2:77 – Beards

#faithbites #faithjourney beards

Fair warning, this isn’t one of your normal #faithbites. This isn’t a deep introspective look at the soul. This is more fun. I’ve haven’t been shaving in a while, part because of being lazy, part because of the surgery, and part, well, I wanted to see what happened. So today my kids and spouse said I should shave it. Anywhere from total baby face to goatee. I figured, since I was looking for material for #faithbites and I know there are many men in the bible who had awesome beards (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, Solomon, Moses, Aaron, Joseph, Noah, Job, Elijah, Jeremiah, Ezra, Paul, Jesus, et al.) we would use that as our subject. Here is a cool article that relates to awesome beards in the bible.

So let’s dive into beards. My father wore a beard at different times in his life. When I let mine grow a bit, I see a little bit of my dad in the mirror. Later in the month it will be ten years since he’s passed on. Maybe it’s a sign. Who knows.

Scripture

• So he told her all that was in his heart and said to her, “A razor has never come on my head, for I have been a Nazirite to God from my mother’s womb. If I am shaved, then my strength will leave me and I will become weak and be like any other man.” – Judges 16:17
• Joab said to Amasa, “Is it well with you, my brother?” And Joab took Amasa by the beard with his right hand to kiss him.- 2 Samuel 20:9
• They have gone up to the temple and to Dibon, even to the high places to weep Moab wails over Nebo and Medeba; Everyone’s head is bald and every beard is cut off. – Isaiah 15:2

Reflection

So besides seeing the awesome men who have beards, what else did we learn? For most of biblical times, the beard was seen as a sign of strength, reverence, and belonging. In fact, a punishment was often shaving of the head and face. Sampson lost his strength when his hair was cut off.

The beard was an outward symbol of their faith like many today wear a cross. What would you say if someone took your cross? That is how many felt when their beard were removed.

So what have we learned? Beards are biblical. Beards give strength and power. And finally, they are awesome.

Now will that convince my family to stop pressuring me to cut if off? Nah. But it’s pretty cool. I’ll admit mine isn’t as epic as the great men of the bible. I did trim it a bit so I wasn’t scruffy vagrant looking, but it’s not perfect.

Hope you’ve enjoyed this little fun #faithbite about beards. As they say, if you look close enough, the bible has an answer for everything. 🙂

Charge

Grow it if you want it. Cut it if you want. Shape it, twist it, braid it. Whatever look good and feels good to you, go for it. It’s your face.

Prayer

Lord, thank you for your word and history. Though looking at beards may seem trivial, it gets us to open up your word and learn from it. Remind us all to look at the person under the scruff and into their heart. It doesn’t matter what is on their face, but what is in their soul. In your name, Amen.