FOR NINEVAH

"When God saw their deeds, that they turned from their wicked way, then God relented concerning the calamity which He had declared He would bring upon them. And He did not do it." Jonah 3:10 

Ninevah was a wicked place. The people in this ancient Assyrian city lived such immoral lives that judgment seemed the only option. Jonah was the chosen vessel to deliver God's message.
      After initially resisting this assignment, Jonah eventually arrived in Ninevah. He warned: "Yet forty days and Nineveh will be overthrown." Then something miraculous happened: "The people of Nineveh believed in God; and they called a fast and put on sackcloth from the greatest to the least of them" (v. 5).
      Even the king humbled himself, and he covered "himself with sackcloth and sat on the ashes" (v. 6). He ordered everyone to unite in confessing their sins, humbling themselves before God, and praying for mercy: "Call on God earnestly that each may turn from his wicked way and from the violence which is in his hands" (v. 8). 
     

 God was so moved that He had "compassion on Nineveh" (4:11). Instead of receiving judgment, everything turned around for the Ninevites. Why? Because they listened to God's Word and took His warnings seriously. They recognized their sins and repented.
    

  Today, as you consider the reaction of Ninevah, think about conditions in your own country. Are we, the people of God, willing to humble ourselves? Instead of complaining or giving up hope when we see sin in our nation, are we willing to pray and seek God's face? As we see wickedness around us, are we willing to turn from our wicked ways...to repent of our sins?
    

  As He proved with Ninevah, God is willing to hear from Heaven, forgive our sins, and heal our land (2 Chronicles 7:14). But will we repent? Humble ourselves? Pray? Seek His face? Turn from our wicked ways? That is God's prescribed path for a turnaround

So Hilkiah and the other men went to the New Quarter of Jerusalem to consult with the prophet Huldah. She was the wife of Shallum son of Tikvah, son of Harhas, the keeper of the Temple wardrobe.

2 Chronicles 34:22 Young King Josiah undertook a huge task. He realized as a teenager that he could not be the king of the chosen people of God if he allowed those people to choose any and every god that come along. Josiah had acknowledged the one true God in a land crowded with gods. So, he set out to clean up the kingdom of Israel. Eventually, he got around to restoring God's Temple in Jerusalem. Josiah was stunned when his renovation crew in the Temple discovered a scroll containing the Law of God. He decided to consult with a prophet because there were dreaded consequences described in the Law for those who failed to obey. Although Jeremiah's and Zephaniah's ministry years overlapped with Josiah's reign, the king turned to the prophet Huldah. Jeremiah was starting out, and Zephaniah was wrapping up his ministry. But there was no gap between them because their work was bridged by the prophetic gift which rested on Huldah. God made sure he had a spokesperson in place, even when his written Word had been misplaced. Huldah was wife of the king's valet, or "keeper of the wardrobe." She confirmed the truth of the scroll. The idolatry of the people would inevitably lead to painful consequences. But she added a note of grace for Josiah. His personal repentance and humble work of reformation was giving the people extra time. There would be continued peace in his own lifetime. The biblical record only includes this single event from Huldah's life. She had one opportunity to make a large impact, and she didn't miss it. If your life were remembered only for what happens today, what small or large action would you want remembered? Today is not only the first day of the rest of your life; it is a day for which all your life so far has been a preparation. Don't miss the opportunities he gives you today.

What makes you think I want all your sacrifices?" says the Lord. Isaiah 1:11

You know the scene. A small child pulls a variety of ingredients from the pantry and refrigerator--cereal, orange juice, potato chips, bread, ketchup, and other interesting choices--and blends them together in a bowl in hopes of surprising Mom with "dinner." When Mom receives the "gift," how do you think she'll react? Despite the mess, both inside and outside the bowl, I'm sure she will express gratitude and joy, grateful for the sincere expression of love.

But what if the child missed the point and thought the gift was more important than the motive and attitude behind the giving? And what if the child continued to make similar presentations, year after year to Mom in hopes of appeasing her and earning her love? "It wouldn't happen," you answer. "Because the mother wouldn't put up with it!"

Right.

Now check out the passage from Isaiah (1:11-13). God doesn't sound very happy with the "gifts" of his people. And that's because they had it all wrong! They had confused the animal sacrifices with the reason for making those sacrifices in the first place. So they worked hard at their religious works, and they missed the point. Did they really believe that God needed dead animals and blood? Didn't they know that, instead, he wanted their hearts?

That's the difference between "legalism" and "grace." And Christianity is all about grace. That's why Jesus came to earth, to satisfy the demands of the law, to give himself as the ultimate sacrifice, to open the way for us to come directly to our Father (see John 3:16–18).

Yet, sadly, we often continue to mix our potions and religious concoctions and miss the Savior. And all the while, like that loving mother, he is standing at the edge of the kitchen with arms wide open and the invitation: "Come to me, child. I want your love. I want your trust. I want you."