Don Stewart :: What Does the Beauty of the Lord Mean?

What Does the Beauty of the Lord Mean?

The Attributes of God That Belong to Him Alone – Question 16

Scripture describes the Lord in a number of ways. Among them is the phrase “the beauty of the Lord.” The psalmist wrote about it in the following way.

One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple. (Psalm 27:4 NIV)

What is meant by the beauty of the Lord? How can we explain this characteristic of God? In what sense are we to understand Him as beautiful.

1. God Has Everything That Is Desirable in His Character

The beauty of the Lord can be defined as God possessing everything in His character that is desirable. Everything that is good and righteous has its ultimate fulfillment in the God of the Bible.

In another place, the psalmist wrote,

Do what the LORD wants, and he will give you your heart’s desire. (Psalm 37:4 CEV)

The desires of the human heart can only be found in the Lord and His beauty. Only He has everything which is desirable.

We read in another Psalm about what the desire of our heart should consist of, God alone. The psalmist declared,

Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. (Psalm 73:25 NIV)

This should be our heartfelt cry also. Our only desire should be for Him.

The Apostle Paul, in the New Testament, expressed the same thought when he wrote to the Philippians. His heart’s desire was to personally know the Lord in every way possible. Paul wrote the following.

My goal is to know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death... (Philippians 3:10 HCSB)

Our desire should be the same, to know Jesus Christ, the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings.

2. His Beauty Is to Be Reflected in Believers

When believers act according to the commandments of the Lord, they reflect his beauty. Paul wrote to Titus,

Urge bondslaves to be subject to their own masters in everything, to be well-pleasing, not argumentative, not pilfering, but showing all good faith so that they will adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in every respect. (Titus 2:9, 10 NASB)

The New Living Translation translates these verses as follows.

Slaves must obey their masters and do their best to please them. They must not talk back or steal, but they must show themselves to be entirely trustworthy and good. Then they will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive in every way. (Titus 2:9, 10 NLT)

Our goal should be to make the Lord attractive to others.

Peter wrote the following to the believing wives about what true beauty consisted of. It was the hidden person of the heart.

Your adornment must not be merely external—braiding the hair, and wearing gold jewelry, or putting on dresses; but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God. (1 Peter 3:3, 4 NASB)

What is inside of each of us is where the real beauty resides. The beauty of the Lord should be reflected in those who believe in Jesus Christ. The good news is that we can reflect His beauty by the power of the Holy Spirit who resides inside each of us.

Summary – Question 16
What Does the Beauty of the Lord Mean?

One of the descriptions of God’s character is that of beauty. The beauty of the Lord means that, in His nature, the Lord possesses everything that is desirable. His character is one of perfection. Indeed, the Scripture emphasizes that the Lord is perfect in His beauty, His character.

Consequently, believers are to desire Him above all. If we delight ourselves in Him, then He promises to give us the desire of our heart. This desire will be the Lord Himself.

Believers are commanded to reflect God’s beauty in their conduct. When we do so, we glorify Him. By the power of the Holy Spirit we can indeed live a life which reflects the beauty of the Lord. This should be our ultimate goal.