A Crown of Beauty

Do you have a favorite ring or necklace that you like to wear, or perhaps a cute pair of earrings? If you see me at any given point in time, I will be wearing my engagement and wedding rings and probably also another ring on my right hand that my husband gave me when we were dating. As a teenager I had no desire to get my ears pierced, but in college, on somewhat of a whim while out with my friends, I went for it. So now, I often don a pair of earrings. On occasion, I also put on a necklace or bracelet. Many of us have an assortment of jewelry, even if it’s small. However, regardless of whether you own necklaces, rings, or bracelets, there is an accessory mentioned repeatedly in Proverbs that is vital for all of us women.

The book of Proverbs celebrates the beauty, not of jewelry and precious stones, but of wisdom. Read these verses and notice how it speaks of wisdom:

-- Wise instruction and teaching are “a graceful wreath for your head and necklaces for your neck” (1:9, NASB).

-- Wisdom and discretion are “adornment to your neck” (3:22).

-- In response to wise teaching, “bind them on your fingers” (7:3).

             In other words, a far better accessory than a gold necklace or a new pair of earrings is wisdom. Wisdom makes beautiful; it adorns its wearer with a quality that comes from the Lord Himself (Proverbs 8:22). I am sure we have all met these women... Whether or not they wear any jewelry at all, they exude wisdom. We are drawn to them and want to learn from them.

             And what about physical beauty? Proverbs speaks to that, too. Listen to this shocking verse: “As a ring of gold in a pig’s snout, so is a beautiful woman who lacks discretion” (11:22). Wow! We can put on our best outfit and adorn it with beautiful jewelry, but if we lack wisdom, we will just look like a dirty pig wearing a nose ring! This doesn’t mean that we should get rid of all of our accessories of silver, gold, and precious stones. It does mean, however, that we need to be aware that those things don’t truly make us beautiful. Maybe somewhere along the way, we have been tempted to listen to the world’s definition of beauty and need to be reminded of what God calls beautiful. As we pour into the next generation who are being bombarded with false messages of beauty, let’s be sure to teach them what beauty according to God’s word really is.

            I love Proverbs 4:9, “She [wisdom] will place on your head a garland of grace; she will present you with a crown of beauty.” Ladies, may that be the beauty we chase after.

-- Amy O’Rear