Tender Moments & Beauty Tips

Throughout scripture there are touching and tender moments that speak volumes about the inner characters of the people involved. They touch us, as well as God, who sees the inner person’s spirit and attitude (with the help of the Holy Spirit)

(Heb_4:12 For the Word of God is living and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing apart of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart).

These caring people show us what inner beauty appeals to God as well as humans. Remember that man is made in the image of God with similar feelings as well.

Gen 1:26 And God said, Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the heavens, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over all the creepers creeping on the earth.
Gen 1:27 And God created man in His image; in the image of God He created him. He created them male and female.

Gen 22:1 And it happened after these things that God tested Abraham, and said to him, Abraham! And he said, Behold me.
Gen 22:2 And He said, Take now your son, your only one, Isaac, whom you love. And go into the land of Moriah, and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will name to you.
Gen 22:3 And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son. And he split the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up and went to the place of which God had told him.
Gen 22:4 Then on the third day, Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place afar off.
Gen 22:5 And Abraham said to his young men, You stay here with the ass. And I and the boy will go on to this way and worship, and come again to you.
Gen 22:6 And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son. And he took the fire in his hand, and a knife. And they both went together.
Gen 22:7 And Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, My father. And he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood. But where is the lamb for a burnt offering?
Gen 22:8 And Abraham said, My son, God will provide Himself a lamb for a burnt offering. So they both went together.
Gen 22:9 And they came to the place which God had told him of. And Abraham built an altar there and laid the wood in order. And he bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on the wood.
Gen 22:10 And Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son.
Gen 22:11 And the Angel of Jehovah called to him from the heavens and said, Abraham! Abraham! And he said, Here am I.
Gen 22:12 And He said, Do not lay your hand on the lad, nor do anything to him. For now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only one, from Me.
Gen 22:13 And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked. And, behold, a ram behind him was entangled in a thicket by its horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his son.
Gen 22:14 And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah Will See; so that it is said until this day, In the mount of Jehovah it will be seen.
Gen 22:15 And the Angel of Jehovah called to Abraham out of the heavens the second time,
Gen 22:16 and said, I have sworn by Myself, says Jehovah; because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only one;
Gen 22:17 that in blessing I will bless you, and in multiplying I will multiply your seed like the stars of the heavens, and as the sand which is upon the seashore. And your Seed shall possess the gate of His enemies.
Gen 22:18 And in your Seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.

The scene of Abraham being asked “where is the lamb for the offering” not only speaks to the trust of the son, but also to the agony of the father who must kill a son whom he loves dearly. This scene can also be applied to God the Father sending Jesus, His son to die. Jesus was as a sinless lamb who had to be sacrificed. Both God the Father and Son were in agony over the decision to help mankind regain fellowship with God. God was so deeply touched by Abraham’s obedience that He greatly blessed and glorified Abraham to all generations.

Rth 1:14 And they lifted up their voice and wept again. And Orpah kissed her mother-in-law. But Ruth clung to her.
Rth 1:15 And she said, Behold, Your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods. Return after your sister-in-law.
Rth 1:16 And Ruth said, Do not beg me to leave you, to return from following after you. For where you go, I will go. Where you stay, I will stay. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God.
Rth 1:17 Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. May Jehovah do so to me, and more also, if anything but death parts you and me.

Total devotion is displayed when Ruth was willing to give up everything to follow her mother-in-law. Such devotion displays and inner beauty to anyone finding such caring love. Love is an irresistible quality that endears people to each other and to God.

Rth 3:3 Therefore wash yourself, and anoint yourself, and put your clothing upon you, and go down to the floor. Do not make yourself known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking.
Rth 3:4 And when he lies down, you mark the place where he lies, and you shall go in and uncover his feet and lie down. And he will tell you what you shall do.
Rth 3:5 And she said to her, All that you say, I will do.
Rth 3:6 And she went down to the grain floor and did according to all that her mother-in-law had told her.
Rth 3:7 And when Boaz had eaten and had drunk, and his heart was merry, he went to lie down at the end of the heap. And she came softly and uncovered his feet, and lay down.
Rth 3:8 And it happened at midnight, the man trembled and turned himself. And, behold, a woman lay at his feet.
Rth 3:9 And he said, Who are you? And she answered, I am your handmaid Ruth. And you shall spread your skirt over your handmaid, for you are a kinsman-redeemer.
Rth 3:10 And he said, Blessed be you of Jehovah, my daughter. You have shown more kindness in the latter end than at the beginning, in that you did not follow young men, whether poor or rich.
Rth 3:11 And now, my daughter, do not fear. I will do to you all that you ask. For all the city of my people knows that you are a woman of virtue.

Boaz was a man with much property. He was an older man who wisely appreciated the inner beauty of a woman willing to care for him when she could have chosen many others instead. Older people know aches and pains of strained shoulders, lower back pain and tired feet, perhaps having poor circulation. Someone willing to show kindness is greatly appreciated. Ruth possessed an inner beauty that was evident in her actions to Boaz as well as other acts of virtue to those around. She was indeed beautiful and was rewarded with kindness in return.

Est 4:13 And Mordecai commanded them to answer Esther, Do not think within yourself that you shall escape in the king’s house more than all the Jews.
Est 4:14 For if you are completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance shall arise to the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house shall be destroyed. And who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for a time like this?
Est 4:15 And Esther said to return to Mordecai this answer,
Est 4:16 Go, gather all the Jews who are present in Shushan, and fast for me, and do not eat nor drink three days, night or day. My maidservants and I will also fast in the same way. And so I will go in to the king, which is not according to the law. And if I perish, I perish.
Est 5:2 And it happened when the king saw Esther the queen standing in the court, she received favor in his sight. And the king held out to Esther the golden scepter in his hand. And Esther drew near and touched the top of the scepter.
Est 5:3 And the king said to her, What do you desire, Queen Esther? And what is your wish? It shall be given to you even to half of the kingdom.

Ester was devoted to her people and was willing to die for them. Her devotion outweighed her fear of disobeying the law calling for death to any that approached the king without being summoned. Total devotion to another or a just cause is a beautiful thing. In this case, God was also impressed that she would have others seek God for her and would have willingly laid down her life for the Jewish people. She was beautiful to God. She also had an outward beauty that had attracted the king in the first place.

1Ki 3:9 And give to Your servant an understanding heart, to judge Your people, to discern between good and bad. For who is able to judge this, Your great people?
1Ki 3:10 And the word was good in the eyes of Jehovah, that Solomon had asked this thing.
1Ki 3:11 And God said to him, Because you have asked this thing, and have not asked for yourself long life, and have not asked riches for yourself, nor have asked the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to judge justly,
1Ki 3:12 behold, I have done according to your words. Lo, I have given you a wise and an understanding heart, so that there was none like you before you, and after you none shall arise like you.
1Ki 3:13 And I also have given you that which you have not asked, both riches and honor, so that there shall not be any among the kings like you all your days.
1Ki 3:14 And if you will walk in My ways, to keep My statutes and My commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your days.

God loves wisdom, justice and compassion. Solomon’s request showed a desire to be in accord with God. God viewed this very favorably and granted more than was asked. Even when David and Solomon strayed from God somewhat, God taught them in justice about penalties. David had killed and taken the wife of another man, thus his son by this wife died. Solomon had married foreign women that brought other religions into the kingdom, and the kingdom suffered. Outward beauty had led both father and son away from God.

1Ki 3:18 And it happened the third day after I gave birth, this woman bore a child also. And we were together; there was no stranger with us in the house, except the two of us in the house.
1Ki 3:19 And this woman’s child died in the night, because she laid on it.
1Ki 3:20 And she arose at midnight and took my son from beside me, while your servant was sleeping, and laid it in her bosom, and laid her dead child in my bosom.
1Ki 3:21 When I arose in the morning to give my child suck, behold, it was dead. And when I had looked at it in the morning, behold, it was not my son whom I bore.
1Ki 3:22 And the other woman said, No, but the living is my son, and the dead is your son. And this one said, No, but the dead is your son, and the living is my son. So they spoke before the king.
1Ki 3:23 And the king said, The one says, This is my son who lives, and your son is the dead. And the other says, No, but your son is the dead, and my son is the living.
1Ki 3:24 And the king said, Bring me a sword. And they brought a sword before the king.
1Ki 3:25 And the king said, Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one and half to the other.
1Ki 3:26 And the woman whose son was the living child said to the king, for her womb yearned over her son. And she said, O my lord, give her the living child, and in no way kill it. But the other said, Let it be neither mine nor yours; divide it!
1Ki 3:27 And the king answered and said, Give her the living child, and in no way kill it. She is the mother of it.

Solomon wisely gave the mother’s a verdict that caused them to reveal the one who really cared for the child. The real mother was willing to give up the child instead of having it killed. She had a true love for the child and was willing to sacrifice for the child’s welfare. Her motherly response showed an inner beauty and caring.

Psa 3:3 But You, O Jehovah, are a shield for me; my glory, the One who lifts up my head.
Psa 3:8 Salvation belongs to Jehovah. Your blessing is on Your people. Selah.
Psa 4:8 I will lie down, both in peace and in sleep. For You alone, Jehovah, make me dwell in safety.
Psa 5:8 Lead me, O Jehovah, in Your righteousness, because of my enemies; make Your way straight before my face.
Psa 6:4 Return, O Jehovah, return; deliver my soul; save me for Your mercy’s sake.
Psa 7:10 My defense is from God, who saves the upright in heart.
Psa 7:17 I will praise Jehovah according to His righteousness, and will sing praise to the name of Jehovah most high.
Psa 8:1 To the Chief Musician, on the harp. A Psalm of David. O Jehovah our Lord, how excellent is Your name in all the earth! You have set Your glory above the heavens
Psa 8:5 For You have made him lack a little from God, and have crowned him with glory and honor.
Psa 8:6 You made him rule over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet:
Psa 8:7 all sheep and oxen, yes, and the beasts of the field;
Psa 8:8 the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea, and all that pass through the paths of the seas.
Psa 8:9 O Jehovah, our Lord, how excellent is Your name in all the earth!
Psa 9:1 To the Chief Musician. To die for the Son. A Psalm of David. I will praise You, O Jehovah, with my whole heart; I will tell of all Your marvelous works.
Psa 9:2 I will be glad and rejoice in You; I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High.
Psa 13:5 But I have trusted in Your mercy; my heart shall rejoice in Your salvation.
Psa 13:6 I will sing to Jehovah, because He has rewarded me.
Psa 16:2 Oh my soul, you have said to Jehovah, You are my Lord; I have no goodness apart from You.
Psa 16:7 I will bless Jehovah, who has given me wisdom; my heart also instructs me in the nights.
Psa 18:2 Jehovah is my strength, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my rock; I will trust in Him; He is my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower.
Psa 18:3 I will call on Jehovah, who is worthy to be praised; so shall I be saved from my enemies.
Psa 18:30 As for God, His way is perfect; the Word of Jehovah is tried; He is a shield to all those who trust in Him.
Psa 18:49 Therefore I will give thanks to You, O Jehovah, among the nations, and sing praises to Your name,
Psa 19:14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in Your sight, O Jehovah, my Rock and my Redeemer.
Psa 21:13 Be exalted, O Jehovah, in Your strength; we will sing, and praise Your power.
Psa 23:1 A Psalm of David. Jehovah is my Shepherd; I shall not want.
Psa 23:2 He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters.
Psa 23:3 He restores my soul; He leads me in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.
Psa 23:4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
Psa 23:5 You prepare a table for me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over.
Psa 23:6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I shall dwell in the house of Jehovah forever.
Psa 24:7 Lift up your heads, O gates; and be lifted up, O everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.
Psa 24:8 Who is this King of glory? Jehovah strong and mighty, Jehovah mighty in battle.
Psa 24:9 Lift up your heads, O gates; even lift up, O everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.
Psa 24:10 Who is this King of glory? Jehovah of Hosts, He is the King of glory. Selah.
Psa 25:20 Keep my soul, and deliver me; let me not be ashamed, for I put my trust in You.
Psa 25:21 Let purity and uprightness keep me; for I wait on You.

When you want someone to notice and appreciate you, build them up. This works for God, men and women. There is an old song: “Accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative. Never mess with Mr. in-between.” No one wants to be disparaged. All do appreciate receiving honor. David wanted to honor God, so he composed, sang God’s praises and danced joyfully before Him. Do this from your heart and you will have inner beauty. God knows the real you.

Mat 8:5 And when Jesus had entered into Capernaum, a centurion came to him, beseeching Him,
Mat 8:6 and saying, Lord, my son lies at home paralyzed and grievously tormented.
Mat 8:7 And Jesus says to him, I will come and heal him.
Mat 8:8 The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof; but only speak the word, and my boy will be healed.
Mat 8:9 For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, Go! And he goes; and to another, Come! And he comes; and to my servant, Do this! And he does it.
Mat 8:10 When Jesus heard, He marvelled and said to those who followed, Truly I say to you, I have not found such great faith, no, not in Israel.

God appreciates a humble spirit and hates a prideful soul. Here, the Centurion honored Jesus as well as showing faith in Him. His spirit was beautiful to God.

Mar 2:3 Then they came to Him, bringing one who was paralyzed, who was carried by four.
Mar 2:4 When they could not come near to Him because of the crowd, they unroofed the roof where He was. And digging through, they let down the cot on which the paralytic was lying.
Mar 2:5 And seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralytic, Child, your sins are forgiven to you.
Mar 2:10 But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority upon earth to forgive sins, He said to the paralytic,
Mar 2:11 I say to you, Arise, and take up your cot, and go to your house.
Mar 2:12 And immediately he arose and took up his cot and went out before all. So that all were amazed and glorified God, saying, We never saw it this way.

Caring for one another with a tender spirit rates high on God’s list (see below) and is appreciated by anyone seeking to be associated with another. Caring is a form of love and makes the loving one beautiful to the beholder(s).

Mat 22:37 Jesus said to him, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.
Mat 22:38 This is the first and great commandment.
Mat 22:39 And the second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
Mat 22:40 On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.

Mar 5:23 And he begged Him greatly, saying, My little daughter lies at the point of death. Come, lay Your hands on her, so that she may be healed, and she shall live.
Mar 5:24 And Jesus went with him. And many people followed Him and thronged Him.
Mar 5:38 And He came to the synagogue ruler’s and saw a tumult, and weeping and much wailing.
Mar 5:39 And going in He said to them, Why do you make a tumult and weep? The girl is not dead, but sleeps.
Mar 5:40 And they laughed at Him. But when He had put them all out, He took the father and the mother of the child, and those with Him, and went in where the child was lying.
Mar 5:41 And He took the child’s hand and said to her, Talitha koumi; (which interpreted is, Little girl, I say to you, Arise!)
Mar 5:42 And instantly the little girl arose and walked (for she was twelve years old ). And they were astonished with a great astonishment.

A distraught father sought out Jesus, believing that He could help his daughter. A parent’s love for a child is special, but here there is an even greater story. This was a synagogue ruler who was humbled to ask help from a man that the church believed to be a heretic who blasphemed God. The ruler might even be put out of the church for trusting Christ. The man cared for his family more than his profession. He was beautiful to God who fulfilled his request.

Luk 15:11 And He said, A certain man had two sons.
Luk 15:12 And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that is coming to me. And he divided his living to them.
Luk 15:13 And not many days afterward, the younger son gathered all together and went away into a far country. And there he wasted his property, living dissolutely.
Luk 15:14 And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land. And he began to be in want.
Luk 15:15 And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country. And he sent him into his fields to feed pigs.
Luk 15:16 And he was longing to fill his belly with the husks that the pigs ate, and no one gave to him.
Luk 15:17 And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father abound in loaves, and I perish with hunger!
Luk 15:18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, Father, I have sinned against Heaven and before you
Luk 15:19 and am no more worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.
Luk 15:20 And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him.
Luk 15:21 And the son said to him, Father, I have sinned against Heaven and before you, and am no more worthy to be called your son.
Luk 15:22 But the father said to his servants, Bring the best robe and put it on him. And put a ring on his hand and shoes on his feet.
Luk 15:23 And bring the fattened calf here and kill it. And let us eat and be merry,
Luk 15:24 for this my son was dead and is alive again, he was lost and is found. And they began to be merry.

Compassion is an endearing quality, prized by wise men and God. God showed compassion through Christ many times when He healed the sick. God does not want people to hold grudges against others, especially in the light that God offered grace and forgiveness to all while they were yet in sin. God suffered greatly for His decision to forgive and forget the sinfulness of those accepting His son Christ. This father showed grace to a son who was willing to humble himself. It is a scene of beauty we should remember.

Luk 17:12 And as He entered into a certain village, ten leprous men met Him, who stood afar off.
Luk 17:13 And they lifted voice and said, Jesus, Master, pity us!
Luk 17:14 And seeing them, He said to them, Go show yourselves to the priests. And it happened, as they went, that they were cleansed.
Luk 17:15 And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back and glorified God with a loud voice.
Luk 17:16 And he fell down on his face at His feet, thanking Him. And he was a Samaritan.

The ten lepers gave Christ honor when they called Him master, however, only one showed courtesy and a humble spirit when he returned to loudly glorify God. Additional honor was bestowed since the leper was a Samaritan who normally was looked down upon by the Jews. There was also animosity from the Samaritan community toward the Jews. This was a beautiful act toward Christ as well as the Jews.

Joh 12:2 Then they made a supper there for Him. And Martha served, but Lazarus was one of those reclining with Him.
Joh 12:3 Then Mary took a pound of ointment of pure spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the odor of the ointment.
Joh 12:7 Then Jesus said, Let her alone. She has kept this for the day of My burial.
Joh 12:8 For you have the poor with you always; but you do not always have Me.

Mary’s personal devotion to Jesus not only focuses on compassion but a longing that humbled her before Him. Her love was beautiful in His sight.

Joh 13:23 But there was one of His disciples leaning upon Jesus’ bosom, the one whom Jesus loved.

True love makes a person long to be close to whomever is loved. The beauty of love is an extremely strong force to cause a reciprocal love. This touching scene, free of lust, was beautiful to God.

Joh 20:11 But Mary stood outside of the tomb, weeping. And as she wept, she stooped down into the tomb.
Joh 20:12 And she saw two angels in white sitting there, the one at the head and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain.
Joh 20:13 And they said to her, Woman, why do you weep? She said to them, Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him.

A very distraught Mary had been separated from Jesus, whom she loved. The tenderness she expressed to be close and care for Jesus, even in death, shows the depth of her feelings. For this, she was a woman of beauty to God.

1Co 11:15 But if a woman should have long hair, it is a glory to her; for her hair is given to her in place of a veil.

Lastly, God tells of an outward sign that endears a woman to men and to God. Long hair, well cared for, shows a personal pride and reverence toward God. Both God and men take note and are attracted to these qualities highlighting a woman’s beauty.