| “And he (Jesse) sent, and brought him (David) in. Now he was ruddy, and withal of a beautiful countenance [face]” (1 Samuel 16:12). |
| “The north wind bringeth forth rain, and the angry countenance a backbiting tongue” (Proverbs 25:23 JND). |
| Our faces usually tell what is in our hearts, and over a period of time, our faces become a more or less permanent picture of what we think about. When Abraham Lincoln was president of the United States, he once said to someone in his government, “I don’t like that man.” He was referring to someone both of them had seen. The government official remarked that since Lincoln did not know the man, he wondered how he could dislike him. Lincoln’s reply was, “I don’t like his face.” When the other man questioned this way of judging people, Lincoln again replied, “Every man over forty is responsible for his face.” |
| There is a good deal of truth in this. We may not be handsome or beautiful, but we can still have a “beautiful countenance.” The expression on our face means far more than whether we are naturally good-looking. David walked with the Lord, and even as a young man he had an expression on his face that commended itself to others. As time goes on in our lives, we can cultivate good thoughts — happy thoughts, that bring about a good expression on our face. |
| On the other hand, we can be like the man described in our second verse today, who was characterized by an angry countenance. We have all seen people like that, who have a face that looks as if they would like to “pick a fight” with someone. When other people see that kind of a face, they may avoid that person, but often they want to say something to him, just to see him get upset. That is why it says in our second verse that an angry countenance brings forth a backbiting tongue. |
| As Christians, we must remember what Paul said to the Philippians, in chapter 4, verse 8. Look up this verse, and memorize it if you can. It will help you to think about the right things and have a nice face. |
