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THE BEAUTY OF GOD
Written and edited by Glenn PeaseINTRODUCTIONMuch of the material here is a part of my commentary on Psalm 27:4, but I havedone this study too because many will not find it in the study of the Psalm. It is moreconspicuous as a separate study. The beauty of God is so vast that even these twostudies do not scratch the surface of it. I intend to do more study of other Scripturesthat exalt the beauty of God. It is a subject more important than we realize, forbeauty is the key to true worship, and all of us need all the help we can get toworship our Lord and Savior in a manner that is worthy of his majesty and grace.1. Many years ago when my grandchildren were young, I wrote a song that theysang at a Spring banquet. It is based on the words of Eccles. 3:11 “He has madeeverything beautiful in its time.”I PRAISE YOU LORD FOR ALL OF THESE,THE BUZZ OF BEES, THE BIRDS IN TREES;THE SOFTLY BLOWING EVENING BREEZE;EVEN POLLEN THAT MAKES ME SNEEZE.NOTHING OF SPRING CAN ME DISPLEASE.LORD I THANK YOU FOR ALL OF THESE.I PRAISE YOU LORD FOR ALL OF THOSE,THE SUN THAT GLOWS ON CRIMSON ROSE;THE CROPS FROM WHICH THEY MAKE MY CLOTHESTHE LOVELY SMELLS THAT REACH MY NOSEBEAUTY THAT INSPIRES RHYME AND PROSELORD I THANK YOU FOR ALL OF THOSE.I PRAISE YOU LORD FOR ALL OF THISTHE PEACEFUL BLISS, THE MOON LIGHT KISS
 
THE BUTTERFLY FROM CHRYSALISFLOWERS BRIGHT FROM DARK ABYSS.ABSENCE OF THE PESSIMISTLORD I THANK YOU FOR ALL THIS.I PRAISE YOU LORD FOR ALL OF THATTHE FRISKY CAT, THE FRIGHTNING BAT.THE SIBLING THAT CAN BE A BRAT;COWS THAT EAT TILL THEY GET FAT.GREAT THINGS ARE EVERYWHERE YOU’RE ATLORD I THANK YOU FOR ALL OF THAT.I PRAISE YOU LORD FOR EVERYTHINGYOUR LOVE CAN BRING, IN TIME OF SPRINGTHE THINGS THAT CRAWL, THE THINGS THAT SWINGTHE THINGS THAT SWIM OR GO BY WING.THEY ALL JOIN IN AND WITH ME SINGLORD I THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING.2. The author of all beauty is Himself the very essence of beauty. There would be nobeauty if God was not a beautiful being who loves beauty, and who desired thatthose made in His image should have a world of beauty to enjoy. The Scripture isvery clear that God is beautiful, and the world he created is an expression of thatbeauty. Man loves beauty and creates beauty because he is made in the image of God, and, therefore has a thing for beauty just like God does. Someone put it thisway, "We are made in God’s image, and the result is we too have an appreciation of beauty and can, like God, create beauty. We are one of, if not the highest, of God’sartistic creations. Adam and Eve were perfect specimens of the human body andmind, and artists have all through history tried to portray them in the fulness of their beauty. We love the beauty of the naked body because of its erotic appeal, butalso because of its aesthetic appeal. It is just a pleasant site to behold the ideal bodyof the male or female. It is a work of art that came directly from God. The beauty of man tells us something of the beauty of God." Dante said, "Heat cannot beseparated from fire, or beauty from the eternal."3. It is one of our greatest pleasures in life to enjoy the beauty of what God hascreated. It is a fallen world, but even as defective as it is, it is so beautiful that man iscompelled to reproduce it in paintings and art of all kinds so that we can bring it
 
inside our homes, churches and other buildings to enjoy when we are not outside tosee it. But as awesome as all the beauty that God created is, our focus needs to firstbe on Author of all that beauty. Augustine said, “Now all things are beautifulbecause You have made them, but behold, You are inexpressibly more beautiful,who made them all.” Someone else said, “The beauty of God is vast. To enjoyflowers for their loveliness is good, but far greater it is to see behind their purity andbeauty the face of God.” Because it is so, I want to call your attention to what theBible says about the beauty of God. Four key texts that actually refer to his beautydirectly are:Ps 27:4* One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I maydwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of theLORD, and to enquire in his temple.Ps 90:17* And let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us: and establish thouthe work of our hands upon us; yea, the work of our hands establish thou it.Isa 28:5* In that day shall the LORD of hosts be for a crown of glory, and for adiadem of beauty, unto the residue of his people,Isa 33:17* Thine eyes shall see the king in his beauty: they shall behold the land thatis very far off.4. Though it is true that we all love beauty, the fact is we do not love beauty the wayDavid did, for seldom to never have we made it our primary prayer, as he does inPs. 27:4, that we be allowed to behold the beauty of God. I confess that it is not aprayer that I have offered often if ever before I studied the beauty of God. Maybe itwould be a step in the right direction of spiritual growth to add God’s beauty toyour prayer list. I have a hunch that we all miss a great deal of spiritual beautybecause we are not really seeking it. Notice that it is just the one thing that Davidwants at this point in his life, and he is going to seek after it as well as ask God for it.He knows that God demands human cooperation in getting answers to prayer. Wehave to put forth an effort to help our prayers to be answered. He will not only askit but seek it. He will not just wait but go for it. He pursues that for which he prays."The reason David was compelled to "seek after" this attribute of God was simplybecause he was a child of God. "The works of the LORD are great, sought out of allthem that have pleasure therein." (Ps. 111:2) If we truly are children of God, shouldwe not have pleasure in seeking out the works of the LORD?" And this is speciallyso when seeking out the beauty of God himself.5. Scholars tell us that David wrote this Psalm when his son Absalom had rebelledagainst him and sent him on the run from his throne. His own son was his enemy,and many of his people followed him, and David was in exile. There was muchugliness all about him in his circumstances, and he longs for the house of God whereall is peace and beauty. He longs for escape from the ugliness of his circumstances.Beauty is a great escape, and that is why winter weary people flee to Florida or hopover to Hawaii. That is why they flee the city to go to the beauty of the woods and
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