Genesis 12:14 & 15 When Abram came to Egypt, the Egyptians saw that she was a very beautiful woman. And when Pharaoh's officials saw her, they praised her to Pharaoh, and she was taken into his palace.
Many women desire to be beautiful. Much money is spent on makeup to alter the way a person looks. There must be no blemishes or defects, the teeth must be pearly white, set perfectly straight, and the clothing must wow all who see, tempting them to see more. This is much of the civilized world today... but as we see this has always been the case. When a man looks, his natural desire is to see the beauty of the woman's physical body. Pharaoh, as did most kings, filled his harem with the most beautiful of the land. Solomon did the same. He had over 700 wives and 300 concubines to satisfy any whim of physical pleasure (1 Kings 11:3).
This response to physical beauty appears to be natural for men. I happen to come across this quote while searching for the verse address. It comes from a man who went to Alleghany college in Meadville, PA. It encompasses the condition of most who go to college and in everyday life for that matter. Here is an excerpt from his writing about his life... The hunt for perfection, in physical beauty, in dynamism, in intellect, and sexuality, became an ingrained part of the day. It was always there, unobserved and running in the background, dominated and delimited by an overwhelming desire to please. One encounter left behind just as easily as the next begun... Those whom I have met over the years, from high school to college to where I am now, have all been the same; they have the desire to see and touch physical beauty. The sad thing is that women are all too eager to entice them with it!
I have found that girls in high school worked to entice the guys. I thought that would go away, but it continues to be true at the work place. Schools have clothing regulations for the students... funny, the teachers are also guilty of the same violations but use a more professional attire. Of course, we see the same on TV and the in movies. Even women on news broadcasts allow themselves to become objects of beauty to entice the male audience. I know a young lady that thinks, and has posted on Facebook, that men ought to curb what they are thinking. They should just be taught to not see women as objects. It is not the women's job to dress modestly. They should be able to beautify or dress any way they want. Guys shouldn't think sexually. Such a foolish thought. Temptations are real for the saved as well as the sinner. Too many women want to entice a guy then expect him to control his imagination and actions once she has aroused him.
Daughters, I wasn't planning on going this way when I started writing, but here we are. You must take care in how you present yourself. Neither of you spend much time on making yourself pretty physically. That makes me pleased. I want you to look good, but there is a difference in being elegant and being hot. Being "hot" is a sexual term and must not be something you project in the way you act or dress or present yourself. There is a time when you will want to entice a man in this way but that is to be only when you are married and in the confines of privacy. Your mother and I have practiced this over the years for the most part. Sad to say, I pushed the envelope when first married and that was wrong! Do not make the same mistake. When others are around, dress with propriety. And, choose a man who will promote and stress the beauty of holiness as well.
There are two scriptures that mention this. One by Paul and the other by Peter. The one verse may leave how you beautify yourself open a tad, but the other is clear, even in various translations... Your beauty is to come from within, not in jewelry or in fancy hair, or clothing but with a pure heart and in good works. (I Tim 2:9 &10 & 1 Pet 3:3). The trouble with beauty is that it is fleeting, and charm, it is deceptive... So ladies, it comes down to this; fear the Lord, for that is the kind of daughter that brings me joy and one which I will praise! (Prov 31:30)
~Dad
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