Biblical Beauty: Not "Made-Up"
The topic of beauty is a constantly debated concept. What is beauty? What does it look like? What is it supposed to look like? Who can attain beauty? Can it even be attained? How can it be attained? Why is beauty so intensely sought after? How can beauty be maintained? These are questions that arise every day literally thousands of times, have been raised thousands of times before in days past, and these questions will continue to be of great wonder for all time to come.
Our society takes an amazing interest in beauty and places on it an unfathomable amount of importance. Why is it so important to be beautiful? Should any importance be placed on this subject? If so, how much? And why should it be so important? These are questions that I think women deal with every day and I think there is a legitimate reason for why we ask these things. It is my goal that every person who comes in contact with me will be able to say of me, that I am a woman of true beauty... even if I'm not really all that cute.
It is my heartfelt desire to be a beautiful woman. That thought may not seem all that revolutionary or unique, but when my definition and expectations of beauty come into play, it starts to look very different from other womens beauty; the beauty that the majority of all women desire. Not that I'm the only woman who desires this specific beauty, for many women who have come before me have successfully attained it. And the Lord, in His perfect Grace, has allowed many women of today to cultivate this beauty in their own lives... I've been very blessed to have come in contact with these women, and let me say: it's amazing. The beauty that they possess, is an incredible beauty to behold... to the eye of EVERYONE who has that privilege.
What is beauty? What does it look like? What is it SUPPOSED to look like?
Webster defines beauty as: "the quality or aggregate of qualities in a person or thing that gives pleasure to the senses or pleasurably exalts the mind or spirit" or "of particularly graceful, ornamental, or excellent quality". So beauty by man's definition is the possession of qualities or the display of characteristics that will bring pleasure or satisfaction to the senses. Good definition.
The Word defines PHYSICAL beauty as deceitful and passing: "Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing...." (Proverbs 31:30) Good warning. A warning to remind us that physical beauty is NOT where our attention should be drawn or, more importantly, held. Matthew 23:27 also gives a horrible description of the deceitfulness of outward beauty; "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people's bones and all uncleanness." These Scriptures tells us what beauty is from a negative aspect. So then, we can assume that beauty must be something else from a postive aspect. And to get the positive aspect, we must look at SPIRITUAL beauty. Who wants beauty that is decietful and passing? No one! We, as women desire beauty that is pure and lasting... but what does that look like? That same verse that describes beauty from the "bad" side, sheds light on what beauty is on the "good" side; "... but a women who fears the LORD, she shall be praised."
Scripture also talks, in general, about what is beautiful to the Lord.
Isaiah 52:7, "How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news,who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness,who publishes salvation,who says to Zion, 'Your God reigns.'" This verse is repeated again in Romans 10:15. This says that beauty is found in those who are busy about the Lord's ministry, and sharing the Gospel... a theme that is quite frequently and obviously throughout Scripture.
Jeremiah 11:16, "The LORD once called you 'a green olive tree, beautiful with good fruit.'" The prophet Jeremiah was rebuking Israel in this passage, shaming them for breaking their covenant with their God. Jeremiah compares their works and obedience to the Lord with the good fruit that an olive tree bears. The Israelites had started worshipping pagan gods and were in dire need of discipline, which the Lord was faithful to administer. They needed to be reminded that they had once been beautiful to the Lord for their obedience and honor towards Him, but now, because of their sin, they were no longer beautiful to Him. The Lord sees intense beauty in our faithfulness and obedience to Him.
Ezekiel 16:12-14, "And I put a ring on your nose and earrings in your ears and a beautiful crown on your head. Thus you were adorned with gold and silver, and your clothing was of fine linen and silk and embroidered cloth. You ate fine flour and honey and oil. You grew exceedingly beautiful and advanced to royalty. And your renown went forth among the nations because of your beauty, for it was perfect through the splendor that I had bestowed on you, declares the Lord GOD." This passage reminds us that just as the Lord made physical Israel beautiful, He also is the one that makes us, His spiritual Israel, beautiful. There is nothing that we can do to attain that beauty, and often we do so much that should strip us of it, but whom He choses as His beautiful ones, they will remain so.
Can true beauty be attained? Who can attain it? How can it be maintained?
From the Ezekiel passage it is clear that only those that the Lord makes beautiful can attain this beauty. So yes, it CAN be attained, but only if the Lord so choses to give it. It's not something we chose, and not something we can just take and have. It must be given to us.
From the Isaiah and Jeremiah passages, we can see that the maintenace of true beauty can be achieved by continual service and obedience to the Father. We will maintain that beauty and continue to be "a green olive tree, beautiful with good fruit". It will be maintained if we are faithful to be "on the mountains", speading the Gospel. So easy in theory, so difficult in practice. But attainable none-the-less.
To be beautiful to the One who made me, is something to be sought after. To be a "praised woman", is something to attain. He made us to be so! So let us BE!
"For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well." Psalm 139:13-14
Our society takes an amazing interest in beauty and places on it an unfathomable amount of importance. Why is it so important to be beautiful? Should any importance be placed on this subject? If so, how much? And why should it be so important? These are questions that I think women deal with every day and I think there is a legitimate reason for why we ask these things. It is my goal that every person who comes in contact with me will be able to say of me, that I am a woman of true beauty... even if I'm not really all that cute.
It is my heartfelt desire to be a beautiful woman. That thought may not seem all that revolutionary or unique, but when my definition and expectations of beauty come into play, it starts to look very different from other womens beauty; the beauty that the majority of all women desire. Not that I'm the only woman who desires this specific beauty, for many women who have come before me have successfully attained it. And the Lord, in His perfect Grace, has allowed many women of today to cultivate this beauty in their own lives... I've been very blessed to have come in contact with these women, and let me say: it's amazing. The beauty that they possess, is an incredible beauty to behold... to the eye of EVERYONE who has that privilege.
What is beauty? What does it look like? What is it SUPPOSED to look like?
Webster defines beauty as: "the quality or aggregate of qualities in a person or thing that gives pleasure to the senses or pleasurably exalts the mind or spirit" or "of particularly graceful, ornamental, or excellent quality". So beauty by man's definition is the possession of qualities or the display of characteristics that will bring pleasure or satisfaction to the senses. Good definition.
The Word defines PHYSICAL beauty as deceitful and passing: "Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing...." (Proverbs 31:30) Good warning. A warning to remind us that physical beauty is NOT where our attention should be drawn or, more importantly, held. Matthew 23:27 also gives a horrible description of the deceitfulness of outward beauty; "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people's bones and all uncleanness." These Scriptures tells us what beauty is from a negative aspect. So then, we can assume that beauty must be something else from a postive aspect. And to get the positive aspect, we must look at SPIRITUAL beauty. Who wants beauty that is decietful and passing? No one! We, as women desire beauty that is pure and lasting... but what does that look like? That same verse that describes beauty from the "bad" side, sheds light on what beauty is on the "good" side; "... but a women who fears the LORD, she shall be praised."
Scripture also talks, in general, about what is beautiful to the Lord.
Isaiah 52:7, "How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news,who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness,who publishes salvation,who says to Zion, 'Your God reigns.'" This verse is repeated again in Romans 10:15. This says that beauty is found in those who are busy about the Lord's ministry, and sharing the Gospel... a theme that is quite frequently and obviously throughout Scripture.
Jeremiah 11:16, "The LORD once called you 'a green olive tree, beautiful with good fruit.'" The prophet Jeremiah was rebuking Israel in this passage, shaming them for breaking their covenant with their God. Jeremiah compares their works and obedience to the Lord with the good fruit that an olive tree bears. The Israelites had started worshipping pagan gods and were in dire need of discipline, which the Lord was faithful to administer. They needed to be reminded that they had once been beautiful to the Lord for their obedience and honor towards Him, but now, because of their sin, they were no longer beautiful to Him. The Lord sees intense beauty in our faithfulness and obedience to Him.
Ezekiel 16:12-14, "And I put a ring on your nose and earrings in your ears and a beautiful crown on your head. Thus you were adorned with gold and silver, and your clothing was of fine linen and silk and embroidered cloth. You ate fine flour and honey and oil. You grew exceedingly beautiful and advanced to royalty. And your renown went forth among the nations because of your beauty, for it was perfect through the splendor that I had bestowed on you, declares the Lord GOD." This passage reminds us that just as the Lord made physical Israel beautiful, He also is the one that makes us, His spiritual Israel, beautiful. There is nothing that we can do to attain that beauty, and often we do so much that should strip us of it, but whom He choses as His beautiful ones, they will remain so.
Can true beauty be attained? Who can attain it? How can it be maintained?
From the Ezekiel passage it is clear that only those that the Lord makes beautiful can attain this beauty. So yes, it CAN be attained, but only if the Lord so choses to give it. It's not something we chose, and not something we can just take and have. It must be given to us.
From the Isaiah and Jeremiah passages, we can see that the maintenace of true beauty can be achieved by continual service and obedience to the Father. We will maintain that beauty and continue to be "a green olive tree, beautiful with good fruit". It will be maintained if we are faithful to be "on the mountains", speading the Gospel. So easy in theory, so difficult in practice. But attainable none-the-less.
To be beautiful to the One who made me, is something to be sought after. To be a "praised woman", is something to attain. He made us to be so! So let us BE!
"For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well." Psalm 139:13-14
posted by Rebekah at
2:18 PM
3 Comments:
Hey Rebekah,
Its jared. A good blog that covers a whole lot of this topic. You said one thing that i want clarification on. I agree that we cannot just take true beauty free of charge, but spirtual beauty is something that God i think neccessarily wants for his people (or women, whichever). I know u don't mean to say that He chooses it and thats it, but it sure does sound that way (a little hypercalvanistic i think). I think God chooses that for his people and we have to follow in obedience to it.
Just my thought,
Jared
hey rebekah,
this is jenny (ur old piano student). wow! u know i have found connecting w/God and scripture whether it be through many of the bible studies i've attended(trust me, there's plenty of venues at a&m) or by reading the bible on my own, i haven't connected and just been inspired by scripture and its message than when i read your blog today. thank you so much, you are a great blessing. hope you are doing well, let me know if there's anything i can ever do for you!
love~Jenny
Thank you, Jenny for your comment. I'm glad you are encourage! That is my sole desire for this blog... which I need to update. Thank you for reading. I am blessed by you! By the way, I got your MySpace message as well, but am having trouble loggin in... I will respond when I can. Love you and glad you're well! Talk to you soon!
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