Favor is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised.
Proverbs 31:30
What is your motivation as you get up from bed and prepare to head out to your occupation or school…? Are you focused on catching the attention of your peers or are you simply focused on conducting yourself in the environment with which you are entering… The intent of your actions reveals more about you than the actions themselves… This proverb reminds us today that you can have all the physical tools that a man or women desires (nice hair, skin, figure etc…) You can be the kind of women that turns heads everywhere you walk, or constantly receives compliments on how you carry yourself, but this passage reminds us of the emptiness that lies within a person who is not under the authority of God. This verse starts off by saying Favor is deceitful, this means that you may have many compliments, and you may receive many gifts, but those who are on the giving end may be expecting something else in return (motives that are not Godly), those who are praising you may be the same ones that are trying to stab you in the back or cause you harm. In the same vain, you can favor one person over another and end up regretting your decision…
There are so many relationships that fall by the wayside because people have favored looks over humility… This is why we must come to know that favor is in fact deceitful as it will lead you down a road of empty promises, regret and mistreatment... Not only do we need to know that favor isn’t what we should seek from the eyes of mankind, but the writer goes on to say that beauty is vain; this tells me that a woman of character isn’t just about looks. This implies to me that there must be something more that the woman brings to the table other than her body. I have seen many relationships that revolved around a physical attraction and within months it is over. I have known women who look beautiful but are weak within, they don’t have the strength to withstand temptations or hardships so they so they lure people in with their physical beauty; however, inwardly they are so ugly and dark that this soon leads to complications and heartbreak… Beauty is vain because looks fade, beauty is vain because the stress of life alters your appears; it is a ineffective resource that people used as a crutch for far to long… Favor and beauty is what derailed Sampson with Delilah, favor and beauty is what derailed David when he saw Bathsheba; however, the fear of God is what kept Joseph from accepting the invite from Potiphar’s wife to sleep with her, it is also what allowed Esther to stand on behalf of the Jews before the king…
This is why the passage goes on and reads “but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised…” When a woman fears the Lord her true beauty shows from within… She doesn’t have to seek favor on this earth because she has the favor of God upon her life… Even though this scripture refers to women, men can learn as well… Men don’t need to be focused on fleshly desires nor acceptance from their peers… Remain humble and seek the favor of God through the fear (reverence) of God… This journey through life will not be made by looks, and lust. This Christian walk on this earth will be lonely sometimes; it is a daunting task that will leave you scarred, bruised and tired (not exactly things that one can endure when they are worried about their outward favor or beauty)… Your mere beauty will not help, the favor of men won’t complete the void in your life; all these things will steal, kill and destroy you… When you seek these things through what is apparent in the world, you take misguided steps which lead to your demise… If you want to be praised, if you want to be honored if you want to be respected, then learn to fear the Lord. This journey of life will be completed by those who believe in the Lord, and trust him at his word, though this course is long, you will cross the finish line… Learn to appreciate what God thinks and not man; when you do that ladies you will come to know what this proverb also says 20 verses earlier, and that is that you are WORTH MORE THAN RUBIES!!!!
ALL FOR HIS GLORY!
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