THE BEAUTY AND THE BEAST

Proverbs 11.22
THE BEAUTY AND THE BEAST
Like a gold ring in a pig's snout is a beautiful woman who shows no discretion.

AS IT IS STILL IN SOME PARTS OF THE world, in biblical times, gold rings were worn on women's noses (Gen 24.47; Eze 16.12). Such a ring was considered a thing of beauty and value. It was a ludicrous picture that Solomon painted, of a pig with a ring in its nose.

A pig could not care less about what we humans regard as beautiful. It loves to wallow in the mud, and an ornament of gold does nothing to improve its appearance. So is beauty on a woman without discretion. Not so for Abigail whom King David commended as having "good judgment" (l Sam 25.33). A woman of discernment is to be preferred to a woman possessing only beauty.

This proverb prescribes wisdom for both men and women. For women, it is a warning against a preoccupation with the outward at the expense of the inward. If a lady spends as much time (and money) cultivating her inner person as she does beautifying her hair, face, and body, she may be pursuing a more worthwhile cause in the long run. Those with good looks may feel they need little else to win men. But they are mistaken if they think they will still look the same 10 or 15 years from today. When the physical beauty fades, what is left? Will the inner beauty show, and last through the rest of life?

What about those who feel they are not endowed with natural beauty? In today's world of beauty contests, aerobics and glamour magazines, women (and men too) are easily misled into thinking of beauty in stereotypes. Beauty is truly in the eyes of the beholder, and who is to say that we must be of a certain shape, size, proportion and texture to look beautiful? Ultimately, it is what we are inside that shows outside: "Wisdom brightens a man's (or woman's) face and changes its hard appearance" (Eccl 8.1).

For men, the warning is similar. It is true that men are generally more attracted to the appearance of a woman — at least at the first sight — than to her character. But the dictum needs be made that "girls who are nice from far may be far from nice".

If a man finds beauty, well and good. But unless he wants a gold ring on a pig, he should look also for discretion to complete the picture. He must not forget: "Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised" (31.30).

Am I cultivating my inner beauty?