Carefulness in Manners and Dress
147
The God of heaven, whose arm moves the world, who gives us life
and sustains us in health, is honored or dishonored by the apparel of
those who officiate in His honor. To Moses He gave special instruction
regarding everything connected with the tabernacle service, and He
specified the dress that those should wear who were to minister before
Him. “Thou shalt make holy garments for Aaron thy brother for glory
and for beauty,” [
Exodus 28:2
] was the direction given to Moses.
Everything connected with the apparel and deportment of the priests
was to be such as to impress the beholder with a sense of the holiness
of God, the sacredness of His worship, and the purity required of those
who came into His presence.
The priests were not allowed to enter the sanctuary with their shoes
on their feet; for the particles of dust cleaving to them would desecrate
the holy place. They were to leave their shoes in the court before
entering the sanctuary, and also to wash their hands and their feet
before ministering in the tabernacle or at the altar of burnt-offering.
Thus was constantly taught the lesson that all defilement must be put
away from those who would come into the presence of God.
[174]
The influence of the minister who is careless in his dress is dis-
pleasing to God, and the impression made upon his hearers is that he
looks upon the work in which he is engaged as no more sacred than
common labor. And not only this, but instead of showing them the
importance of propriety and taste in clothing, he sets them an example
of slackness and untidiness, which some are not slow to follow.
God expects His ministers, in their manners and in their dress, to
give a fitting representation of the principles of truth and the sacredness
of their office. They are to set an example that will help men and
women to reach a high standard.
* * * * *
Men have the power to quench the Spirit of God; the power of
choosing is left with them. They are allowed freedom of action. They
may be obedient through the name and grace of our Redeemer, or they
may be disobedient, and realize the consequences.
Man is responsible for receiving or rejecting sacred and eternal
truth. The Spirit of God is continually convicting, and souls are de-
ciding for or against the truth. How important, then, that every act