How Beautiful Are Thy...Shoes

On News Year’s Eve, I attended a good dinner at which I was advised to ‘dress up’. Three years ago, I would wear a suit Monday to Friday for work, Saturday mornings for court, and Sundays for church. I sometimes wondered why I bothered owning jeans and t-shirts. Nowadays, I only dress up for church; putting on a shirt and tie for a special occasion feels like a novelty. Yet I made an extra special effort that evening: I wore my gold brogues.

As shoes go, they are utterly ridiculous. Furthermore, their level of comfort causes a sigh of relief when they come off, for they seem to squeeze the feet. I cannot even remember why I bought them; they may have been for some Am-Dram performance or fancy-dress party when I was in my 20s. Still, it was good to dust them off and put them on. They are not suitable for Sunday worship but might pass muster for a New Year ‘do’.

Although this footwear cannot be described as beautiful (readers will be searching for their own adjectives), the scriptures speak of beautiful feet twice (or thrice if you include a citation):

How beautiful are thy feet with shoes, O prince's daughter! the joints of thy thighs are like jewels, the work of the hands of a cunning workman. Song of Solomon 7:1

How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth! Isaiah 52:7

And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! Romans 10:15

Whether the first reference is simply Solomon’s lusty admiration for the female form or, more strikingly, Christ's deep affection towards His redeemed people, I cannot say. The second (and third) reference, however, refers to the activity of shod feet employed for the purpose of bringing God’s good news. The towns to which we bring the gospel are sometimes scruffy and dingy, the homes broken and ruined, the inhabitants warped and corrupted, yet how beautiful the feet which carry light and truth to such places!