The order given by God to the children of Israel to place a ribbon of blue in their garments was to have no direct influence on their health, only as God would bless them by obedience, and the ribbon would keep in their memory the high claims of Jehovah and prevent them from mingling with other nations, uniting in their drunken feasts, and eating swine’s flesh and luxurious food detrimental to health. God would now have His people adopt the reform dress, not only to distinguish them from the world as His “peculiar people,” but because a reform in dress is essential to physical and mental health. God’s people have, to a great extent, lost their peculiarity, and have been gradually patterning after the world, and mingling with them, until they have in many respects become like them. This is displeasing to God. He directs them, as He directed the children of Israel anciently, to come out from the world and forsake their idolatrous practices, not following their own hearts (for their hearts are unsanctified) or their own eyes, which have led them to depart from God and to unite with the world. {1T 524.2}

Den ordre Israels børn fik af Gud til at sætte en violet purpursnor på deres klæder havde ingen direkte indflydelse på deres sundhed, kun at Gud ville velsigne dem, når de var lydige og purpursnoren ville minde dem om Jehovas store krav og beskyttede dem fra opblanding med andre nationer, tilslutte sig deres drukfester og spise svinekød (525) og overdådig mad, til skade for helbredet. Gud vil nu have at hans folk antager reformklæderne, ikke kun for at de skal adskille sig fra verden, som hans "særskilte folk", men fordi en fornyelse i klæderne er absolut nødvendig for fysisk og åndelig sundhed. Guds folk har i stor udstrækning mistet deres særlighed og er gradvist formet efter verden og opblandes med den, indtil de i mange henseender bliver som den. Dette er til Guds mishag. Han leder dem, som han ledte Israels børn i fortiden, at de må komme ud af verden og opgive deres afguderiske vaner, ikke følge deres eget hjerte (for deres hjerter er ikke helligede) eller deres egne øjne, som har ledt dem til at forlade Gud og tilslutte sig verden.