Should Women Wear Pants?
Women Wear Pants Abominable to Whom?
Many assemblies, organizations, families and individuals are in disagreement over this topic: Should Women Wear Pants? Many are of the opinion that Christian women who wear pants are not saved. Others think nothing of it. So where does this division and resentment comes from? Is it a matter of hermeneutics, how we interpret this Scripture. “The woman shall not wear that which” pertains to ”a man, neither shall a man put on a woman’s garment: for all that do so are abomination unto the LORD” your “God,”Deuteronomy 22:5. To sufficiently exegete this scripture,(in part)I will examine the background situations and circumstances and define a few key terms.
Let me define wear, pertain and abomination. Those words I have not defined I’m certain no one will fight with me over them because I didn’t. Wear means, to have on one’s body or apart of one’s body as clothing, decoration or protection. Pertain means, to be appropriate, related or applicable, to have reference or relation, to belong. Finally, abomination means, detestable; loathsome or repugnantlyhateful; a thing that causes disgust or hatred, a feeling of hatred. These are secular definitions which the Scriptures agree with.
In an attempt to adequately exegete this instruction let me briefly recount the background situation of Israel. Here, Moses is rehersing the LORD God’ s instructions to Israel before they occupy the Promised Land. This is a reminder for Israel because Moses had already instructed them. Israel is about to occupy the lands of the six nations the LORD God had destroyed. They were warned not to spare any of those people alive nor to inter marry with them, not to adopt their life style or they would become a thorn in their side. This was particularly interested because the LORD God considers their life style an abomination because these six nations had many loathsome practices. They would offer their children to their gods, they were idolatrous and there were many prostitutes, both male and female, in the land. The male prostitutes, “Sodomites”, were called “dogs”, Deuteronomy 23:17-18. These people were cross-dressers but especially the Canaanites. In today’s language they are called transvestites, men dressing as women and women dressing as men. Bear these situations in mind when we examine Moses’ command because this is where the controversy, should women wear pants has it origin, Deuteronomy 22:5.
Abominable if Women Wear Pants?
In this Scripture, Deuteronomy 22:5, what does the LORD God declares as “abomination?” The action or the person? In other words, when we consider, should women wear pants what are we accessing the action or the person? There is no abominable action without a person. But a person can be considered abominable yet his actions are accepted. Here is a case in point : The LORD God says, “all” men who have on his body or apart of his body as clothing, decoration or protection, equipment or ornament, that which have reference or related or be appropriate or applicable for a woman are detestable. The same is applicable and true for women who do the same.
What if the situation was reversed; would the action be considered abomination and not the person? Then women are not taken into account but the action is women wearing pants. Here is such a scenario. The LORD told Moses, you shall not “sacrifice” to the LORD your God any bullock (cow), or sheep, that has any blemish or spots or any imperfections for that is an abomination to the LORD your God, Deuteronomy 17:1.
If any person went ahead and offered such an animal (as sacrifice) it will be rejected by God for it is considered abominable to Him. The person who offered the sacrifice, however, is not considered detestable in any way to God but is accepted. Here is another, “Divers weights are an abomination unto the LORD; and a false balance is not good,” Proverbs 20:23 . The weights for the scale is considered an abomination not the business person, or trader who deliberately uses it to rob his customers.
“ A false balance is abomination to the LORD: but a just weight is his delight,” Proverbs 11:1.
Do you think this command was only concerned with wearing clothes? It wasn’t even connected to women wearing pants because pants were never worn then.They were not even invented yet. God is not concerned with your clothes but your heart. Do you think the LORD God would describe you as “abomination” ONLY because of the clothes you wear? Is there any references in the Word of God to substantiate that principle? My LORD and God is never so frivolous and superficial. He is of strong substance. The LORD God is only concerned with the substance of a broken, and a contrite heart before Him.
Which is Abomination? Women Wear Pants or Men Wear Dress?
I know someone reading this will say, this scripture is addressing the concept rather than the actions. What concept? Concept you maybe be right about but concerning what and for which era? The LORD God never changes, He is a fixed principle, Hebrews 13:8, but the first advent of Jesus Christ revolutionized the world and all its systems.
This is the concept Deuteronomy 22:5 addressed. Man (Adam and Eve) was made in the image of God. He made Adam to look different exclusively from Eve. My cross-dressing, and living like the Canaanite transvestites, the Israelites would defile the image of God because they no longer represent Him. By this action Israel would really be changing their identity as sons of God and become the son of he whom they obey. That’s the real issue here. The LORD never made a mistake when he made you who you are. If you are a man He wanted you to be a man. Conversely, if you are a woman He wanted you a woman not vice versa. A man or woman who wears clothes related or appropriate to the opposite sex (in any culture) is attempting to change who God made him to be and to change God’s image in him. If men change their appearance to become women and women change to become men then they are all the same. Then man has effectively changed the substance of who he is, a creator like his Creator. But now he has no identity he cannot create anything because he has relinquished his position as son of God. This is Satan’s way to attempt to corrupt, tarnish or destroy the image of God in man. In this state, man is powerless and the Devil has a field day destroying him.
In closing, folks obey your local assembly and your pastor’s rules regarding whether women wear pants or not. If we cannot obey our pastor who we can see we will not obey God who is in heaven. Additionally, no member of an assembly can disobey his local church rules and those of the pastor and be right with God. God institute them to assist us in keeping our souls.
I have looked at what it means to be an abomination to the LORD, an action or a person. There are abominable action and acceptable persons. But there cannot be abominable persons and accepted actions because every action is caused by some person. This is similar to saying : all cars are vehicles but not all vehicles are car, for some are trucks and some are motorbikes.
So if a man wears clothes which by observation everyone can say, he looks like a woman the Bible described him as loathsome to the LORD God. On the other hand, if a woman wears clothes which by observation everyone can say, she looks like a man the Word of God describes her as an abomination to the LORD our God.
This issue is really addressing the transvestite lifestyle and cross-dressing. It is an abomination to the LORD our God. Note this way of living is not loathsome to man but to the LORD our God.
Further Reading(s)
Should Women Wear Trousers in church?
And I just can’t seem to bring myself to wear pants to church
You Cannot Condemn Women Wearing Trousers Today
Deuteronomy Bible Studies
Bible Teaching : Doctrine of Christ – Resurrection of the Dead
Weekly Review : Bible Study, Devotionals, Deuteronomy Bible Study
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