Body piercings are not new to the world and have
been a part of many cultures since time immemorial. However, the
practice seems to be increasing in Christian circles, in line with
the general trend to blur the differences between believers and
unbelievers. Now like many other things, the Bible does not say
‘Thou shalt not pierce thy body’ but the fact that it does not give
us an exhaustive list of do’s and don’ts does not mean we can
exercise our own will to the detriment of obedience to God. However,
the Bible does mention body piercings, and it will be
instructive to consider these references.
Let us begin with
earrings. Why? Because
the Bible says most about them, and they are the most prevalent and
accepted of body piercings in modern culture. Now the first
reference to anything in the Word of God can be very instructive,
and earrings enter Scripture in Genesis 35. It is worthwhile sparing
a few lines on the background: Jacob has just left Syria, and his
life so far has been one of cheating, double-crossing and
dishonesty. At the beginning of the chapter, God speaks directly to
him instructing him to go back to Bethel: “And God said to Jacob,
Arise, go up to Bethel, and dwell there, and make there an altar unto
the God that appeared unto thee when thou fleddest from the face of
Esau thy brother” (v1). He needs to get back to the place where he
was first called by God. So, what is Jacob’s reaction? “And Jacob
said to his household, and to all that were with him, Put away the
strange gods that are among you, and cleanse yourselves, and change
your garments; and we will arise, and go up to Bethel; and I will
make there an altar to the God that answered me in the day of my
distress, and was with me in the way that I went” (vs. 2,3). Let us
break this down into smaller parts:
First, “And Jacob
said to his household” (v2).
Jacob takes responsibility for his household. Headship is
unfashionable today, but it is a principle that endures throughout
Scripture, including the NT (see 1 Cor. 11: 3).
Second, “and to all
that were with him” (Gen. 35: 2). Jacob takes his position seriously
enough to go as far as seeking to influence all associated with him.
Third, “Put away
the strange gods that are among you” (v2). Here we may be surprised
to learn that those under Jacob’s influence carried strange gods
including Rachel, his dearest wife.
Fourth, “and
cleanse yourselves, and change your garments” (v2). This is humbling
task which acknowledges filth, and the need for a corresponding
change of garments suitable for Bethel (the house of God).
Fifth, “and we will
arise and go up to Bethel” (v3). Compare 1 Pet. 2: 5, where the
people of God today are referred to as a “spiritual house”. Clearly,
just being a Christian places certain moral demands
upon the believer.
Sixth, “and I will
make there an altar to the God that answered me” (Gen. 35: 3). There
comes a point where Jacob’s influence retracts to what is personal.
He can use his influence (dependent upon others recognising his
authority) for so much, but when it comes to links with God, then
these must be personal.
In summary, Jacob,
and all his own, are going to reaffirm their allegiance to God, and
everything that is unsuitable and a hindrance, is to be dealt with.
Thus, “they gave to Jacob all the strange gods that were in their
hand, and the rings that were in their ears, and Jacob hid them
under the terebinth that [is] by Shechem” (Gen. 35: 4). Very
interesting! Jacob asked for their strange gods and they gave them,
but also the “rings that were in their ears”. So, what
can we deduce from this apparent link between the rings, and the
strange gods? I would suggest that earrings signified
identification with a master—in effect, allegiance was
pledged by means of the earring. Indeed, individuals could be
identified as belonging to a master by means of their earrings. In
the case of Jacob’s family, it appears that the wearing of the
earring (and the necessity of piercing of the body) identified the
wearer with the false god which Jacob now instructed them to be rid
of.
Let us now turn
elsewhere in Scripture to test this link between the wearing of an
earring and identification with a master. Exodus 21: 5 states that
“if the bondman shall say distinctly, I love my master, my wife, and
my children, I will not go free”. This is followed by a transaction,
or practice that is to be gone through which publicly attests the
bondman’s allegiance, and identification with his master: “then his
master shall bring him before the judges, and shall bring him to the
door, or to the door-post; and his master shall bore his ear through
with an awl; and he shall be his bondman for ever” (v6). Evidently,
this piercing of the ear was more in relation to the master than it
was to the wife and children, and the mark being in the ear suggests
subjection to the master’s will and direction.
There are other
suggestive passages. In Judges 8: 22 Gideon is approached by those
he had saved “from the hand of Midian” and they ask him to reign
over them. Gideon refuses, saying “Jehovah will rule over you”
(v23), but demands that they “give me every man the earrings of his
booty”. The people, willing to relinquish the items which were
requested, also added other items, including “moons” and “eardrops”
(v26). The fact that these people so readily provided all these
symbols of their oppression adds to the view that the earring was a
recognised means of identification.
Again, in Ezekiel
16 we read of the lamentation of Jehovah over Jerusalem, upon which
He had lavished attention and advantage, only for His people to
prove their utter treachery, unfaithfulness, and sin. Then in v12,
God relates how He “put a ring on thy nose, and earrings in thine
ears, and a beautiful crown upon thy head”. The crown is perhaps
emblematic of divine choice and favour, and the nose ring we will
consider in a moment, but what does this passage tell us about
earrings? Jehovah loved Jerusalem and had put his mark upon it, and
included in this mark were earrings—the symbols of identification
with Him. Jerusalem, being thus marked (not with literal earrings of
course) should have been faithful to its Master and recognised Him
in all things.
The Bible has less
to say about nose rings than earrings, but the references are still
of interest. On one level, the nose ring appears to be a decorative
feature of the woman, and in modern, western culture a woman will
usually take responsibility for her own ornamentation. In each of
the Biblical references, however, the woman is either given a nose
ring, or someone else takes it away. This is significant. We have
already referred to Ezek. 16: 12 where Jehovah says to Israel “and I
put a ring on thy nose, and earrings in thine ears, and a beautiful
crown upon thy head”. Jehovah is here making a claim on Israel, and
while the nose ring has some importance regarding identification, it
also suggests He would seek to lead His people in a
direction that was pleasing to himself. When we look at cattle
today, a master marks identification with a tag in the ear, and in
the case of a difficult beast, often uses a ring in the nose to lead
it. This purpose of the ring in the ear as a means of identification
of ownership, and the ring in the nose as a means of control over
direction, do not appear so far removed in purpose from the use of
such rings in Scriptural times. In Gen. 24: 47, Abraham’s servant
said of Rebecca, “And I put the ring on her nose, and the bracelets
on her hands”. From a practical point of view, it seems highly
likely that Rebecca already had a nose ring, and that this was
replaced by another, for it was the servant’s desire to lead Rebecca
to Isaac. Of course, at this point in the story Rebecca has not
consented to the proposal, but it evident that the servant is, in
any case, making a claim. Again, in Is. 3: 18-21 Jehovah says to
Israel that He “will take away the ornament of anklets, and the
little suns and crescents, the pearl-drops, and the bracelets … the
finger-rings, and the nose-rings”. Here Jehovah disassociates
himself from the nation of Israel because she has refused to be led
by Him and He casts her off, leaving her to the ruin of her own
ways.
It may be an
uncomfortable question, but when we join the widespread practice of
piercing any part of our body, we need to ask: To whom or what
are we displaying identification with? Of course, many a
Christian will pierce their ears with no other thought than using
the cavity for decoration. However, even if it is done in all
innocence, does the practice survive honest scrutiny? Or, to put it
another way—would it indicate identification with Christ? Does the
practice of piercing a nose, or any other part of the body, glorify
God? It is an observation, with regards to those who have not been
brought up to consider the act as ‘normal Christian practice’, that
piercing often accompanies a clear desire to put distance between
them and their former Christian companions and their previous manner
of life. In other words, they wish to publicly ‘identify’ with a
different form of Christianity, or with those who are not Christian
at all. As it is a very
visible act, body-piercing carries with it a clear message to any
observer, reinforcing the subliminal ‘identification’ aspect of the
whole matter.
God places
significant emphasis on how we look after our bodies: “Do ye not
know that your body [is] the temple of the Holy Spirit which [is] in
you, which ye have of God; and ye are not your own? for ye have been
bought with a price: glorify now then God in your body” (1 Cor. 6:
19). Of course, we may all do things with our bodies which raise
questions, and which may or may not be profitable. However, the act
of deliberately piercing the body needs to be considered very
soberly. Is it not significant that at the request of Moses, the
people gave up much, including earrings, “to make atonement for our
souls before Jehovah” (Num. 31: 50)?
Fashions come and fashions go, and it is right that a
Christian does not appear bizarre in whatever time he or she lives,
but there may be certain things, common in the world around us and
not uncommon in Christian circles, that we are better off without.
