Jewelry, the Bible, and Christians
Key Text: Choose one of the texts from Wednesday’s portion of the lesson.
Write it here and memorize it this week.
September 5, 2009
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Sunday
HERE’S WHAT I THINK
Your sister has just gotten her nose pierced and is showing off her new
jewelry. “That’s gross,” you say, “and besides, Mom and Dad will kill you.
You know they don’t believe in wearing jewelry.”
ALL THAT GLITTERS
Your sis rolls her eyes. “Right,” she says. “I just spent $10 on this nose
ring. You just spent $150 on a pair of new athletic shoes—just because
you had to have the right brand label. Who’s the one putting on ‘costly
apparel,’ huh?”
(This is an illustration. It is only an illustration. What connection do
you think it has with the Bible texts on the other page?)
How is wearing jewelry or “bling” the same as or different from wearing
expensive clothes?
A famous short story by French writer Guy de Maupassant raises
some interesting questions about values and what a piece of jewelry is
really worth.
Madame Loisel was the wife of a hardworking middle-class office
worker, but she dreamed of being rich. All she wanted was to have
beautiful dresses and lovely jewelry. When her husband got an invitation for them to go to a fancy ball at the government department
where he worked, Madame Loisel was unhappy because she had nothing to wear. Her husband gave up some money he’d been saving for a
trip so that she could buy an expensive dress, but then she got upset
because she didn’t have any jewelry to wear with the dress.
Finally she decided to borrow some jewelry from a rich friend.
Madame Loisel picked out just one thing from her friend’s collection—a
beautiful diamond necklace. She wore it to the ball and felt like the most
beautiful woman there.
But on the way home, a terrible thing happened. The necklace was
lost. Madame Loisel and her husband searched for it for days, but it
never turned up. They were able to find another one exactly like it in a
jewelry store—but it cost more than they could ever afford to pay.
They spent their life’s savings and borrowed the rest of the money
from loan sharks to purchase the priceless necklace and return it to
Madame Loisel’s friend. She didn’t notice the difference. But now the
Loisels had to pay back that terrible debt.
Their lives were ruined. Monsieur Loisel had to work extra hours at a
second job. They gave up their apartment and fired their servant. They
lived like poor people; Madame Loisel’s pretty hands were ruined from
scrubbing floors and washing laundry by hand. But after 10 years of
poverty and hard work, they repaid the money.
One day Madame Loisel was walking in the park. The years of suffering had aged her: she looked like a poor old woman now. But when she
saw the rich friend who had lent her the necklace, she went over and
said hello. Her friend, shocked, asked what had happened to change her
so much, and Madame Loisel told her the whole story.
Her friend looked at her with shock and pity in her eyes. “You should
have told me!” she said. “My necklace wasn’t real—it was an imitation
diamond necklace, worth only a few hundred dollars!”—Adapted from “The
Log on to www.guidemagazine.org/rtf to post your responses. Be upfront and honest. Say what you think.
Necklace,” by Guy de Maupassant.
Monday
WHAT ARE THEY
TRYING TO SAY?
Different people, different opinions. Some of the quotations below
represent the views of true kingdom citizens; others may not. Can
you tell the difference? How do these statements compare with
what God is saying in His Word? After reviewing the texts in the
God Says . . . portion of the lesson, write a statement that captures your belief. Be prepared to quote yourself at Sabbath School.
“Loveliness needs not the foreign aid of ornament, / But is, when unadorn’d, adorn’d the most.”—Thales of Miletus, 6th-century B.C. Greek philosopher.
“Know, first, who you are, and then adorn yourself accordingly.”
—Epictetus, 1st-century B.C. Roman philosopher.
“The difference between a man of sense and a fop is that the fop values
himself upon his dress; and the man of sense laughs at it, at the same
time he knows he must not neglect it.”—Lord Chesterfield, 18th-century English
politician.
“Style is the image of character.”—Edward Gibbon, 18th-century English writer.
“If people turn to look at you on the street, you are not well dressed.”
—Beau Brummell, 19th-century Englishman noted for fashion and style.
“If men can run the world, why can’t they stop wearing neckties? How
intelligent is it to start the day by tying a little noose around your
neck?”—Linda Ellerbee, current U.S. journalist.
“Style is not neutral; it gives moral directions.”—Martin Amis, 20th-century
English novelist.
“Outside show is a poor substitute for inner worth.”—Aesop, 6th-century B.C.
Greek storyteller.
Write your own quotation.
What I say is . . .
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Copyright © 2009 General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists®
JEWELRY, THE BIBLE, AND CHRISTIANS / September 5, 2009
Tuesday
Wednesday
SO WHAT?
GOD SAYS . . .
Does what you wear on the outside say anything about who you are inside? If you wear a cross necklace, are you publicly declaring you’re a
Christian—or are you wasting your money with gaudy self-decoration or
following a fad? Do the Bible’s statements about jewelry apply to us today?
1 Peter 3:3, 4 (NIV)
“Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided
hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should
be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit,
which is of great worth in God’s sight.”
It’s a tough one. The biblical principle is that Christians are to be simple
and modest, drawing attention to Jesus rather than to themselves. It is
sad, but true, that many times wearing jewelry leads to spiritual decline.
Also we’re to spend our money wisely. Going without earrings, necklaces, chains, and piercings certainly does present a simpler image to the
world.
But let’s not forget the clothes and shoes we wear, and other things we
choose to spend our money on. What about tattoos and hairstyles? If the
Bible doesn’t mention a tattoo or a pair of Nike shoes, does that mean
they don’t matter?
If we’re going to look like Christians—presenting a consistent message,
inside and out, then we have to look at the big picture. Everything about
you—from the clothes you wear to the money in your pocket—belongs to
Jesus. What kind of look most honors Him?
1 Timothy 2:9 (CEV)
“I would like for women to wear modest and sensible clothes. They
should not have fancy hairdos, or wear expensive clothes, or put on jewelry made of gold or pearls.”
Exodus 32:1-4 (CEV)
“After the people saw that Moses had been on the mountain for a long
time, they went to Aaron and said, ‘Make us an image of a god who will
lead and protect us. Moses brought us out of Egypt, but nobody knows
what has happened to him.’ Aaron told them, ‘Bring me the gold earrings that your wives and sons and daughters are wearing.’ Everybody
took off their earrings and brought them to Aaron, then he melted them
and made an idol in the shape of a young bull. All the people said to one
another, ‘This is the god who brought us out of Egypt!’”
Deuteronomy 7:25, 26 (CEV)
“After you conquer a nation, burn their idols. Don’t get trapped into wanting the silver or gold on an idol. Even the metal on an idol is disgusting to
the Lord, so destroy it. If you bring it home with you, both you and your
house will be destroyed. Stay away from those disgusting idols!”
Thursday
WHAT DOES THIS
HAVE TO DO WITH ME?
Jewelry—or anything we wear—can become a form of idolatry. The
Israelites discovered that when they melted down their earrings to make
a golden calf. Madame Loisel, in this week’s story, discovered that when
she made her personal appearance more important than anything else,
even her family’s happiness and prosperity.
How we look is an expression of who we are. Because of that, our style
is tied to our pride. Everyone has their own individual “look,” and God
doesn’t ask His people to give up individuality or wear uniforms. But He
asks that we keep Him at the center of all our choices—and that includes our style and fashion choices.
What’s the message on your T-shirt? How much did you pay for those
shoes? Are your rings and chains drawing attention to you, or to the
Jesus who lives inside you? All of these are valid questions. They’re
things we have to think about as Christians. Nothing is insignificant—
everything we wear, say, and do makes a statement. Is your statement “I
love Jesus, and I’m letting Him transform me into His image?”
ITEM
Friday
HOW DOES IT WORK?
Look around your room and choose five things that you wear that you
think define your “personal style” (they could be jewelry, clothes, hats,
shoes, whatever). List each one below, and in the space next to it write
what message you think people get from that item (e.g., does your black
shirt say “I’m depressed”? Does your solid gold chain say “I’m rich”?
Does your muscle shirt say “I have a great body, and I know it”?) Then
look down through the messages. How do these messages reflect or not
reflect the statements you want to make to the world? What messages
that you are sending might you want to adapt or change, if any? Do you
agree or disagree that your personal style is a message?
MESSAGE
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Copyright © 2009 General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists®