Hear this John 424 radio at this link:
https://www.dontperish.com/john-424-radio-audio-page-1.html
( use control F and type God Looks on the outside to find it)
Many professed Christians claim (using 1 Samuel 16:7) that God does not look upon the outside and only
looks upon the heart, thereby inferring that God does not care about the
external appearance, our dress or actions of His people.
1 Samuel 16:7 But
the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of
his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not
as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.
Samuel liked what he saw on the outside but
God did not like what He saw on the inside and God does
not say he cares only about the heart. He says that He can ‘see’ the heart;
whereas man cannot and both the Old and New Testaments give ample evidence that
God cares about externals.
Does
God examine the heart?
Jeremiah 17:10 I the LORD search the heart, I try the
reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.
Psalm 7:9 Oh let the
wickedness of the wicked come to an end; but establish the just: for the
righteous God trieth the hearts
and reins.
Proverbs 17:3 The
fining pot is for silver, and the furnace for gold: but the LORD trieth the hearts.
Yes God examines the heart and it’s what the heart
produces that God will reward or punish. He 'tries' the heart. He sees it's obedience and submission, it's disobedience and rebellion. What is in the heart will show on the outside.
Let’s look at the beginning of time when
God cared enough about the outside to cover Adam and Eve’s nakedness:
Genesis 3:21 Unto Adam also and to his wife did
the Lord God make coats of skins, and
clothed them.
Take the millstones, and grind meal: uncover thy locks, make bare the leg, uncover the thigh, pass over the rivers. Thy nakedness shall be uncovered, yea, thy shame shall be seen: I will take vengeance, and I will not meet thee as a man. (Isaiah 47:1-3)
It’s sinful to look upon the nakedness of another (who is not your spouse). (See Exodus 28:42; Exodus 32:25; Leviticus 18; Genesis 9:22-23; Habakkuk 2:15)
Many people do not know that the Bible often calls improper covering of the body- nakedness. Most often it referred to the wearing of undergarments (in public) of which the undergarments of that time were much more than most of the external clothing worn today. This explains the nakedness of Saul (1 Samuel 19:24) of David (2 Samuel 6) and Isaiah (Isaiah 20) and Peter (John 21:7).
The Israelites, God’s chosen people, were
also instructed on the manner which they were to take care of their outside
appearance.
Speak unto the children of Israel,
and bid them that they make them fringes in the borders of their garments
throughout their generations, and that they put upon the fringe of the borders
a ribband of blue (Numbers 15:38)
The woman shall not wear that which
pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman's garment: for all
that do so are abomination unto the Lord thy God (Deuteronomy 22:5)
Thou shalt not wear a garment of
divers sorts, as of woollen and linen together. (Deuteronomy 22:11)
And these are the garments which
they shall make; a breastplate, and an ephod, and a robe, and a broidered coat,
a mitre, and a girdle: and they shall make holy garments for Aaron thy brother,
and his sons, that he may minister unto me in the priest's office. (Exodus
28:4)
Ye shall not make any cuttings in
your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I am the Lord.
(Leviticus 19:28)
(Leviticus 19:28)
18 They shall have linen bonnets upon
their heads, and shall have linen breeches upon their loins; they shall not
gird themselves with any thing that causeth sweat. 20 Neither shall they
shave their heads, nor suffer their locks to grow long; they shall only poll
their heads. (Ezekiel 44:18, 20)
Jacobs family cleaned themselves, changed
their clothing and removed their jewelry before going with him to Bethel.
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: 3 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. 4 And they gave unto Jacob
all the strange gods which were in their hand, and all their earrings which
were in their ears; and Jacob hid them under the oak which was by Shechem. (Genesis 35:3-4)
Jewelry/outward adornment is associated with Baal
worship.
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.
(Hosea 2:13)
Circumcision is an eternal sign of a covenant
agreement.
He that is born in thy
house, and he that is bought with thy money, must needs be circumcised: and my
covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. 14 And the uncircumcised man
child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut
off from his people; he hath broken my covenant. (Genesis 17:13-14)
Read Isaiah 3 and the sinful pride
associated with the external adornments of the ‘daughters of Zion’.
Moreover the Lord saith, Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, and
walk with stretched forth necks and wanton eyes, walking and mincing as they
go, and making a tinkling with their feet:
17 Therefore the Lord
will smite with a scab the crown of the head of the daughters of Zion, and the Lord will discover their secret parts. 18 In that day the Lord will
take away the bravery of their tinkling ornaments about their feet, and their
cauls, and their round tires like the moon, 19 The chains, and
the bracelets, and the mufflers, 20 The bonnets, and the
ornaments of the legs, and the headbands, and the tablets, and the earrings, 21 The
rings, and nose jewels,
22 The changeable suits of apparel, and the mantles, and the
wimples, and the crisping pins,
23 The glasses, and the fine linen, and the hoods, and the
vails.
24 And it shall come to pass, that instead of sweet smell
there shall be stink; and instead of a girdle a rent; and instead of well set
hair baldness; and instead of a stomacher a girding of sackcloth; and burning
instead of beauty.
Proverbs 7 makes a distinct judgment of the clothing she wore.
And, behold, there met him a woman with the attire of an
harlot, and subtil of heart. (Proverbs 7:10)
In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array; But (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works. (1 Timothy 2:9-10)
But every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered dishonoureth her head: for that is even all one as if she were shaven. 6 For if the woman be not covered, let her also be shorn: but if it be a shame for a woman to be shorn or shaven, let her be covered.
(1 Corinthians 11:5-6)
For this cause ought the woman to have power on her head because of the
angels. (1 Corinthians 11:10)
Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it
is a shame unto him (1 Corinthians 11:14)
We see how the bride of Christ will be adorned…
And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints (Revelation 19:8)
vs the harlot…
So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a
woman sit upon a scarlet colored beast, full of names of blasphemy, having
seven heads and ten horns. And
the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and
precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of
abominations and filthiness of her fornication (Revelation 17:3-4)
Saints will be
clothed in white robes
After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number,
of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne,
and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands
(Revelation 7:9)
And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto
them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants
also and their brethren, that should be killed as they [were], should be
fulfilled. (Revelation 6:11)
God’s Word says He will judge our
deeds (not our heart) and our deeds are an outward manifestation of obedience
in our hearts. God looks upon the
external fruit of a believer in the matter of obedience to His Word…
(Hebrews 5:9; 2 Thessalonians 1:8;
Revelation 22:14; Matthew 16:27; Romans 2:6; 2 Corinthians 5:10; John 14:15; Matthew
7;21; Revelation 20:13)
...and avoiding sin.
(Deuteronomy 28; Galatians 5:16;
James 4:17; Matthew 5:48; 1 Peter 1:15; James 1:27;1 John 3:4)
Seek God’s will and ways through His Holy Word and feel free to contact us anytime.