July 17, 2016 (Proverbs 11:22)

“As a ring of gold in a swine’s snout, so is a lovely woman who lacks discretion” (Prov 11:22).  God is telling us that just as putting a gold ring in the snout of a pig which is quite content wallowing around in the mud, so the outward beauty of a woman does nothing to adorn her if she is lacking in discretion, or being careful about what she says or does. And in biblical terms, discretion refers to being prudent in thinking, speaking and acting in a manner which is righteous in the eyes of a holy God. We live in an age when the utmost attention is given in many if not most cultures to the outward appearance of people, both male and female alike. In America, there has been an utter explosion of various types of cosmetic surgery to enhance the appearance of people who are often obsessed with their acceptance by others based on nothing other than the physical. But while man looks at the outward appearance, the Lord looks at the heart of man (1 Sa 16:7). Indeed Proverbs 20:27 tells that “the lamp of the LORD searches the spirit of a man; it searches out his inmost being.” No one will ever be considered righteous by God based upon anything having to do with outward appearance. Of that we can be absolutely certain based upon the authority of God’s Word. One’s eternal fate will be entirely dependent on whether the spirit of a man has been “reborn” spiritually by grace (God’s divine influence of a heart as reflected in life) through faith in the atoning, redemptive sacrifice of God’s Son on a blood-stained cross.