‘Clothes Make the Man!’ Well, Yes and No

The adage tells us, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” That’s true. A poorly designed cover doesn’t necessarily mean the contents of the book aren’t worthwhile. Likewise, even the most captivating cover doesn’t guarantee the pages inside are worth turning. But in today’s visually oriented world, a book’s cover can be a major factor in a potential reader’s decision about whether to pick up the book and consider what’s inside. 

 

I remember when USA Today debuted in the early 1980s, with its emphasis on strong photos and colorful graphics. It set newspaper page designers scrambling. The only way newspapers could successfully compete with TV and computer imagery was to create pages that were visually compelling as well as content-rich.

 

What it boils down to is our human tendency to make snap judgments based on outward appearance. We do this with cars, houses, appliances, magazines, and just about anything else– especially people. 

It might not be fair – or accurate – to formulate initial conclusions about folks based on their external appearances, but we do it all the time. If someone were to walk up to us with ketchup stains or chocolate smeared on his or her outfit, we’d probably conclude this was not a fastidious dresser. Their clothes might taste good, but it wouldn’t appear they dress in good taste.

 

Remember the TV detective of years ago, “Columbo”? He used outward appearance misconceptions to his advantage. He’d show up in a rumbled trench coat, stumbling and muttering along like he couldn’t find his way out of a three-foot tunnel. Yet by the end of the show, he would have deftly solved the mystery to the amazement of all.

 

When I was entering the business world, I encountered the book, Dress for Success. Its simple thesis was that to make a favorable impression, we should take pains to wear appropriate attire. I was reminded of this recently when a friend, a clothier, wrote, “Be careful what you wear, because it tells the world what you think of yourself.”

 

This is hardly a new concept. In William Shakespeare’s “Hamlet,” Polonius tells his son Laertes to dress well because, “apparel oft proclaims the man.” In that day, clothing would reveal an individual’s rank and status in society. American writer and humorist Mark Twain had his own take on this observation. He said, “Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society.” 

 

But long before Twain, or even Shakespeare, this annoying tendency to judge people based on the first impressions they make was well-established. When the prophet Samuel was directed to go to Jesse and identify from among his sons the successor to Israel’s King Saul, the prophet thought several of the young men fit the bill – based on their physical traits. But God saw things differently.

 

Speaking about one of the sons, He told Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7).

 

Since God hadn’t chosen any of the sons Jesse presented, the perplexed prophet asked, “Are these all the boys?” To which Jesse replied, “The youngest is still left, but behold, he is tending the sheep” (1 Samuel 16:11). This “youngest” was David, then a humble shepherd boy. He might have been voted “least likely to become a king” in Shepherd Today magazine. Nevertheless, Samuel insisted that Jesse send for David to join them.

 

When David arrived, Samuel saw that he was “glowing with health and had a fine appearance and handsome features” (1 Samuel 16:12). Certainly not bad on the eyes, but this wasn’t what God wanted. Upon deciding Saul was unfit to serve as king over Israel, the Lord had declared He was seeking “a man after His own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14).

 

Speaking to religious leaders in Pisidian Antioch, the apostle Paul confirmed this. “After removing Saul, [God] made David their king. He testified concerning him, ‘I have found David son of Jesse a man after My own heart; he will do everything I want him to do’” (Acts 13:22). 

 

What does this say to us today? It’s not saying that the way we appear outwardly is insignificant. However, what the Lord is seeking most of all is men and women, boys and girls, whose hearts are aligned with His own, who desire to serve Him, obey His commands, and carry out His will.

 

In effect, this is a double-edged sword for us. We’re not to be quick to judge others based on what we observe outwardly. We should ask God to enable us to discern what’s happening on the inside – their heart and motivations. 

At the same time, as “ambassadors for Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:20), we shouldn’t let our own outward appearances become stumbling blocks for others by causing negative first impressions. As people of “the Book,” we want to ensure that our “covers” don’t turn folks away from checking out what’s inside.  

Can’t Put a Price on Honesty and Integrity

Recently on social media there was a video circulating of a convenience store owner who apparently decided to test the honesty and integrity of his customers. What transpires is something that could bring tears to chunk of granite.

 

The store owner is shown placing money – it appears to be four or five $20 bills – between two bags of chips close to the door. A boy probably about 10 years old comes in a few minutes afterward and, as if on cue, grabs the top bag of chips. He spots the money and picks it up, looking a bit confused.

 

“What’s he going to do?” the viewer wonders. The answer comes quickly. The young boy takes the chips and the money to the checkout counter, then gives the money to the owner. There’s no audio, but apparently the person at the checkout counter thanks the boy for his honesty, then walks away, takes a small drink cup and puts the money in it without the boy seeing what he’s doing. He covers the cup with the bag of chips and gives it to the boy.

 

The boy leaves, but just outside the door looks into the cup, sees the money and after a momentary pause, turns and re-enters the store. He walks up to the counter and again presents the money with a puzzled expression, thinking there must be some mistake.

 

In the last scene, the video shows the boy in tears, having been told that because of his honesty he can keep the money.

 

Wow! I’m presuming this video was genuine, but even if it were staged, isn’t it a refreshing image for us to ponder? Especially in these days when so many people feel entitled; when cities have experienced terrible riots along with rampant looting; when factions in our society are telling folks they’re not responsible for their own poor financial decisions. 

 

But what struck me most after watching the video was this youngster must have been raised in a home where values like honesty and integrity have been imparted very strongly.

 

Remember the old days of “Finder’s keepers, loser’s weepers?” It makes me wonder how we would react if any of us were in a similar situation. Would we regard it as “found money” and stealthily stick it in our pockets, or would we do as the boy in the video – mature beyond his years in terms of values – did in trying to find its rightful owner?

 

The video reminded me of a story in chapters 41-45 of Genesis, the Bible’s first book, even though the circumstances were very different. Joseph was sold into slavery by his older brothers, but through a series of events was elevated to a rank of authority in Egypt second only to Pharaoh. When a severe famine struck the entire region, the brothers were sent to Egypt by their father, Jacob, to purchase grain. Unbeknownst to them, the person they would have to deal was the brother they had betrayed. 

 

As governor, Joseph was in charge of grain distribution. Since many years had passed, the brothers didn’t recognize him, but he immediately knew who they were. Joseph chose not to reveal who he was, but interrogated them harshly, battling to restrain his emotions. 

 

Finally, he agreed to sell them the much-needed grain, but with a couple of twists. One was they leave behind one brother, basically as a security deposit, while they returned home to get their youngest brother whom they had told Joseph about. The other was the secret order he gave that the silver they had used to pay for the grain be covertly put back into their sacks.

 

On their way home, the brothers discovered the silver. “What’s up with this?!” they wondered, suspecting something was amiss. They already lacked brother Simeon, left in Egypt until they could return with their little brother, Benjamin. At their father Jacob's insistence, they soon went back to Egypt with young Ben, along with double the amount of silver to prove they weren’t thieves. From there the story gets even more complicated, but that’s for another time.

 

The chapters don’t specify exactly what was going through Joseph’s mind, but it’s likely his actions were prompted by spite and residual anger. However, they also might have been his way of testing his brothers’ integrity. Because in a sense, integrity and honesty are a little like being pregnant – either you have it, or you don’t. He wanted to know whether they had experienced a change of heart.

 

Integrity is a big deal with the Lord. David, long before he became king of Israel, was described as “a man after God’s own heart” (1 Samuel 13;14). Why? Psalm 78:72 gives us one indication. It says, “And David shepherded [his sheep] with integrity of heart; with skillful hands he led them.”

 

The Lord also wants this noble trait passed down from one generation to the next. Speaking to King Solomon after he had completed building the temple and the royal palace, God said, “As for you, if you walk before me faithfully with integrity of heart and uprightness, as David your father did, and do all I command and observe my decrees and laws, I will establish our royal throne over Israel forever, as I promised David your father…” (1 Kings 9:4).

 

And in the wisdom book largely written by Solomon, it states, “The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity” (Proverbs 11:3), and “Righteousness guards the man of integrity, but wickedness overthrows the sinner” (Proverbs 13:6).

If only we could find many others like the young man in the convenience store, who valued integrity much higher than any personal gain he could have justified as “found money.” We need more of that and much less of the duplicity and deceit demonstrated so publicly every day in our world, especially among our leaders.