Thankfully he’s dead.
Well not really, dead - alive in Christ - and definitely alive in the eternal pages of Scripture - but his handsome body has long returned to dust. At least until Christ speaks the word and it re-composes into an even more glorious body....Oh happy day!
His name is Boaz and you can read about him in the pages of Ruth. But be warned, this man is dreamy and if you are single he will set the standard high, but hey, nothing wrong with high standards my single-lady friends.
Will you be my guinea pig for a minute? Something about the description of Boaz has intrigued me and I wanted to see if it had the same effect on you. First, read what we know of him.
He was a:
well-to-do land proprietor
highly respected
kind
generous
strong
protector
provider
fair & just
godly
sensitive
responsible
kinsman redeemer
Ugly or handsome?
If your mind is anything like mine, that list and "ugly" just don’t partner.
But here’s the interesting thing. I couldn’t find anything in my version of Scripture that said Boaz was handsome. The focus was all on his character.
Which underscores this truth: Character is attractive.
It may not always be blonde haired, blue eyed, tall and chiseled, but make no mistake....it's attractive!
Now you want to see an interesting twist?
Guess what Boaz first notices about Ruth?
I don’t have trouble believing she was beautiful. Moabite women were known for their beauty and sensuality and somehow I don’t think her first husband Mahlon (who later passed away) would have traded the heavy expectation that he marry a Jewish girl for just any ole ugly Moabite girl.
But a quick glance at Ruth 2:11 & 3:11 will tell you it was not her physical beauty that first caught Boaz’s eye
...it was her character.
I know, I know, our culture today makes it hard to buy that a man valued character above beauty but read the Word...that’s what is says...
He had heard about all the things she had sacrificed and the hard work she had done on behalf of Naomi and took notice. And not just Boaz, he later told her "All my fellow townsmen know that you are a woman of noble character." Her reputation had preceded her and it peaked his interest.
Its almost as if character begets character,
or maybe its just that it takes a person of character to notice and value character in another person.
Or maybe, the principal that you reap what you sow is in play here (2 Cor.9:6)
I find any of those encouraging and it makes me want to focus more on godliness than lipstick. The bottom line is Jesus just makes us prettier than what we really are and the glow he gives is just better than any night cream I’ve tried.
There are so many applications I could draw here, I pray that God speaks one that is just for you, but as a mom of 4 boys, a few of which are beginning to take notice of some pretty little faces I am going to put on my parenting hat and leave this one with you because I see it as a vitally needed thing in the culture we live in today.
Character....godly character to be specific....is wildly attractive and in the end, the internal beauty of godliness is far more valuable than outward beauty which will eventually fade. I am not blind to the attraction of physical beauty and often the two go hand in hand, but when there is a choice set before my boys to choose physical beauty over godliness, oh how I pray they will have been trained to value character more.
But I really think "trained" is a key word here. They don’t need our help identifying physical beauty. They are wired to find that all by themselves. What they desperately need is our help unveiling the beauty of godly character.
So here’s my challenge. Let’s set ourselves to the strategic task of pointing out the beauty of godly character before our children (and other’s) eyes. Instead of being the "Horse Whisperer" we need to be the "Character Whisperers". Our primary task is to first live out godliness, (please don't lose heart here...only through Christ...if you need some encouragement to know God can redeem all things remember that Boaz's mom was Rahab...look up the details and be encouraged)
The secondary task is to teach it to our children and one way we can do that is to highlight it in the lives of others. The Scriptures are full of great models, books on good character abound, but don't miss the gold mine of simply pointing out the many real life examples in the course of any given day.
Like...
"Did you see how that girl volunteered to give up going shopping in order to bake some cookies for some lonely elders today? That’s a girl that has learned to put others before herself, that’s a quality that will give her so much more joy than self-absorption".
"Son, I loved how you stopped and helped that player on the opposite team up after he was unfairly knocked over. That showed good sportsmanship which is far more valuable than looking cool or tough."
"Did you notice how that boy was brave and secure enough with himself to step away from his familiar friends and welcome that new boy who didn’t know anybody? Wouldn’t that have felt great if you were the new kid in need of a friend? I really value that confidence in a person that allows them to be more concerned about how the new kid feels rather than fearing being ridiculed."
We don’t make character beautiful...it is beautiful....we simply have the task to unveil it for those around us and train them to value it.
It does take time and effort.
But in the end if they catch themselves a Ruth or a Boaz, the reward will be great!
Are ya in?
"A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies." Proverbs 31:10
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