Jeremiah 48:37 is a message of God’s judgment on the Moabites through His prophet. The message was one that every Jew could understand, because it was given in words and terms familiar to the people of Israel. The phrase about “every head shall be bald” was a thing of humiliation and disgrace. The Levitical law gave instruction for the Jews not to shave the sides of their heads or disfigure the sides of their beards, Leviticus 19:27. It even goes on to warn them about getting tattoo marks on their body. The tattoo marks were apparently a custom of the heathen nations around them and was not to be practiced by the Israelites.

Because of the wickedness of the Moabites, God was going to bring shame and disgrace on them. Their humiliation was going to come because they would not humble themselves before the eternal, almighty God. This was very similar to the judgment on the people of Israel when many of them were taken to Babylon.

In this message of judgment on the Moabites, God used the example of the bald head as figurative language about their judgment. It was not referring to baldness that comes through the natural aging process. It was speaking of an individual or other people cutting the hair from the head as an act of humiliation, subjugation, or degradation.

So why is this important for us? Because the Old Testament helps us to understand the New Testament, and the New helps to explain the Old. When we come to passages in the New Testament like I Corinthians 11, where it talks about hair and head coverings, we already have some examples to shed light on that Scripture.

What was behind the Old Testament laws and requirements? Were they an end in themselves, or was there something much, much bigger? The obedience to God’s law was only a part of God’s original plan and purpose, when He completed His work of creation in Genesis. Exactly what was the purpose of God creating everything? His desire was that His praise, honor and glory would increase as His creatures saw the magnificent majesty and goodness of the God-Head.

We (mankind) were created in God’s image, so that we (as individuals) might reflect His perfect attributes to those around us. We were meant to be vessels through which His character would flow, to the world we live in and deal with each day. So how does this apply to Old Testament law and God’s directives? When God’s people were obedient to God’s law, they became a sanctified people, set apart from those around them, a peculiar people. They were to be a people zealous of good works.

This peculiar group of people called Israelites, were a witness to those around them. God was glorified and exalted because of what He did for His people and for His own name. Here is just one example; after Jonah told the men that he was a Hebrew and that he feared the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land. It says in verse ten, “Then the men were exceedingly afraid, and said to him, why have you done this? The God of Israel was known for what He had done to Pharaoh and the Egyptians. Even the Philistines were afraid to anger the God of Israel. God struck the Philistines with tumors and brought about great destruction in the land of the Philistines. The Philistines decided to send the ark back with a trespass offering in it. “Five golden tumors and five golden rats, according to the number of the lords of the Philistines,” I Samuel 6:1-4.

Many people observed the children of Israel and the awesome power of the God they served. Some chose to join themselves with the Jewish people, they were called proselytes. Rahab is one example; the harlot asked the spies of Israel to deliver her and other members of her family. The brother-in-law of Moses joined the group and entered into the promised land. Job, although outside the Abrahamic covenant, chose to submit himself to the great God of heaven and earth.

So how does all this apply to our study of bald heads and the clipping of the beard? God’s honor and glory, and the well-being of man, were behind the giving of the Old Testament law. Even the fact that God did not want His people to have tattoo marks on their body, showed that He expected them to be different than the heathen people around them. They were to glorify God through a righteous lifestyle and obedience to Him.

Now stop and think about that, isn’t it the same for us living in the New Testament period. Didn’t God save us unto good works? Aren’t we to glorify Him through a righteous life that is a witness to those around us? It would be a deception of the devil himself if we thought we could love God and serve satan at the same time. I John 5:3 says, if we love Him, we will keep His commandments.

Are we glorifying God by our outward appearance, behavior, and language? Although we are not living under the Old Testament law, God’s plan and purpose for us to reflect His character, remains the same for us today. What about our hair, jewelry, and clothing, have we accepted the styles of the world? The main purpose God put us on the earth was to glorify Him; are we doing that?

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