Have you ever thought about the beauty of God? Splendor and glory can also describe the radiant beauty of God in the bible.God doesn’t have to adorn Himself with beautiful things to make Himself beautiful. He is beautiful and He is the one who makes something beautiful. Apart from God there is no true beauty. Only the beauty that comes from God is eternal and lasting and true.
A place God dwells is spoken of as beautiful. Psalms say splendor and majesty are before Him; strength and glory are in His sanctuary. From Mt. Zion, perfect in beauty, God shines forth. In Rev 21, John saw the Holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. The foundations of the city walls were decorated with precious stones—jasper, sapphire, emerald, topaz, amethyst, pearls, and pure gold. Royalty mesmerized us and the King of kings is going to dwell in this new Jerusalem. Royal palaces maybe just a taste of what heaven.
How does God reveal His beauty in creation. Isn’t His beauty displaying in creation for all to see? I love the beauty of a flower. So much variety, sizes, and colors. Only a beautiful God could create so many beautiful things. In Matt 6:29, Jesus say, consider the lilies, not even Solomon in all His splendor as king was dressed like one of these. God shows beauty in the biggest things and in the smallest things.
Consider sky filled with the moon and the stars shining their light all the way to earth. A rainbow makes you want to stop and follow its track across the sky. Lightning displays beautifully power. We love beauty and will spend a lot of money to travel and visit beautiful places. In Hab 3:3-4 it says that His beauty was like the sunrise, rays flashed from His hand where there His power was hidden.
How does God reveal His beauty through Jesus? One of the prophetic verses in Isaiah, talking about the Messiah who is Jesus, that he had no beauty (as a man) or majesty to attract us to Him. Jesus was God but He laid His physical glory aside when He came to earth. Three disciples were fortunate to see His true glory displayed up in the mount of transfiguration. Luke 9:29 said that, as He was praying, the appearance of His face changed, and His clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning. Moses and Elijah appeared in all glorious splendor (radiant beauty).
Jesus mentioned once about a beauty done for Him. After a woman poured perfume on his body to prepare Him for burial, Jesus said, “She has done a beautiful thing to me.” If you pause a minute and think of Jesus on the cross, you will see sacrificial beauty. After He died and rose again, He visited the earth with His new body and then ascended into heaven and promised to return again. Another verse in Isaiah 42 says that, In that day, The Branch of the Lord will be beautiful and glorious. He will come back in the skies.
Finally, how does God reveal His beauty to us in our hearts. Since God’s presence makes things beautiful, how about us? The bible says we are formed in His image. And if you are a believer, His Holy Spirit’s presence dwells in you. He made you beautiful and He gives you beauty. God gives beauty from ashes and he makes all things beautiful in its time. God can give you beauty in your life. He gives beauty to those He loves and He definitely loves you.
Our beauty should not come from outward adornment but from your inner self says Peter, an unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit which is of great worth in God’s sight. How do you become beautiful on the inside? When Moses came down from the mountain with the ten commandments, his face was radiant because he had spent time with God. The more time you spend with the Lord, the more beautiful you become.
Ps 27:4, One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I see, that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, and to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord.
