rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.
In context this verse is directed to the women of the church that apostle Peter is addressing (see vss. 1-6). Yet I think it’s just as applicable for the bride of Christ, which of course includes all of His saintly disciples.
We are as saints “…the royal daughter…” (PSA 45:13) of our Abba Father.
This verse speaks of “the incorruptible beauty…” that the LORD instills in all of us over time as we walk with Him, yield to His will, embrace the holiness of Christ:
ECCLESIASTES 3:11
He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.
This is the beauty that GOD is working into our lives and it’s an incorruptible beauty that is beyond the reach of this sinful world, even our own sin nature. It’s “…the work that GOD does…” that “workmanship” (EPH 2:10) that He is weaving attentively in each and everyone of us, though we may not be aware of it consciously, but it’s nevertheless His work, faithfully executed, growing, living by His Spirit. Nevertheless it will eventually manifest itself as those “good works” and that “good fruit” GOD has foreordained.
This is an inward work of the heart!
2 CORINTHIANS 4:16
Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day (see also ROMANS 2:29; 7:22).
Our fleshly existence is fading – and currently at 63 years of age, I can readily attest to this fact! But we are only in our “tents” right now, tattered, threadbare, patched up and becoming more decrepit with every passing year. No matter! We have a mansion awaiting us! Our permanent dwelling in which our beautified spirits (by regeneration; 2 COR 1:22; EPH 1:13) and souls (by sanctification; ROM 12:1-2; 1 THESS 4:3) will be housed for all eternity (1 COR 15:42-44,51-54; 2 COR 5:1,4; PHIL 3:21)!
PSALM 96:6-9
6 Honor and majesty are before Him; Strength and beauty are in His sanctuary. 7 Give to the LORD, O families of the peoples, Give to the LORD glory and strength. 8 Give to the LORD the glory due His name; Bring an offering and come into His courts. 9 Oh, worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness! Tremble before Him, all the earth.
This beauty is described in two ways in this passage from 1 PETER:
“quiet[ness]” and “gentle[ness]” in spirit; that is “peaceable, stillness” and “meekness, humbleness”.
We know that GOD resists the proud and gives grace to the humble (JAMES 4:6; 1 PET 5:5). The arrogant, the prideful, those who force their way to the top even while trampling others underfoot – those who lust for power (the epitome of this is Satan himself) will certainly be cast down into perdition (unless they repent). Those humble ones however – who simply recognize and acknowledge who and what they are apart from Christ (spiritually poverty stricken), and hunger and thirst for righteousness (MATT 5:3-6) are those meek ones who are “blessed” and shall be raised up in Christ and granted to rule by power that the evil crave. But the meek shall indeed inherit the earth!
The gentle, who have a heart of love, compassion, tender mercies that reflect the heart of our LORD, who extend the offer of peace with GOD (ROM 5:1) to those lost, are accounted worthy of authority in Christ.
Do you want to know what GOD considers “expensive, costly, of the greatest value”? It’s such as these which are very precious in the sight of God just as is the Cornerstone (ISA 28:16)!
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