Dress Distinctively - Deuteronomy 20-22

 Deuteronomy 22:5 (ESV)

“A woman shall not wear a man's garment, nor shall a man put on a woman's cloak, for whoever does these things is an abomination to the LORD your God.

The above verse is probably why some people don’t like the Old Testament and/or the Bible in general.  “God is too picky,” they would yell out.   They would tell us that God is too “old fashioned” or “out of touch” with our progressive mindset.    The interesting thing about the above verse is that women’s clothes and men’s clothes during this time were not that far different.   We might call one a dress (woman) and one a robe (man) but they were basically the same style.   The ancient far east had not progressed to department store selections.  This fact actually makes the above verse even more powerful, however.   God is commanding a distinction centered around something that is not that distinct.  This makes God’s message even more potent.   God does not want the slightest confusion as to the distinction of genders.  Today’s society may not like it, but this is God’s command.  You can argue it and dispute it and disobey it and even deny it.  But, it does not change the character of God, nor His purpose.   God knows that the nation of Israel is about to enter the Promise Land.  Currently the inhabitants of the land worship idols, practice sorcery and have little distinction about how God created.  Their sexual practices were similar to today’s society.  They saw nothing different from one practice to another.  They simply did what was right in their own eyes.  The issue with the above passage is that mankind does not like to be told what to do in any area of life, much less how to dress.  Yet, God wants His people to be distinct.   The above verse is NOT talking to the unbelieving world.  The above verse is being spoken to God’s people because God is bringing them into the midst of a world that makes no distinction in dress, sex, gender, or even their gods.  If you are unbeliever, don’t be offended by the above verse.   It is not for you.   You have bigger fish to fry in regard to a relationship with God. If you are a believer, this is for us.  We are to come out from the world and be completely different from them:

1 Peter 2:9-12 (ESV)

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.

That includes how you dress!!