Ugly but Serviceable

Asserting in pride and in arrogance of heart: “The bricks have fallen down, but we will rebuild with smooth stones; the sycamores have been cut down, but we will replace them with cedars." Therefore the LORD raises against them adversaries – Isaiah 9:9b-11a

Ugly often works better. Though my current service dog is a pure bred Golden Labrador, some of the best dogs I have ever owned have been Heinz-57 mutts. In my experience, the best trucks are the beat up old rust pots that just never say die. The M-16A2 is a beautifully precise rifle. But if you even think about mud, it jams. The AK47 on the other hand is ugly but unbelievably rugged.

In the East, bricks are generally of sun-dried mud and therefore susceptible to rain. But since there is not a whole lot of rain in the Middle East, they work wonderfully. Consider how few stone artifacts remain for archeologists to study. Now compare the number of enormous mud brick cities that have survived the millennia and are still there for our perusal. Stone, though considered by the wealthy to be preferable to mud, is not actually better in the long run. Amos actually decried the stone mansions of the wicked because of their pretentiousness (Amos 5:11)!
Sycamores grow abundantly in the low lands of Judea and are useful in construction because of their antiseptic property. In fact, it is precisely because of this quality that the Egyptians used sycamore in their mummy cases. However, cedar smells nice. It’s free of knots (making for ease of use) and was again more highly valued because of its appearance (1 Kings 7:2-3; 10:27)
God provided the people of Israel with manna from heaven on a daily basis but they soon grew tired of this heavenly bread and longed for the leeks and onions of their bondage!

God offers us simple, healthy fare and we desire the sweet meats of this world, not realizing that it will soon turn to rottenness in our gut. We look for stuff that smells nice and is easy to use while God tries to get us to use material that actually works. Like children, we are easily attracted to the world’s candy when what we need is some spiritual broccoli.

This is why we are commanded to be satisfied with whatever condition or state God brings our way (Philippians 4:11). This is why Daniel satisfied himself with gruel when he could have had the kings’ meats (Daniel 1:8). This is why Moses turned down the chance to be Pharaoh and looked instead for the kingdom of God (Hebrews 11:24).

Perhaps your calling in life is not flashy. Perhaps there is not a lot of recognition or gratitude for what you do. Or, perhaps you’re thinking that your marriage is blah and the grass is looking greener elsewhere. Practice the spiritual discipline of simplicity. Remember – prettier is not always better.