Why does God describe those who preach the gospel as having beautiful feet? Isaiah first wrote on God’s behalf about beautiful feet (Isaiah 52:6-7). Paul later quoted Isaiah’s words in describing evangelism (Romans 10:14-15). But what’s so special about feet? Well, let’s consider 3 reasons why God described an evangelist’s feet as being beautiful.
Reason #1: Because Feet Aren’t Beautiful. Imagine a world in which there are no socks or closed-toe shoes. Everyone wears sandals, nobody bathes regularly, and everybody spends all day outside in the dirt. Imagine the crust and grime caked on everybody’s feet. When Isaiah and Paul wrote about beautiful feet, this must have been a shocking description! Neither our soles nor our souls are naturally beautiful —or at least, not after a certain age. Eventually our souls become sin-stained (Romans 3:23). God finds sin to be repulsive. God had Isaiah begin his book by saying, “Alas, sinful nation … You will revolt more and more. The whole head is sick, And the whole heart faints. From the sole of the foot even to the head, There is no soundness in it, But wounds and bruises and putrefying sores; They have not been closed or bound up, Or soothed with ointment” (Isaiah 1:4-6). Sin is just as disgusting as oozing sores and infected wounds. And yet, like wounds and feet, our souls can be cleansed and made beautiful.
Reason #2: Because Feet Are Rarely Seen. Today we have closed-toe shoes that hide our ten little piggies, but even when everyone wore sandals, I doubt feet were the focal point. How often do you look at people’s shoes? Occasionally, but not often. Our eyes cast upward, not downward, typically. Just as feet are rarely seen, so an evangelist is rarely seen. That is, an evangelist rarely receives recognition for his efforts. Solomon gave a quick parable about this phenomena; he wrote, “There was a little city with few men in it; and a great king came against it, besieged it, and built great snares around it. Now there was found in it a poor wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city. Yet no one remembered that same poor man” (Ecclesiastes 9:14-15). Few remember the exact words of an evangelist, but what everyone does remember are the stakes. Without the intervention of a soul winner, doom and destruction lie at the door, but with a soul winner’s intervening comes hope! Feet are rarely seen, and so are the efforts of an evangelist.
Reason #3: Because Feet Carry Hither & Thither. They are the vehicles for the vessels. They are the movers for the message. They are the goers for the gospel. Without feet, one could still manage, but the effort would have to come from elsewhere. Feet are the original, God-given means to share the good news of salvation. Not wagons, boats, cars, planes, or surfboards for the web, but feet! In describing beautiful feet, God indicates something carried. There is no good in going into all the world just to see all the world. Sure it might be enjoyable, but that’s not the Lord authorized before ascending. Jesus said, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:18-19). If your feet aren’t carrying the good news, they’re worse than ugly: They’re wasted!
Don’t let your feet look shabby spiritually. God doesn’t care whether you have fuzzy or crooked toes, but God does care whether you have beautiful, soul-winning feet.
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