Proverbs 11:22 - Inner Value

Proverbs 11:22

As a ring of gold in a swine's snout,

so is a beautiful woman who lacks discretion. 

Message: Inner Value

Time: Proverbs records multiple individuals as its author with Solomon as the principal author. Solomon died in 931 BC though most think the book was likely in its final form sometime before the end of Hezekiah’s reign in 686 BC. It is a book that instructs people on the path of wisdom. It speaks to all of life and living our lives under the authority and direction of God.

What the Lord is Saying: Interesting verse comparing something that is beautiful with something that is bad and then something that is not beautiful with something that is elegant. The basic idea is these two items combined are two characteristics that don't belong together. Gold in a pig. Beauty lacking discretion. And the two comparisons are two things people all enjoy - riches and beauty. Yet it seems wasteful to add riches to a pig and it should seem wasteful to have beauty added to someone that lacks discretion. 

A pig is an unclean animal. It is an animal by Jewish dietary laws that is not eaten. Gold as a precious metal metaphor represents wealth or something of value or something that is desirable. Thus, that which we desire is placed in something we don't. I Corinthians 15:33 says, "Bad company corrupts good character." Also 2 Corinthians 6:14, "Do not be unequally yoked." Both of these have similar ideas of not mixing value or what we want with what is not valuable. But also here is adding value to something that won't be appreciated. On the flip side we like taking things that appear to be worthless and converting them to value, such as repairing something used rather than replacing it, such as a car or anything. It is great to take something that is used up and giving it more life, but the problem here is being corrupted. 

To lack discretion is to not think before one speaks. This is a person that needs to be careful with their speech. It is a person that needs to be cautious about what they say, especially as it relates to others. We are to value inner beauty. In Proverbs, "Charm is deceitful." Words are more important than looks. What we hear, more important than what we see as far as looks. As I have been reading through the books of Joshua and the Judges, people like Saul and Adonijah were described first about their looks. Their character was not of the importance that stood out but rather their looks and those individuals did not end up leading well. 

Prayer: O God, you are rich in mercy. Your ways are the best ways and here is the reminder that there is more than meets the eye and we should be more focused on inner beauty and inner value and how we speak and conduct ourselves instead of focusing on what simply is pleasing to our eye or even our pocketbook. Redefine this in our lives. Thank you for helping me see the importance of this in my life. Keep showing me. I thank you for the beauty of my wife but it only means something because of how wonderful she is as a person. This is when the beauty really stands out in her because of how caring and loving she is to me and others. Her playful ways. Her discretion to be careful about what she wears and how she presents herself. I am so thankful for her and how you have trained her to be Godly. Help me always to value this and not get so caught up in looks and beauty. 

Note: If you are interested in other studies/devotions, check out my index of Bible Study's.

Isaiah 28:5 - The Glory of Divine Beauty

Isaiah 28:5

In that day the Lord of hosts will become a beautiful crown

And a glorious diadem to the remnant of His people;

Message: The Glory of Divine Beauty

Time: Isaiah prophesied from 739–681 BC to a nation that had turned a deaf ear to the Lord. He wanted to see the nation of Judah return to serving God with humility and love for their neighbors. But he was called to pronounce judgments to on a people offering meaningless sacrifices in the Temple and committing injustices throughout the nation. It provides the most prophetic picture of Jesus in the entire Old Testament.

What the Lord is Saying: In the previous lesson -- God's divine glory, God's nature as being holy, true, righteous and just is shown to be connected with a bright shining light. Another way to express His Glory is with Divine Beauty. As Isaiah 28:5 mentions, "In that day the Lord of hosts will become a beautiful crown." 

David speaks of his highest desire to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord. 

One thing I have asked from the Lord, that I shall seek:

That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,

To behold the beauty of the Lord

And to meditate in His temple. - Psalm 27:4

In our previous lesson, I studied communicable attributes and incommunicable attributes and divine beauty is something we seem to share with the Lord and will adorn us as well.  Today's passage mentions, "And a glorious diadem to the remnant of His people." There is a beauty that is transferred to God's people, His children. 

In saving us, the Lord adorns us with the robe of the perfect righteousness of Christ --

I will rejoice greatly in the Lord,
My soul will exult in my God;
For He has clothed me with garments of salvation,
He has wrapped me with a robe of righteousness,
As a bridegroom decks himself with a garland,
And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. - Isaiah 61:10

-- and yet that beauty is not seen by God's creation completely. There is a light that we are to shine and is, hopefully, evident in the lives of His children, but our beauty is not yet completely seen. 

This is the mesmerizing thing to me about salvation, that the glory of the Lord shines on man and we are seen as glorious. We are in Christ. God sees us not as we are, but as Christ is. 

Romans 10:15 - “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news of good things!”

Psalm 96:5-6 - For all the gods of the peoples are idols, But the Lord made the heavens. Splendor and majesty are before Him, Strength and beauty are in His sanctuary.

Summary: There is a divine beauty that God bestows on His children, clothing me with perfect righteousness. 

Promise: From Matthew Henry, "God will so appear for [His people] by his providence as to make it evident that they have his favor towards them, and that shall be to them a crown of glory; for what greater glory can any people have than for God to acknowledge them as his own? And He will so appear in them, by his grace, as to make it evident that they have his image renewed on them, and that shall be to them a diadem of beauty; for what greater beauty can any person have than the beauty of holiness?"

Prayer: All praise and glory to You God for making me holy and beautiful in your sight. I am a sinner, but I have been saved by Your grace and as such am seen by You as being perfectly righteous and so I remain so grateful to You. Help me to radiate this light and beauty even on this earth, though I know I won't be clearly beautified until I am with You face to face. 

Psalm 27:4 - The Beauty of Worship

Psalm 27:4 - One thing I have asked from the Lord, that I shall seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life. To behold the beauty of the Lord and to meditate in His temple. 

Message: The Beauty of Worship

Time: Psalms, a collection of lyrical poems, with multiple authors. David wrote 73 Psalms, though for 50 or so the author is unknown. Psalms means songs of praise. The writings span 1,000 years. They encourage us to praise God, illuminate the greatness of God, affirm His faithfulness in times of trouble, and remind us of the absolute centrality of His word. 

What the Lord is Saying: 

Wow, that is a great verse. That could be a life verse for me, to dwell with the Lord, in His house, to behold His beauty and meditate in His temple, on His words. And this is my plea to God, make me this my priority in life. Psalm 27. What a great Psalm. Verse 11 says "Teach me Thy Way, O Lord." 

As I continue to study and look at worship, according to Tabletalk this lesson is based upon sermons given by RC Sproul about "Recovering the Beauty of the Arts." Today's passage mentions "To behold the beauty of the Lord." But how do we see the beauty of the Lord when the Bible tells us that God is invisible (Hebrews 11:27 - 'Him who is unseen;' John 1:18 - 'No one has seen God at any time;' Colossians 1:15 - 'Jesus is the image of the invisible God;' I Timothy 6:16 - 'No man has seen or can see;' Note: I could not find verses from the Old Testament about God being invisible, but there are verses that say we can't see God like Exodus 33:20 - "No one can see God and live.")? 

The Old Testament speaks much about God's temple or his tabernacle. It seems to give the idea that our churches can be places that we build and craft with ornaments and decorations in order to see beauty and see the beauty of the Lord. Exodus 28 speaks of the priests attire. Exodus 31 talks of the tabernacle and its furnishings. One of my favorite verses in Romans 1 says in verse 20, "For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes...have been clearly seen through what has been made." The creation that we can see allows us to see God that we cannot see. 

I love to go walking in creation. The streets of my neighborhood are nice because I can see plants and trees planted and look up at the sky but when I go hiking everything that I see is his creation. And in this there is such beauty. And in the process I am often moved to worship. Right now, I look out my window and see the clouds rolling by with the sun coming over the mountain and it creates a beautiful picture of creation giving me wonderful colors in the sky. I see this and in way I am seeing the beauty of the Lord. 

Not all churches I think are beautiful. Some are ordinary or in a shopping mall. And simply being there together with others helps us experience God's presence. But many of our churches are beautiful places with high ceilings and stained glass radiating the light from outside and furniture that is distinct. In all of these places there is the beauty of the Lord. In all that is pleasing to our eye, there is beauty of the Lord. And therefore, there is beauty of worship. 

Summary: The beauty of the Lord is seeing what God has made in His creation but also in His temple and specified in people's attire. All of these colors help us to worship God. 

Promise: Pursue beauty and excellence in worship. Use our talents and spiritual gifts to create beauty. 

Prayer: Thank you for beauty God, for the beauty of creation which includes what you have planted and have provided with mountains, streams, rivers, water, trees, plants, flowers and what we can put in place in our churches through paintings and paint and furniture and then also in each other. I thank you for the wonder of my wife and her smile and her features. In all of these things I praise you God and I worship You. 

 

Psalm 34:8 - Jonathan Edwards and the Beauty of Christ

Psalm 34:8 - O taste and see that the Lord is good; How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!

Message: Jonathan Edwards and the Beauty of Christ

Time: Psalms, a collection of lyrical poems, with multiple authors. David wrote 73 Psalms, though for 50 or so the author is unknown. Psalms means songs of praise. The writings span 1,000 years. They encourage us to praise God, illuminate the greatness of God, affirm His faithfulness in times of trouble, and remind us of the absolute centrality of His word. 

What the Lord is Saying:

I looked up and read Joseph Benson's commentary on Psalm 34:8 -- 

In calling us to taste and see, the psalmist means that we should seriously, thoroughly, and affectionately consider it, and make trial of it by our own experience; which is opposed to those slight and vanishing thoughts that men usually have of the divine goodness. It is not sufficient that we find him to be a bountiful benefactor to us, but we must relish and take delight in his goodness manifested in and by his gifts, and in the contemplation of his infinite perfections and boundless love; and must be so convinced and persuaded of his goodness, as thereby to be encouraged, in the worst of times, to trust in him, and cast our care upon him.

I finished a message recently by Andy Stanley on how we react. And in that series he spoke of how we react to life and God in the worst of times. The idea being that we are to be different from the world. The world is divisive and reacts to things in a fire with fire sort of way but our reactions are to be different. 

As I read about these men and their lives, I see a longing and a devotion that is often absent from me. There is a seriousness in their study. I tend to often be all over the place in my study and it seems harder. I look at these men that died in their 50s and think about all they accomplished in a little time. 

Jonathan Edwards is one of those Christian thinkers that I am not sure I have understand. His writings have been on controversial subjects are maybe hard to understand subjects such as free will and God's sovereignty. He is often known by one sermon "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" and the perception that he is obsessed with fire and brimstone preaching. Yet, it is also possible he simply felt a need to be honest about what the scripture says of hell. It seems even more today we take a much more gentler approach to confronting people with the idea of hell. And yet Tabletalk writers comment that Edwards spoke more often of the beauty, sweetness and excellence of Christ. 

He lived from 1703 to 1758. Again, a span of 55 years was his life and yet he is thought of as one of the great Christian thinkers. I turn 55 this year, in 2 months. He was born in Connecticut and began Yale College/University at the age of 13. At the age of 19 and 20, graduated, he worked as a pastor on a part time basis of a small Presbyterian church in Washington, DC. He then became an ordained minister in 1727, at the age of 24, assisting his grandfather in Northampton, Massachusetts. 2 years later his grandfather passed. Revival broke out in 1934-35 under his preaching. Many youths would be admitted into the church. He later served as a missionary to Native Americans for 8 years after he was ousted from the church, falsely after 23 years of ministry. 

There are some great Christian thinkers and I am reminded that I know very little about each of them. I need to increase my study of them. It makes me think - what do I want my life to be about. I work hard and am busy at my job, sometimes it taking more time than just 40 hours a week, but that is all that I am paid. But what should my time look like beyond that? I need to be about something. I do want to read and study scripture and read books. And be about church and service. Help me Lord in these endeavors. 

Here is a book about him I think I need to read. 

Summary: Jonathan Edwards, his stature as a churchman and a theologian remains strong, even now, 250 years later. 

Promise: Let us not be afraid to speak of the beauty of Christ as revealed in His character, His love for His people, His atonement and resurrection, and His present and future reign. 

Prayer: Lord, you have gifted so many people, so many leaders. Help me to spend time knowing them better and learning from them. I am 54 and my days could be brief and so what do I want them to be about. Help me define my life and what I need to do each moment of each day. Thank you for Jonathan Edwards and the person he was and the impact he continues to have on our lives today. 

Jesus Calling: December 30

I am Leading You along a way that is uniquely right for you. The closer to Me you grow, the more fully you become your true self--the one I designed you to be. Because you are one of a kind, the path you are traveling with Me diverges increasingly from that of other people. However, in My mysterious wisdom and ways, I enable you to follow this solitary path while staying in close contact with others. In fact, the more completely you devote yourself to Me, the more freely you can love people.
     Marvel at the beauty of a life intertwined with My Presence. Rejoice as we journey together in intimate communion. Enjoy the adventure of finding yourself through losing yourself in Me. 

2 Corinthians 5:17
English Standard Version
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
 
Ephesians 2:10
English Standard Version
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
 
I John 4:7-8
English Standard Version
⁷ Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. ⁸ Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.

John 15:4
English Standard Version
Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.

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Note: The devotion and scriptures are from author Sarah Young. If you haven't already, please purchase the book and support the author.

Also, bookmark https://bibletags.blogspot.com/2019/06/jesus-calling-366-days.html to have an easy link to the entire year of these entries.

Exodus 26 - The Role of Beauty

Exodus 26
¹ “Moreover, you shall make the tabernacle with ten curtains of fine twined linen and blue and purple and scarlet yarns; you shall make them with cherubim skillfully worked into them. ² The length of each curtain shall be twenty-eight cubits, and the breadth of each curtain four cubits; all the curtains shall be the same size. ³ Five curtains shall be coupled to one another, and the other five curtains shall be coupled to one another. ⁴ And you shall make loops of blue on the edge of the outermost curtain in the first set. Likewise you shall make loops on the edge of the outermost curtain in the second set. ⁵ Fifty loops you shall make on the one curtain, and fifty loops you shall make on the edge of the curtain that is in the second set; the loops shall be opposite one another. ⁶ And you shall make fifty clasps of gold, and couple the curtains one to the other with the clasps, so that the tabernacle may be a single whole.
⁷ “You shall also make curtains of goats' hair for a tent over the tabernacle; eleven curtains shall you make. ⁸ The length of each curtain shall be thirty cubits, and the breadth of each curtain four cubits. The eleven curtains shall be the same size. ⁹ You shall couple five curtains by themselves, and six curtains by themselves, and the sixth curtain you shall double over at the front of the tent. ¹⁰ You shall make fifty loops on the edge of the curtain that is outermost in one set, and fifty loops on the edge of the curtain that is outermost in the second set.
¹¹ “You shall make fifty clasps of bronze, and put the clasps into the loops, and couple the tent together that it may be a single whole. ¹² And the part that remains of the curtains of the tent, the half curtain that remains, shall hang over the back of the tabernacle. ¹³ And the extra that remains in the length of the curtains, the cubit on the one side, and the cubit on the other side, shall hang over the sides of the tabernacle, on this side and that side, to cover it. ¹⁴ And you shall make for the tent a covering of tanned rams' skins and a covering of goatskins on top.
¹⁵ “You shall make upright frames for the tabernacle of acacia wood. ¹⁶ Ten cubits shall be the length of a frame, and a cubit and a half the breadth of each frame. ¹⁷ There shall be two tenons in each frame, for fitting together. So shall you do for all the frames of the tabernacle. ¹⁸ You shall make the frames for the tabernacle: twenty frames for the south side; ¹⁹ and forty bases of silver you shall make under the twenty frames, two bases under one frame for its two tenons, and two bases under the next frame for its two tenons; ²⁰ and for the second side of the tabernacle, on the north side twenty frames, ²¹ and their forty bases of silver, two bases under one frame, and two bases under the next frame. ²² And for the rear of the tabernacle westward you shall make six frames. ²³ And you shall make two frames for corners of the tabernacle in the rear; ²⁴ they shall be separate beneath, but joined at the top, at the first ring. Thus shall it be with both of them; they shall form the two corners. ²⁵ And there shall be eight frames, with their bases of silver, sixteen bases; two bases under one frame, and two bases under another frame.
²⁶ “You shall make bars of acacia wood, five for the frames of the one side of the tabernacle, ²⁷ and five bars for the frames of the other side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the frames of the side of the tabernacle at the rear westward. ²⁸ The middle bar, halfway up the frames, shall run from end to end. ²⁹ You shall overlay the frames with gold and shall make their rings of gold for holders for the bars, and you shall overlay the bars with gold. ³⁰ Then you shall erect the tabernacle according to the plan for it that you were shown on the mountain.
³¹ “And you shall make a veil of blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen. It shall be made with cherubim skillfully worked into it. ³² And you shall hang it on four pillars of acacia overlaid with gold, with hooks of gold, on four bases of silver. ³³ And you shall hang the veil from the clasps, and bring the ark of the testimony in there within the veil. And the veil shall separate for you the Holy Place from the Most Holy. ³⁴ You shall put the mercy seat on the ark of the testimony in the Most Holy Place. ³⁵ And you shall set the table outside the veil, and the lampstand on the south side of the tabernacle opposite the table, and you shall put the table on the north side.
³⁶ “You shall make a screen for the entrance of the tent, of blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen, embroidered with needlework. ³⁷ And you shall make for the screen five pillars of acacia, and overlay them with gold. Their hooks shall be of gold, and you shall cast five bases of bronze for them.


Message: The Role of Beauty

Time: The date of Exodus has been subjects of scholarly debate and their is no consensus on its time nor of the historicity of the exodus of Israel from Egypt as is mentioned in the book as well as in Acts and Romans.

What the Lord is Saying:

In this chapter, the design and structure of the Temple is clearly laid out, including the placement of parts of the Temple, such as the ark, the lampstand, pillars, cherubim, and the most Holy place.

In the history of building churches and decorating them, there have been two very distinct thoughts, one is adorning the church with images of Mary, saints, and maybe other statues or decorations, including stained glass windows and paintings, while others have thought to have a very plain structure with very little adornments. Those without the adornments are concerned about idolatry and bringing in media that gets our focus off of God. Yet, here in this chapter 26 of Exodus is a picture of the beauty that encompasses the tabernacle - with beautiful colors and images of cherubim and other things in creation. Beautiful imagery seems okay as long as our motive for those things is decoration and not worship.

Promise: God is supremely beautiful. He alone can satisfy our need for beauty.

Jesus Calling: July 30

Worship Me in the beauty of holiness. I created beauty to declare the existence of My holy Being. A magnificent rose, a hauntingly glorious sunset, oceanic splendor--all these things were meant to proclaim My Presence in the world. Most people rush past these proclamations without giving them a second thought. Some people use beauty, especially feminine loveliness, to sell their products.
     How precious are My children who are awed by nature's beauty; this opens them up to My holy Presence. Even before you knew Me personally, you responded to My creation with wonder. This is a gift, and it carries responsibility with it. Declare My glorious Being to the world. The whole earth is full of My radiant beauty--My Glory!

Psalm 29:2
New King James Version

Give unto the Lord the glory due to His name;
Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.

Verse thoughts
There are two thoughts for beauty - one external, the other internal. External refers to the robes or vestments worn by priests in the sacred services of the sanctuaries. We see this applied in multiple ways in history as the priest or minister has worn robes to signify coming before God, presenting His word with a beautiful array. It is also why many people throughout history show up to church with their best clothes on - dresses and suits - as we come before the Lord with beauty - the beauty of our dress. We have our ordinary dress and then our beauty dress. Our internal ornament or beauty refers to a holy and pure state of mind. It is here where God says the external clothing is not important, but what is important is what is on our inside. Thus we worship the Lord in a clean manner, free from sin, free from stain, free from marks. Sarah Young here touches on God's beauty - His radiant beauty. 

Isaiah 6:3
English Standard Version

And one called to another and said:

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;
the whole earth is full of his glory!”

My Prayer
Lord, there should be something special about coming before You. You are not ordinary, but holy and distinct and utterly beautiful. As I show up to worship You, You remind me that You have made me pure, white as snow. You have made me beautiful. So I don't need to walk into your presence carrying any baggage of sin, any complaint, but prepared to worship You in the beauty of who You are. And perhaps me putting on my best clothes helps remind me of this. Yet, help my own heart to not get prideful in thinking I am something greater than I am because of what I am wearing. O God the king of saints, we praise and glorify your holy Name. Glory be to God on high - the whole earth is full of Your Glory. 

Note: The devotion and scriptures are from author Sarah Young. If you haven't already, please purchase the book and support the author. 

Also, bookmark https://bibletags.blogspot.com/2019/06/jesus-calling-366-days.html to have an easy link to the entire year of these entries.