The Importance of Modesty
Modesty is such a hot topic in our society today. The idea is mostly treated with scorn and contempt in both Christian and Secular circles. It seems that the more you reveal your body and highlight your looks the better, and any attempt to be “more modest” is easily offensive or uncool.
Why does the idea of modesty cause such an outcry in the Bible believing community and why are so few willing to pursue it? I think there are multiple reasons and we hope to delve into these on this page little by little. It would be good though to start with a Biblical foundation for the concept of modesty from the Scripture, and then grow our thoughts from there. For those of us who desire to grow in our faith and also be a delight to our heavenly Father, this topic can be confusing and the concept not well defined. Perhaps we can delve into the Scriptures together and find some guidance to shape our plans for modesty.
Let’s look at some Scripture verses that mention modesty or clothes or our bodies.
''And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them.''
Exodus 28:2
''You shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother, for glory and for beauty.''
Leviticus 8:30
''So Moses took some of the anointing oil and some of the blood which was on the altar and sprinkled it on Aaron, on his garments, on his sons, and on the garments of his sons with him; and he consecrated Aaron, his garments, and his sons, and the garments of his sons with him.''
Deuteronomy 22:5
‘’A man’s apparel is not to be on a woman, nor is a man to wear woman’s clothing for - whoever does these things is detestable to ADONAI your God.’’
''Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come.''
''And behold, the woman meets him, dressed as a prostitute, wily of heart.''
Like a gold ring in a pig's snout is a beautiful woman without discretion.
1 Timothy 2:9-10
''Likewise, woman are to adorn themselves in appropriate clothing with modesty and sound judgement – not in seductive hairstyles and gold or pearls or costly clothing, but what is suitable for woman claiming godliness, through good deeds.’’
''Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.
‘’Flee from sexual immorality! Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body – but the one committing sexual immorality sins against his own body. Or don’t you know that your body is a temple of the Ruach ha-Kodesh who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you were bought with a price. Therefore glorify God in your body.’’
''And on those parts of the body that we think less honourable we bestow the greater honour, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty,''
''Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you,''
''But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea. “Woe to the world for temptations to sin! For it is necessary that temptations come, but woe to the one by whom the temptation comes!''
From these Scriptures we can learn so many things about the topic of modesty. There are many more Scriptures too, as well those that deal with the concept of nakedness and how that relates to sorrows. But let’s begin here and start to un-pack bit by bit. Your comments and thoughts will also be much appreciated as we aim to build one another up and encourage.
From the preceding verses it looks like Abba really cares about the way we dress. Our clothes reflect Abba’s Glory and beauty and covers our nakedness in His sight. It also reflects and shares the condition of our heart. As His princesses, our clothes or outer covering will reflect Him and also honour the King of kings, our Father.
As His daughters, holy and dearly loved, we are called to reflect our Father to those around us. We are not called to reflect ourselves or draw attention to us. We need to draw attention to our Father in a loving, beautiful way. The first thing people notice is generally the way you dress. Therefore, it is very important that our dress code honours and portrays our loving Father.
Dressing to honour God is not being a hypocrite and it isn't legalistic. It is possible for modesty to become and idol in our lives, and we must guard our hearts against that. We all know how keeping the Torah has blessed us in uncountable ways, and how it has brought us closer in our relationship with God. Dressing modestly can be the same; just like we shouldn't become legalistic or hypocrites by keeping the Torah, so we should do the same by dressing modestly. Just like we are keeping the Torah to sanctify His Name, following the guidelines in His family, so we can dress modestly to honour Him and sanctify His Name. Every family has its own rules, traditions and dress codes; God's family is no exception.
To belong to God as His chosen daughters is an honour in itself! He clothes us beautifully and helps us make choices with sound judgement. Just like He gave us the Torah for our own good and for the good of the world, so He gave us as woman a very special command to dress modestly.
We dress modestly for our own sake. Some people have the tendency to think that the only reason we dress modestly is to give guys an easier time. ''We aren't responsible for their weakness!'' they say. That is true; we are by no means responsible if they choose to lust. But as God's chosen daughters, we must remember to love our neighbour as ourselves. We must hold them in higher esteem than ourselves. We must keep our side clean. If we dress modestly and they still lust, then it is not our problem. We have done our bit. We can't expect others to meet us halfway when we aren't willing to meet them halfway, too.
We dress modestly to honour God, not man, and not ourselves. We reflect what it is like to belong to God's family, and what a blessed family it is! Love centres in this family. In this family, we don't blame others, we don't yell and hate and flirt. We live in quiet harmony, serving one another in love. We respect each other for who we are. We honour our Father and listen to His good counsel. We are at peace. When people see the way our family works, we want them to praise our Father for His kindness and wisdom. It is our choice whether we honour His teaching and obey, causing those around us to praise Him. Rebelling in His house is not good for His Name. We are created in His image, and thus we are called to protect it. What is in our hearts naturally comes out and is displayed in our speech and conduct. If our heart is modest, so will our dress code.
In our next post we will delve a little deeper.
May God bless you as you seek to honour Him and bring glory to His Name!
Shalom!
Romans 12:2
‘’Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the will of God – what is good and acceptable and perfect.’’
Galatians 2:20
''I have been crucified with Messiah; and it is no longer I who live, but Messiah lives in me. And the life I now live in the body, I live by trusting in Ben-Elohim - who called me and gave Himself up for me.''
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