“¹Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands,
so that even if some do not obey the word,
they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives,
²when they see your respectful and pure conduct.
³Do not let your adorning be external
– the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear
⁴but 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 previous.”
– 1 Peter 3: 1-4, ESV
This past week, the phrase “the hidden person of the heart” was impressed on my heart. I opened up my bible to 1 Peter 3 to revisit what God says about this.
It’s good practice to understand the general context to this verses. In this case, it is straightforward, because you can find out the author, intended recipients, and purpose of the letter easily by reading 1 Peter Chapter 1.
GENERAL CONTEXT:
The book of 1 Peter is letter from Simon Peter, one of the original 12 disciples of Jesus written to the a predominantly Gentile Christian community in the regions of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia. Gentile Christians refer to those that have received Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, whom were not born Jewish. Unlike Jewish Christian converts, Gentile Christians are likely unfamiliar with the Torah, Jewish laws and practices.
In Chapter 1 Peter:
– reminded these believers how they came to believe in Jesus,
– exhorted them to persevere in their trials and suffering
– explained the purpose and future benefits of their suffering
– reminded them of their life purpose as Christians
and with all of that, Peter exhorted the believers to set their hope fully on the grace of Jesus Christ by preparing their minds, be sober-minded and be faithful to God in their conduct towards one another.
This is the general context, I really encourage reading the whole of 1 Peter Chapter 1 to see it for yourself. Understanding the context allows us to extract greater understanding of the verses and reduces the risk for misinterpretation and taking verses out of context.
REFLECTIONS OF “THE HIDDEN PERSON OF THE HEART”
While 1 Peter 3:1-4 talks about the behavioral conduct between wives and husbands, I couldn’t help but to notice God’s design of beauty for women.
The word “adorning” in verses 3 and 4 means “to be made more attractive” or “beautify”. I think about this day and age, or even in the 600th century, how do women make ourselves more attractive? The first thing that came to mind is “how we look” through make up, hairstyles, clothing, jewelry, physique. It’s a culture that has not change much across centuries, communities or ethnicities. What naturally comes to mind when we think of we want to look good? Let’s go shopping, check out skin care products, put on some make up, need to lose weight, get my hair done, pedicure, manicure, whiten my teeth – the list goes on.
But, here in 1 Peter 3, I noticed the command to believing wives, was in contrary to all of that. Rather, it explicitly states not to let our adorning be external such as hair styles, expensive jewelry or clothing. But rather to let our beauty 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“.
It goes on to state the reason why:The reason why is because for this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves, by submitting to their own husbands, as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord. And we are her children, if we do good and do not fear anything that is frightening.
So much to unpack, but this design of beauty in God’s word is so attractive and powerful that it says in verse 1, “even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, when they see your respectful and pure conduct”.
Wow – the quietness of the heart.
In this day and age, we are bombarded with so many messages on women rights and equality and images of what is defined as a beautiful woman – that it overshadows this imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit.
A GENTLE AND QUIET SPIRIT: ANOTHER PERSPECTIVE
Some of us may think a gentle and quiet spirit is unattractive because it depicts a weak woman. That’s one perspective.
But imagine this. A self-assured woman, who puts her trust in God, doesn’t see a need to prove herself, impress others or seek attention. She gains wisdom through asking God whom provides abundantly through His Spirit and His word. She has her powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.
She knows her value, sets healthy boundaries, looks after herself. She doesn’t turn to people or things to have her needs met, but rather, turns to God and asks Him to provide for them.
When required, she communicates clearly, accurately and effectively. She works with willing hands, and does her husband good and no harm. Out of the overflow of her heart, she shares the goodness of her life with others.
This leads me to another passage in the bible that shows us more about what this imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit is like. And if ponder about the words carefully, God’s design of the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet is seen not in her outwardly appearance but rather in the hidden person of her heart. A woman whom is self-assured, wise, independent clothed with strength and dignity. Stay tuned.
