Book of 1 Timothy - Ch. 2, v. 9 | Part 2

When he was the 12th one week till Parker's birthday Park will be eight one week from today. Can y 'all believe that? And that nuts. One week from today I know it's awful. Ash keeps saying Obviously we have Jack, but when she sees pictures of Parker, she's like we need another brown-haired boy.

It's like All right, we will go ahead and jump into. Wow, it's amazing. Well, I Paul was eight when I was born. Katie was 10. Jenny was 12. And so the kids, you know, there are older kids are now at the point where they're my older siblings ages when Matt and myself were Jumping on the scene.

So that's kind of kind of neat. Yes. That's great. Alrighty guys, well, we'll go ahead and jump into it and get started this morning. And we're just gonna pick up right where we left off. We didn't quite get to a.

We didn't get to the best stopping point last week because we're still right in the middle of second Timothy chip, excuse me first Timothy chapter 2 Verse 9 where The Apostle Paul says that women adorn themselves in modest apparel and that's kind of what we're focusing on at the moment.

With shamefacedness and sobriety not with bordered hair gold or pearls or costly array. We're gonna get into all those details. Shortly, but we're still kind of right in the middle of setting the scene with regard to why.

Number one why this is an important topic. But number two how it's the answer to two polar opposite problems that we have. Not just what Paul dealt with 2 ,000 years ago, but what we are dealing with today in a modern 21st century context and so.

What we basically talked about the the best way to summarize what we talked about last week is That clothing itself is a form of language. It says something it communicates something about the person.

That's why clothing is important. We looked at a parable from Jesus where you have the man show up to the wedding but without a wedding garment and The host or whomever it was or it may have been the groom.

I can't remember off the top of my head, but someone is it says, you know, where's your wedding garment? And he says well I don't have one and he gets reprimanded for it and then it ends by saying that the man was left speechless.

And so what does that say? It says that it doesn't matter how well-intentioned you are when you show up to a specific context if you're not dressed for the occasion. It says something about you as part of the dialogue.

You can't show up in a t-shirt and gym shorts. Even if you are the of the highest intellect to an event that calls for a specific Dress and so clothing says something we looked at a number of different passages in the Old Testament.

We looked at that in Matthew that Demonstrate how the way we dress is a part of how we speak to the world and what what we say to them. And what they hear from us and all that and all that sort of stuff.

So that's where we left off. And we ended with this specific question last week. We said with all of that in mind. Everything we talked about in mind. Knowing that clothing communicates something we now ask what our women to model in this pursuit of Modesty that the Apostle Paul is talking about in verse 9.

What are they to communicate in? Fulfilling this command from the Apostle Paul and so we'll pick it up right there and and start to answer that question. So first turn with me and we're gonna look at these somewhat briefly but I do I do think you'll enjoy seeing these look at Ephesians chapter 5 for a sec and We're gonna look at two specific passages in the New Testament that speak to this.

To speak to these things answering that question. What are women to model? What are they? What are they to communicate in the way they adorn themselves in? Things like that Ephesians chapter 5. We will look at verse 25.

Worst we'll start at verse 25. It says husbands Love your wives even as Christ also loved the church and gave himself for it. Y 'all could put a pin in that verse cuz here in a minute I'm gonna talk about something that that is an important piece, too.

So just remember that husbands love your wives even as Christ loved the church. There's a standard for husbands right there. But for now look at verse 26. It goes on and says that he that being the husband Might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of the water by the word that he might present it to himself a glorious Church.

Not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that it should be holy and without blemish. It's the Lord with regard to his bride the church. But in the context of how husbands are to emulate that for their own wives.

But pay it close attention to what how does how does the Lord? How does the bridegroom? Treat his bride. How did what how does he think of her? How does he want her presented in verse 27 that he may present himself a glorious Church?

That's the bride that is her in this context. Not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that it should be holy and without blemish now the Context here is referring to the outward appearance of something.

You don't have to turn here. I'll just read it really quick. It's just one quick verse just as a little Footnote as well in 2nd Corinthians 11 to Paul says this. For I am jealous over you with a godly jealousy for I have espoused you to one husband.

That I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. So again, you have this chastity playing a part in the overall appear appearance of this bride. That is being prepared for her husband. And so one more time.

What? What's the answer to this question. What are Christian women to communicate in the way they present themselves in the way they adorn themselves Christian women? What do they represent the church?

They represent the church on an individual level every individual wife is a small picture of the church as A whole which is of course the bride with the definitive article the bride of Christ. Every individual wife represents that and so Christian women represent the church.

And if the church is to be adorned in a holy way presented in a chaste way without wrinkle without blemish and all these things. It follows that women who picture this bride Should also be presented in like manner and so in verses 9 and 10 in back to first Timothy here in verses 9 and 10 Paul gives a brief framework on how to be modest and How.

Let's see, my notes are a little written a little bit funny here brief framework on how to be modest and how to be immodest. Okay. Yeah, as we'll see in a second. He's about to tell us You know you're to be modest.

You're supposed to clothe yourself in this way and not this way. So it gives us kind of a positive and a negative. He gives us a do and he gives us a don't teaching the importance of all of this now. Before we get into the specifics.

I want to I want to illustrate all of this in one more way the importance of all this one more way before we get into the specifics of verse 9 where he starts talking about Bordered hair and gold and pearls and all that kind of stuff.

Before talking about the modesty that the Apostle Paul has in view in verse 9. I want to mention what modesty is not. And Then we will get into biblically defined modesty because the Apostle Paul you have to admit it's one verse here He has a lot of assumptions.

And we have to know what those assumptions are if we are to properly interpret what he means by modesty in verse 9 so we are going to fill in the gaps here in just a minute through Scripture and Give ourselves the same assumptions Paul would have been working from but before we do that what is modesty not and These are things that of course every person can agree with but they're still important any thinking Christian can agree with but it's still important to Get it out there.

What modesty is not is it is not a demonic dress code? Like things such as the burqa or the hijab or the abaya in these types of things that Intentionally are for what purpose? They are intentionally for the purpose of hiding Something and what it what these types of demonic dress codes are hiding is the unique glory of Female features in the female form now aside from the obvious Biological differences between male and female bodies.

It doesn't end there. It doesn't stop there. This isn't simply a matter of biology. Remember where we stopped or excuse me. Remember where we started with this whole topic about three weeks ago at this point the foundation of all of this is nature.

Design. God's design for men and women. There is a natural gracefulness that women exhibit and So so women are to kind of exhibit this natural gracefulness kind of juxtaposed with Men as they exhibit kind of a natural ruggedness.

That both of which are doing what they are both Supporting kind of the display of their design. So when you hear the description of the mighty warriors of the Old Testament You can see the ruggedness I'm talking about.

Which is given to them to be wielded in a certain way. It's given to them to support their masculine role of defending their people. On the same token as you read the Old Testament and even in the new as well.

What you see is context where godly women are being described and that gracefulness is Present in the way they are conducting themselves in the way they are viewed from the world. There are more context than one that Specifically that the writers of the Bible go to specific lengths to describe the beauty of that godly woman.

You can think of Abigail you can think of Rachel you can think of Rebecca. A number of examples so we know that this these are significant things. They are not they're not intended to be ignored. You see what I'm doing?

Yeah, the mics weren't working. So I You fixed it. Yeah, are you sure? I don't hear it. Well, I couldn't I couldn't figure it out so what I did was I just unmuted your computer, okay for Sunday school and then I Know why they're here in double hold on.

Okay, I fixed it. I Think the reason they were here in double is because my computer was unmuted back there. But we can we can get that figured out for the main service. I don't mind using your laptop for this one.

I. Because I have no idea. I don't it may be an electrical issue. I'm not sure. Okay, so the gracefulness and the ruggedness keep that in mind for a second when modesty is Twisted into some kind of attempt to hide the glory.

They got intended to be present being that gracefulness that is on display in the way that a woman presents herself. Where that gracefulness is intentionally hidden then all of a sudden it's not modesty anymore.

You can't look at a woman in a burka or whatever. Even the specific clothing types are where they're covered literally from head to foot and all you see are the eyes. You can't call that modesty anymore because there's one standard one definition and that Comes from the only standard that we have the only objective standard which is scripture when it ventures away from that.

You now have tyranny you no longer have Modesty anymore. Why. Because that form of dress code which is demonic is now clothing the gracefulness and the specific features that elevate the glory of woman and All of that has now been Destroyed.

Destroyed again through tyrannical means so there's that. But here's the other side of the same token because last week we talked about the bad preacher clip kind of IFB preachers. But we also talked about the very real issue that they were fighting against which is the cultural Degeneracy that we have.

It can't it should go without saying. It probably does go without saying for You know faithful churchgoers like ourselves faithful students of the Bible, but the answer to tyranny is not anarchy. What I mean by that is you can't say oh look at the evil tyranny of the hijab and the in the burqas and all of these types of kind of oppressive clothing dress codes because of the tyrannical religion that forces it you can't look at something like that and then say that the answer is Therefore let's do whatever is right in our own eyes.

It can't you can't swing all the way over in that particular way. Unfortunately that has become the baseline standard for addressing those types of infractions the kinds of tyrannical dress codes that we have seen which of course are disproportionately aimed at women because Tyranny does that in many cases.

This is one of the things that made Christianity such a Shining light to the world as it was birthed in the first century is that you had a religion. That was not just for the aristocracy which at that particular time in ancient Rome would have been rich men exclusively.

Christianity was born and then had an open door for them. Yes. But also for slaves for women for children and for poor men as well all all classes that would have been deemed you know insignificant by those higher classes of ancient Rome and so tyranny which is exactly what that was often disproportionately affects women and children.

Which of course if you look at the biblical narrative you see they are the very ones that are to be protected the most. They aren't particularly vulnerable. That's why men have to assume the responsibility.

They've been given to protect them because they can easily succumb to Tyrannical devices and so because all of that is real because all of those are legitimate issues that must be dealt with. Unfortunately, the pendulum has swung so far that the answer has been a form of individual anarchy where it's my dress code.

Is whatever is right in my own eyes in some cases people have a slightly higher standard for what that? Right is but like I referenced last week All you have to do is go to any beach in the West with your kids and you quickly realize okay, there are some people though, who's right whose standard is Falling far short and so that can't be the answer either the answer to tyranny cannot be anarchy.

It has to be something better. It has to be an objective Standard and so while modesty. The modesty that Paul is teaching on here is the answer to both sins. The terror the tyrannical dress codes as well as the egregious immodesty that we see in our culture today.

I want to briefly point out that That specific immodesty in our current Western culture is partially due to men namely to husbands and to fathers. That lose sight of something that Matt actually talked about in one of his Sunday school lessons.

Not all that long ago, which is biblical Jealousy over their wives and their daughters now, you remember that Ephesians passage 5 chapter 5 verse 25. I said to stick a pen in it and this is what I was talking about.

Husbands should love their wives as Christ loves the church. So there's our model. That's what we're to emulate nobody else. But the way Christ wants to present his bride and then it goes on to describe how Christ presents his bride chaste, but also Adorned in a specific way that brings glory to her and all these types of things.

And so one of the reasons why in the West we have gotten to the point we have with regard to the immodesty that we deal with is because Husbands and fathers have abdicated in their responsibility to protect their wives and daughters and to help direct how to Adorn themselves the way Paul is talking about rather than kind of going with whatever fads May be in vogue at the particular at any particular time oftentimes results in a modest immodest Apparel and things of that sort when a man takes seriously his responsibility before God To treat his wife as Christ would treat his bride.

Then he wouldn't allow her to be put in a position of exploitation and that's what it's all about he wouldn't allow her to be put in a position of exploitation which by the way and This is this goes back to the design of the name the nature of males and females there are certain things that are more obvious for men to spot and realize need to be maybe adjusted or or Assisted with.

There are things where women see things that need to be adjusted or Have assistance brought in picture with more than the men. This is one of those cases where there may be times when a husband can give because of his godly jealousy Proper direction in this particular area so that his wife in another context his daughters aren't going to be exploited by Degenerate minds out there and by the way, that's protection from exploitation in the physical realm, but also exploitation in the minds of Others as well.

So in other words when I say that there is a protection here against exploitation I don't just mean some dramatic case where something terrible happens. Some kind of crime is committed. That's not exactly what I'm talking about.

Although that would obviously be included I'm also talking about even when that exploitation solely takes place in the minds of degenerate people. Wives and daughters can be protected even from that and they should be as well and again a godly jealousy is is a big part of Protecting them from that but that's kind of a rabbit trail.

That's kind of a different topic and it's a good topic that we should dive into one of these days. The thing is is a godly jealousy even in this context isn't enough. It's not the sole answer to this particular issue.

And just as one quick footnote to this as well if the jealousy gets twisted just like if modesty gets twisted it turns into the burka if Jealousy gets twisted you end up with the burka. So that's that's what happens in Islam essentially is they the the men are so Twisted in the way that they think about everything.

That they are what they're what are they doing? They are completely veiling the feminine form. To reduce I guess lust and things of that sort on the part of their fellow men and things of that sort. So what is that that is?

Jealousy that has been Rested or twisted to lead to a tyrannical dress code. If modesty is rested or twisted it leads to a tyrannical dress code. So they both go to the same Conclusion they both lead to the same logical conclusion.

And so once again, what is the answer to avoid all of this? What if if a godly jealousy so set that footnote aside now. We are Aware that people can abuse anything and do and so that's aside at this point.

Go back to the godly jealousy for a second a man a righteous man. Who legitimately cares about protecting his wives and daughters not out of pride not out of ego. Not because he thinks he knows best but because he knows human depravity.

He knows human nature. He wants to protect them according to the scripture according to the standards of God even in that context. Godly jealousy isn't the sole answer to this issue. You have to pair the jealousy the godly jealousy on the part of the husbands and fathers with a biblically defined modesty.

Because again, otherwise they'll come up with their own dress code, right and we talked about that last week there's a funny form of it in the kind of the overly conservative IFB movement independent fundamentalist Baptist type movements and You know, that's a totally different thing than the tyranny of what I'm talking about in Islam.

But you still have like this weird something's not quite right over here, you know, even though they have a legitimate issue. They're fighting something doesn't feel right what that is is it's men coming up with their own standard men coming adding their own commands to the scriptures because what what did We talked about last week.

The sufficiency of scripture is always under attack even by the most conservative people. The liberals think there's too much in it the conservatives don't think there's enough in it. They just want a rule book that literally lists every single Possible thing they could do so that that way they never have to rely on the Spirit within them to guide them and to make Judgment calls with the scriptures the standard that's a little scary.

The liberals don't like any of it. They wish that the Bible was much smaller much less in it. Because they're uncomfortable with passages like what with with what we're reading right now. And so You have to take in order to avoid the funny business going on over here.

You're like, whoa. There's something a little bit off over there. The way you avoid that is you take the godly jealousy and you pair it with biblically defined modesty. So that that way you don't have the culottes that way you don't have the the denim skirts.

You heard the the examples that ash was given last week the frumpiness, you know, how do you avoid the frumpiness? You you look at a biblically defined modesty and that's exactly what Paul is teaching on here.

What does he say in verse 9 again that when that women adorn themselves in modest apparel? Adorn, so let's start breaking breaking this up just a little bit. Or digging into just a little bit more the word adorn in verse 9 is the Greek term cosmeo and That sound you could probably gather what that would be the the root for in a common English word that we use.

It's where we get the word cosmetics from so the Greek term for adorn in this context is cosmeo and here's some of the Definitions of that Greek term. So what does it mean to adorn when Paul says to adorn modestly?

Cosmeo means to put in order to ornament. To or to metaphorically embellish with honor and to gain in honor so. You know, we have unfortunately kind of redefined. Well, we didn't redefine it cosmetics means what it always has meant.

But again as with anything it can be abused. So unfortunately. Obviously cosmetics can be overused for improper purposes. But that doesn't mean that cosmetics in and of itself are a bad thing because it's exactly what is in view here and what is It intended to do it's an intended to elevate honor.

Is that an interesting thing? It's part of the very definition of cosmeo here. And so already just in the definition of the Greek term that Paul uses for adorn. We can see the definition of the Greek term that there is more to it than just meeting a specific dress code.

So biblical modesty just in the definition of the words Implies more than here's a dress code and here's exactly how you need to look, you know. Everybody is in their Christian uniform kind of thing. It's not that's not what it's about.

It's not really about a dress code per se biblical modesty is synonymous with Ornamenting in a way that brings more honor not subtracting from it and this kind of goes back to one thing we breached last week with which is the reality that biblical modesty will never reduce femininity and so when you see a specific dress code.

Maybe by some people that are really trying to fight that hard fight against the immodesty of our culture. Which again is legitimate you have to grant them at least that but you see that again, there's something a little bit off.

Their girls are a little bit maybe homely looking and I say this with all due respect I mean, maybe a little homely maybe a little frumpy to use the term that Ashton used. There's something not quite right.

Their their femininity isn't being elevated in the way that it should be. With the dress that they have been given the the dress code or however, you want to refer to it as it's been given to them. What biblical modesty has in mind is for that to actually elevate the femininity.

Elevate the gracefulness elevate the beauty not reduce it or subtract from it. So that's what Paul is saying but remember what did I say earlier. Paul has some assumptions built into his argument here that he believes and As he should that we also have.

So he is assuming things. One of his assumptions is that we have the same assumptions that he has. All right. So we have to take a look back now and see what are the assumptions of Paul as he uses this term cause Cosmeo.

In the context of talking about biblical modesty, what is Paul pulling from here and I can say off the top. It's not anything new. It's not anything Paul was coming up with. It wasn't anything new for faithful believers.

And in fact God himself set the standard long before Paul pinned these particular words in the New Testament. And what he was doing what the Apostle was using is God's Word as the standard here. To define what biblical modesty is so turn with me to a few places in the Old Testament.

Let's start in Exodus chapter 3 and a couple of these will be brief but I do want y 'all to look at all of them with me and this will this will set us up for. Kind of rounding this idea out and this is really one of the the parts I was more excited to get to because it's what makes this a thrilling topic.

It's not again as I said last week this topic. One of two things has happened largely at least in my lifetime and maybe it goes back further than that. It is either thundered from the pulpit as if it is a primary gospel issue.

In other words, unless you meet my dress code You are in the wrong. It's either that is done. And what is that? That is a defensive mechanism toward the other problem. Which is what that it is ignored and I will say this we can we can give the the IFB preachers a hard time.

All we want they are the fringe. The majority is the other side of the ditch, which is immodesty in the church. I'm not just talking about Pagans on the beaches and things like that. I'm talking about Christians because these topics are ignored because they are Uncomfortable because they've been made to believe they're uncomfortable in things of that sort when you actually dig into it when you actually see what is in view here and What the assumptions that the Apostle Paul had as he is laying out these arguments in 1st Timothy chapter 2 it's thrilling.

It's not uncomfortable. It's not a It's not a What's the what's the word? I'm looking for just kind of a boring topic or anything like that. It's thrilling and now I think you guys will see why that's the case.

Exodus chapter 3 verse 22. So the last verse of chapter 3 this will just set the stage for a second for something that is fleshed out in greater detail. We'll look at momentarily. This is God telling Moses what to expect With at the end of all of what he's about to experience.

So this is chapter 3 the very beginning the Exodus story hasn't even happened yet. Moses isn't even on the scene in Egypt. But God is essentially prophesying. He's telling Moses the future of what is gonna happen all the way to the very last thing and look at verse 22.

Here's what it is. Every woman shall borrow of her neighbor. So this is a prophecy of the the pillaging of of Egypt the plundering of Egypt by the Hebrews. They will borrow of her neighbor and heard that sojourn if in her house jewels of silver jewels of gold and Arraignment and ye shall put them upon your sons and upon your daughters and ye shall spoil the Egyptians.

So you're gonna spoil the Egyptians taking their finest linen. Their finest gold and silver and it's not that you're putting it in a treasure box and taking it to the promised land. What are you doing?

You are adorning your sons and your daughters with it. So already we see that God cares about something here. He cares about clothing and dress emphasizing elevating. You could say expounding upon the intrinsic glory that both men and women already have within them.

It says something and it's an important thing. Now. That is the baseline turn with me to Ezekiel chapter 16 for a second and This is extremely vivid and Again, this is exactly the kind of this is the kind of thing that the Apostle Paul would have been working from as He is instructing individual godly women of the church to adorn themselves.

This of course, so this is God talking and he is talking to Jerusalem in the context of their harlotry. Okay, so you need to keep that in mind. So Jerusalem has been acting as the harlot playing the part of a harlot dressing the part of a harlot metaphorically.

God is going to come in and tell us a little bit about his love for her and how. Exactly. He works on cleansing her from this harlotry. He's speaking metaphorically, but it's the echo principle if y 'all are familiar with dad's teaching on that the natural parable or principle or story that is used to describe a higher spiritual truth is Just as true as the spiritual truth is so it's coming from a true voice.

The echo is coming from a true voice. So what we even though this is metaphorical what we take from it is that there is truth in the physical realm of the Way God thinks about proper modesty proper adorning and things of that sort.

So Ezekiel chapter 16. Look at verse 6. This is really Staggering stuff and when I passed by thee. This is the very end of him talking about him seeing the harlotry when I passed by thee and saw thee polluted in thine own Blood.

I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood live. Yea, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood live. I Have caused thee to multiply as the bud of the field. Imagine he's talking imagine a husband talking to his wife.

That has been caught in adultery and this is the way he's responding to her. That's what's happening here. I have caused thee to multiply as the bud of the field and now has Increased in wax and grape and that art become two excellent ornaments.

Thy breasts are fashioned and thine hair is grown. Whereas thou was naked and bare. Now when I pass by thee and look upon thee behold Thy time was the time of love and I have spread my skirt over thee and covered thy nakedness.

Yea, I swear unto thee and entered into a covenant with thee sayeth the Lord God and thou becamest mine. Then washed I with washed IV with water. Yea, I thoroughly washed away thy blood from thee and I anointed you with oil.

I Clothed. I clothed thee also with broidered work. And shod thee with badger skin and I girded thee about with fine linen and I covered thee with silk. I decked thee also with ornaments and I put bracelets upon thine hands in a chain on your neck and I put a jewel on my forehead.

If I could pause there for just a second the Hebrew term translated forehead there in the KJV is really time out the nose. So this is a nose ring. Okay, I put thee a jewel in my nose in earrings in thine ears in a beautiful crown upon my head.

Thus was thou decked with gold and silver and I raiment was a fine linen and silk embroidered work. Thou didst eat fine flower and honey and oil and thou wast exceeding beautiful and thou didst prosper into a kingdom and I renowned went forth among the heathen for thy beauty and it was perfect through thy comeliness.

Which I had put upon thee sayeth the Lord God. And stop there and close the page you don't want to keep reading. Because then it gets really sad really fast. Because they went back to the harlotry basically, but here's the thing.

What do we learn from this little passage? Between verses 6 and verse 14. We learned that God as a husband addresses his bride addresses his wife in a way that wants the world to see her glory and for the way he cleanses her the way he dresses her the way the materials that he chooses to adorn her with the jewels that he chooses to adorn her with the Specific pieces of jewelry from the necklace to the nose ring to the earrings to the bracelets.

All of it is intended to elevate her beauty or glory or femininity. So that it can be on display but in an appropriate way not in a way that is ostentatious not in a way that is Promiscuous but in a way that is honorable full of dignity full of honor and That is how this is the kind of thing that Paul is importing into his term adorn.

When he tells the women of the church to adorn themselves with modesty. Now that's the that's the most kind of vivid picture we have but there's one more. I want you to look at really quick Isaiah. Isaiah chapter 61 and.

And This will put us in a pretty good spot, I think we'll have a good stopping point here just a minute. Isaiah chapter 61. Look at verse 10. It's just a single verse here God talking or no. No, it's not God talking yet.

This is actually his people talking. I Will rejoice. I will greatly rejoice in the Lord. My soul shall be joyful in my God. And then he goes the the people going to describe one of the things that he has done for them.

For he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation. He hath covered me with the robe of righteousness as a bridegroom Decketh himself with ornaments and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.

Okay, so we have. We have this very interesting convergence of metaphor and in reality with an additional metaphor To back it up. So first you have Garments of salvation. So this is very much Language similar to the the armor of God that we see in Ephesians chapter 6 you have garments of salvation.

So this in and of itself is a great argument for what we said before that clothing communicates something that clothing is a part of. The dialogue it's part of our language. You have garments of salvation.

You have a robe of righteousness. So, you know, these are not just I mean, it's it's just right there. The assumption shouldn't be these kind of homely shoddy pieces of clothing just a robe, you know that you grabbed.

That is all tattered up and stuff like this. The Implication here is that these are the most glorious clothing items in the universe. We have garments of salvation. Robe of righteousness and then you have an additional Physical picture given to us just so we can picture it even better.

Because we don't know what that looks like yet if you can even say it looks like anything. He goes on and says as a bridegroom something we can picture decketh himself with ornaments. So there's a masculine form of Elevating the outward appearance.

And as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels now. What is the instruction in first Timothy chapter 2 verse 9 that they are to adorn themselves with modest apparel? Here the wife the bride is adorning herself with jewels.

The adornment is synonymous with fine things jewels fine raiment fine clothing high standards that add to the dignity and to the honor of The woman and things like that doesn't subtract from it. It doesn't hide anything.