Precious things
Friday, 09 April, 2004
Been meaning to blog this for a while—ever since two weekends ago when I was puzzling over 1 Peter 3:1-6—partly for my talk and partly for an article which I hope to write on it for Issue 09. I also thought Deb would find it interesting given the title of her blog. I was thinking about verses 3-4:
Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair, the wearing of gold, or the putting on of clothing—but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious.
I wanted to see what the Bible meant by “precious” so I looked it up in Vine's Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words and found out what it is in Greek: πολυτιμος (polutimos) which means “of great value” or “costly” or “dear”.
To find out where else the word occurs (and therefore to make sure that Vine's didn't get the meaning wrong), I looked it up in Strong's Concordance (no. 4186). This told me that the word (or conjugations of the word) also occur in Matthew 13:45-46:
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.
and John 12:3:
Mary therefore took a pound of expensive ointment made from pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.
(my emphasis added). A related word is also used earlier in 1 Peter 1:6-7:
In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
I thought that it was supremely cool that a “gentle and quiet spirit” is so highly valued by God—valued like a merchant who sold everything he had to purchase this one amazing pearl—valued like the oil that Mary Magdalene used to lovingly anoint Jesus' feet—valued, like our faith, more than gold.
Blinks:
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There is a comparison there too between adornment with “precious things” and with a “precious spirit”, a distinction between on the one hand valuable clothes and expensive hairstyles for which we have paid money and on the other a soul for which God paid a price that is so much greater it cannot stand comparison. How are such cheap and worthless accessories ever to hold up to the adornment Christ has provided?
Hi Karen,
Coming to you live from my aunt’s computer in Canberra. Once again thinking about 1 Peter 3. I had a dear friend of mine upset the other night because once again one of the guys at church had chosen to like one of the beautiful girls (instead of my friend - not that she’s not beautiful, she’s just slightly overweight and not the most conventionally beautiful person). It’s really hard to remember that God looks for the inner beauty when these things happen. It’s sad that guys at church don’t see the inner beauty. However, it makes her and me long for heaven when we will be clothed in the beautiful garments of the lamb, and no longer judged on our earthly physical appearance.
Many hugs,
George
My blog is named after a Bic Runga song, in which she sings about “things no one can own” - I love that line.
Isn’t it amazing to think that God (the almight creator!) values us! Values me!
I imagine that men who chase only the pretty girls are shallow and not worthwhile, anyway. Whereas the ones who do value the “gentle and quiet spirit” have the kind of godly character that will make them good husbands.
Amen to that!