No one in Judah and Jerusalem was spared God’s indictment. In these verses, God turned to condemn the women, the daughters of Zion for being haughty. How did they end up in this sad state of affairs? The reason clearly was their disconnect with the God whom they claimed to worship and serve. Verse 16 describes the way they walk. It was done deliberately to attract attention to themselves. They vainly wore anklets that would make noise to make aware of their presence. Those women strut around shamelessly and seductively, lacking modesty. Godly women should heed the words of God in 1 Peter 3:3-4 and display modesty. The instruction is: “Your adornment must not be merely external—braiding the hair, and wearing gold jewelry, or putting on dresses; but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God.”
For their impropriety, God would judge and strip them of the pride of their lives. Instead of having a headful of beautiful hair, they would become bald exposing their scalp. God would deprive them of all the finery, and for fine clothes, they would be wearing mourning clothes instead. Furthermore, a foul smell would replace the fragrant perfume that they wore. The women would lose their men who would be slaughtered in war leaving them as destitute widows and mourning their loss.
Bereft of men, Isaiah 4:1 describes how women would be competing wantonly and desperately for the few remaining men. Fearing the reproach of being childless, women would even be willing to pay their own maintenance and take care of their own sustenance just to marry any man. What a sorry state of affair.
When there is a disconnect between a person and God, he or she becomes like those daughters of Zion, needing to adorn the outward to draw attention to self. When we stay connected to God, we learn to live a self-respecting life modestly. We need to note that modesty is not only something for women to consider but also something every man who loves God must factor in his life. Modesty is an outflow of humility that will act as a guard to our virtue. People who truly know Christ know who they are in Him. They accept themselves without the need of any peripheral stuff to help prop up their social status. They can accept their lot in life, rely on God, and learn to make the best of their lives. Their goal in life is to be like Christ and live for the glory of God. Let us live modestly for the glory of God.
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