True Beauty Comes from Within
You may be wondering why I titled a devotion on the plague of cattle “True Beauty Comes from Within”. Well, like all the other plagues, this one had the purpose of showing the Egyptians a truth of their sin. On a very basic and practical level, this plague comes naturally after the plague of flies. The illness that most likely killed all the cattle in Egypt has occurred in many places across the world for thousands of years, and it is carried by flies. (This also explains why none of the Israelite’s cattle were infected: the flies avoided the land of Goshen where they lived.) However, on a spiritual level, this plague attacks the Egyptian’s preoccupation with self and beauty.
Egyptian artifacts capture our attention with their rich colors and the similarities in beauty and fashion that our society identifies with. Cosmetics were extremely important to the ancient Egyptian, and not simply as a way of protecting their skin from the sun’s harsh rays or the wind’s fierce, sand-filled, caress. One of the oldest and most popular deities in ancient Egypt was Hathor. She was the goddess of beauty and the patron of cosmetics, and she was depicted as having the head of a cow.
While we may not build shrines to the bovine beauty in our homes, the world we live in does worship attraction and physical appearance. So much so that in 2021, over $382 billion was spent on cosmetics worldwide. Filters hide the true appearance of ‘influencers’ on social media so that only a ‘perfect’ face is displayed. Beauty is celebrated, chased after, and fought for in every culture around the world. A perfect example of how we have fallen in love with ourselves can be seen in a quote by Liisa Korpela, founder of Bella Botanica, an herbal health and beauty company. Speaking of the Egyptian cow-headed goddess, Hathor, she wrote, “This goddess of joy teaches us to adorn, pamper, and love ourself. She teaches us that taking time to honor and build a relationship with self brings out our true beauty.” But, is that what the Bible calls beauty?
The Bible teaches us a very different view of loveliness. God teaches us that our beauty does not come from the make-up we cake on or the jewelry we expertly match to our outfits. (I am not casting judgment here! While I know God does not place value on our outward appearance, I will admit that I do not leave the house without my hair and make-up done.) Perhaps this sounds like it applies more to us women, but men are also being led to believe that their outward appearance and smell is what makes them worthy of love and success. Because we are all attacked by this temptation, we need to all be prepared with the truth from scripture to fight back. 1 Peter 3:3-4 says, “Let not yours be the outward adorning with braiding of hair, decoration of gold, and wearing of robes, but let it be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable jewel of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious.” Peter isn’t placing a ban on braids, gold, or clothing (obviously). He is getting right to the heart of the problem we all are surrounded with. Beauty that is only skin-deep fades while the beauty of the heart, soul, and mind only grows as our relationship with God strengthens.
Paul also touched on this subject in 1 Timothy 2:8-10 when he wrote: “I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling; also that women should adorn themselves modestly and sensibly in seemly apparel, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly attire but by good deeds, as befits women who profess religion.” Again, Paul isn’t necessarily talking about the clothing we wear but the ‘apparel’ of our heart and deeds. Both men and women are to be ‘clothed’ in the proper attitude. Focusing on the external beauty leads to the very things Paul was telling the men they should reject: anger, fighting, and petty behavior.
“Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but the woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.” (Proverbs 31:30) God destroyed the objects of beauty within the homes of Egypt. Not because He dislikes loveliness, but because He dislikes the false beauty that the world worships. The God who paints the sky with stunning swipes of color and fills the night with dancing green and pink flames loves beauty. The delicate flower, the ornately painted beetle, the small laugh lines that rest at the edge of a grandmother’s smile… beauty surrounds us, but it will not fulfill us. No amount of cosmetics will cover the rot of sin in our lives. Not even the costliest perfume can drown out the stench of rebellion that surrounds those who reject the Lord. True beauty comes from far within. It comes from obedience. It comes from the peace of God flowing through our actions. True beauty increases with time and magnifies the grace of our Heavenly Father. Let true beauty, not a false mask of conformability, be what we seek after.
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