Unless I have missed something, the only beards that are approved in the Bible would be uncut ones.
As in do not mar the corners of your beard.
So, looks like the duck dynasty look is the way to go.
Leviticus 19:27 You shall not round the corners of your heads, neither shall you mar the corners of your beard.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers
(27) Round the corners of your heads.—That is, they are not to shave off the hair around the temples and behind the ears, so as to leave the head bald except a dish-like tuft upon the crown, thus imparting to their heads the form of a hemisphere. This was done by the Arabs, and other worshippers of the god Orotal. Hence the Arabs are ironically called “those with the corner of their hair polled,” as it is rightly rendered in the Margin (Jeremiah 9:26; Jeremiah 25:23; Jeremiah 49:32).
Mar the corners of thy beard.—The beard was regarded by the Hebrews and other eastern nations as the greatest ornament of a man, and was as dear to them as life itself. It was the object of salutation (2Samuel 20:9), and the mutilation of it was looked upon as the greatest disgrace and most degrading punishment (2Samuel 10:4; Isaiah 7:20; Ezra 5:1-5, &c.). It was only in seasons of sorrow that the Hebrews neglected their beards; and sometimes, to show how deeply they were afflicted, they covered them up, or even cut them off, or tore them out (2Samuel 19:24; Isaiah 15:2; Jeremiah 41:5, &c.). Because it was so precious a treasure, it was customary among some of the ancients to present to their gods the firstlings of their beards. The prohibition before us alludes to this practice.
Benson Commentary Leviticus 19:27. The corners of your heads — That is, your temples; ye shall not cut off the hair of your heads round about your temples. This the Gentiles did, either for the worship of their idols, to whom young men used to consecrate their hair, being cut off from their heads, as Homer, Plutarch, and many others write; or in funerals or immoderate mournings, as appears from Isaiah 15:2; Jeremiah 48:37. And the like is to be thought concerning the beard, or the hair in the corner, that is, corners of the beard. The reason then of this prohibition is, because God would not have his people agree with idolaters, neither in their idolatries, nor in their excessive sorrowing, nor so much as in the appearances of it.
Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible
Ye shall not round the corners of your heads,.... The extremities of the hairs of the head, round about, on the forehead, temples, and behind the ears; this is done, as Jarchi says, when any one makes his temples, behind his ears, and his forehead alike, so that the circumference of his head is found to be round all about, as if they had been cut as with a bowl; and so the Arabians cut their hair, as Herodotus (b) reports; see Gill on Jeremiah 9:26,
neither shall thou mar the corners of thy beard; by shaving them entirely; Jarchi and other Jewish writers say, there are five of them, two on the right, as Gersom reckons them, one on the upper jaw, the other on the nether, and two over against them on the left, and one in the place where the nether jaw joins the right to the left, the chin;
So then, it appears the Bible forbids, not trimming the beard as to length or neatness, but the shaving of the beard off the face, either in whole or in part (thus goatees are forbidden).
In a rough and ready way, of course, this question is decided for us by spirits far deeper down in the Lowerarchy than you and I. It is the business of these great masters to produce in every age a general misdirection of what may be called sexual “taste”. This they do by working through the small circle of popular artists, dressmakers, actresses and advertisers who determine the fashionable type. The aim is to guide each sex away from those members of the other with whom spiritually helpful, happy, and fertile marriages are most likely.
Thus we have now for many centuries triumphed over nature to the extent of making certain secondary characteristics of the male (such as the beard) disagreeable to nearly all the females—and there is more in that than you might suppose.
I'm a blond, actually. Its gotten pretty dark over the years, but still technically blond.
I couldn't grow an "epic" beard if my life depended on it. Closest I've gotten is east Texas redneck Skynyrd fan beard. No ZZ Top in my DNA, apparently.
Unless I have missed something, the only beards that are approved in the Bible would be uncut ones.
This is a common misconception but no, marring the corners of the beard no more meant an uncut beard than did not rounding the corners of your head meant uncut hair on the head. Marring the “edges” of the beard as this verse is more accurately translated means cutting various shapes or cuts into the beard. As in goatees, or the like. It was common pagan practice to cut odd shapes into the hair of the head and the beard. No mohawks and no sculpted facial hair.
This is even argued amongst modern day Jews so I know there’s not going total agreement on this, but it’s backed up by the full context of the verse i.e. not cutting unnatural shapes in the scalp hair OR the beard.
We also have evidence from 2 Samuel 19:24 when David was dealing with the uprising of Absalom. Mephibosheth was in a state of mourning of sorts and the Bible said he hadn’t taken care of his feet, nor washed his clothes or trimmed his beard. Again, considering the context of the whole thing, it is clear that it was normal and expected for him to have trimmed his beard.
The Bible has no prohibition against facial hair and no prohibition against shaving off a facial hair. Not one verse telling men they are an abomination for not having a beard or having a beard. This and the Deuteronomy 22:5 thread are like comparing lemons and bowling balls.
Now that consapente89 mentioned some who God told them to call on Norelco. I have a few stories one has to do with a Cuban brother of mine who had the biggest moustache. We were in prayer meeting and he was hit hard with the Holy Ghost. Power of God was all over him (if you don't know what I'm talking about then go to an Apostolic church and find out) we had a great prayer meeting. The next time I saw him he was clean shaven. Personally I was shocked, I looked at my wife and her eyes were as big as Kennedy half a dollars. I asked him what happened? Where was the cookie duster? He told me without blinking an eye, and told me Jesus dealt with it in the prayer meeting. Now I was puzzled because there isn't a prohibition against facial hair nor is their an admonition to have facial hair. So, I mentioned this to my pastor, and some other elders.
The issue that this brother had, had little to do with the moustache. But with pride concerning the moustache. I remember we were in a Bible study years before this event. The Bible study was about forgiveness, and self sacrifice. Well, this brother leaped up and told everyone that he would NEVER shave off his lip cover. All 50 of us looked at him and shrugged our shoulders, with Mr Spock puzzled looks. He then proclaimed "my moustache is ME man!"
I remember a older sister replying to him "well that so sweet, why don't you sit down and join us"
So many things happen to us personally on so many levels when we allow the conviction of Jesus Christ to deal with us. Jesus is our pastor and He knows how to get the job done. I'm not called to go 500 pages with Aquila, to me it is like having a comic book collection, or Hot Wheels collection or even coins. It is somewhat relaxing to a point. But you always have to keep in mind that the person you are going round and round the mulberry bush with, is not going to change their position. They're convinced, signed, sealed, and delivered.
Only Jesus can change a heart, or close it shut. I just call'em like I see'em. Someone believes Deuteronomy 22:5 is about a pagan religious ceremony? Who am I to change their mind, they have far more bigger fish to fry in their skillet then if a woman can wear a pair of seal skin pants.
2017 we are heading towards 2018. This place is sinking like proverbial Atlantis. The amount of perversion is rolling its tentacles around the throat of Christendom of this country. I will never forget the time Pastor Keith McCann made a statement which went like this, "the Russian Orthodox clergy were arguing about the length of tassels on their robes. When the Communists took over the country" At that point I realized that the amount of Christians on these forums who really care are slim to none. Flamethrowing red hot Holy Ghost services are cooling down. Prayer rooms have more brooms, buckets, then weeping and snotting. Had an amazing service today, troubled teens getting blessed by the move of the Holy Ghost. Maybe one will catch a vision and go forward. My main scope of work is my city and county. If I can help my brothers around the country or around the world. But as far as forum crusading goes we just post what we believe and fly it up the flagpole. If it gets a thumbs up then hip hip hooray. If it gets attacked then on with the show. But when all is said and done we will all have to give an account for everything we have done. If we were a help or a hindrance.
Transgender United States of America and we go 600 posts on Deuteronomy 22:5. Good God from Zion.
We did more than blow the engine on this one.
I would like to report to you my dear friend, that our church has had some of its most red hot services in the last month. God has blessed beyond belief...
That has little if anything to do with this thread, other than you point out some truth... as it relates to this thread, the beard is not an issue in any amount in our local assembly. thank God....
__________________ If I do something stupid blame the Lortab!
I would like to report to you my dear friend, that our church has had some of its most red hot services in the last month. God has blessed beyond belief...
That has little if anything to do with this thread, other than you point out some truth... as it relates to this thread, the beard is not an issue in any amount in our local assembly. thank God....
How's your family doing?
Keeping you all in prayer my brother.
In Jesus name.
__________________ "all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed."
~Declaration of Independence
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