...contd...7.God’s word reveals that beards are a blessing to men, which is sadly forgotten in today’s age.While not required, growing a beard can, in a sense, give honor and glory to a God who created man with that ability. Not out of requirement, not out of salvation, but out of appreciation for God giving man that distinction. Just like women aregenerally blessedwith long/thick hair, and the ability to bear children–so are men blessed with the ability to grow thick facial hair. With all of those thing being said, let’s look at what God’s word says about beards. Men in the Bible Who Had Beards The Bible does mention many Godly men who had beards: First, Aaron, Moses’ brother, definitely had a beard: It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron’s beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments (Psalm 133:2) We also see that Samson, who took the Nazirite (or Nazarite) vow, also must have surely had a beard: That he told her all his heart, and said unto her, There hath not come a razor upon mine head; for I have been a Nazirite unto God from my mother’s womb: if I be shaven, then my strength will go from me, and I shall become weak, and be like any other man. (Judges 16:17) And King David, the man after God’s own heart, also wore a beard. In perhaps the funniest passage of all the Bible, David, fearing for his own life, pretended to be insane to escape death from King Achish. Can’t you imagine poor David blurting out gibberish, scrabbling on a door, and spitting all over himself to appear insane? Well, it worked! I laughed out loud the first time I read this: And he changed his behavior before them, and feigned himself mad in their hands, and scrabbled on the doors of the gate, and let his spittle fall down upon his beard. (1 Samuel 21:13) Ezekiel also wore a beard, as we see in this passage where God has him to shave part of his hair and beard, as a symbolic gesture showing the shame that would soon come upon Jerusalem. Shaving the head or beard of a man in these times would have caused severe humiliation, and God used this illustration by his prophet Ezekiel to reflect the impending shame that Jerusalem would soon feel by the hands of their enemies (the Babylonians): “Now, son of man, take a sharp sword and use it as a barber’s razor to shave your head and your beard. Then take a set of scales and divide up the hair. (Ezekiel 5:1) Joseph, the son of Jacob, also wore a beard, as we see in the passage below. He was to be presented to Pharaoh, and it was Egyptian custom to be clean-shaven: Pharaoh sent for Joseph at once, and he was quickly brought from the prison. After he shaved and changed his clothes, he went in and stood before Pharaoh. (Genesis 41:14) Mephibosheth, the son of Saul, also grew a beard, as we see in this passage when he hadn’t groomed it for a time due to mourning: And Mephibosheth the son of Saul came down to meet the king. He had neither taken care of his feet nor trimmed his beard nor washed his clothes, from the day the king departed until the day he came back in safety. (2 Samuel 19:24) Ezra, after learning that the Israelites had broken God’s strict command of not intermarrying with the surrounding women, tore his garments and beard in complete horror of their sin: And when I heard this thing, I rent my garment and my mantle, and plucked off the hair of my head and of my beard, and sat down astonished. (Ezra 9:3) Last, but certainly not least, the scriptures show us thatJesus Himself had a beard. The following passage is a prophecy from the book of Isaiah, and it depicts the future Messiah (Jesus) as a suffering servant. This prophecy was fulfilled literally as Christ stood in front of his mockers before he was crucified: I gave my back to those who strike, and my cheeks to those who pull out the beard; I hid not my face from disgrace and spitting. (Isaiah 50:6) Note how in the above passage, His beard was pulled out. This interesting for a few reasons: First, this reveals that Christ certainly had a beard, and it wasn’t a very short beard. How long? We don’t know. My beard is about 1/2 to about 3/4 inches long, and it is very hard to grab hold of it due to it being so short. So I imagine His beard was probably twice the size of mine at least, maybe a bit more. It was enough so you could grab it with your fingers and yank it out. The second thing I’d mention about that passage is this: Beard hairs are very sensitive. I’d much rather someone pluck a hair from my head than my beard. I assume the face must have more nerves in this area, and I know from experience that it hurts very badly to have a hair pulled here. It pains me to imagine how much our dear Lord suffered on our behalf! Christ accepted this suffering so that we can be redeemed from our sins. Thank God.
Posted on: Sat, 01 Nov 2014 09:05:32 +0000
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