God Is Beautiful
For many years (a phrase which seems to introduce almost everything I say or write these days), I have thought about and preached on the subject of the beauty of God. I have never heard anyone teach on the subject, but I did through the decades come across two written sermons on the topic, “The Beauty of the Lord” by J. D. Jones and “Are There Shortcuts to the Beauty of Holiness?” (the short answer is “No!”) by A. W. Tozer. More recently, I read a review of a scholarly article about the American preacher Jonathan Edwards (of “sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” fame) that mentioned in passing that the beauty of God was one of the great themes in his preaching. I was thus encouraged that I have not headed off on an unprofitable tangent. In simple terms, beauty is that which attracts, causes a favorable interest, and creates an affinity. Such real, eternal beauty is found in our God. (I will be using this opening paragraph for each of the brief messages in this series. The following material will change daily.)
We must first acknowledge that this beauty is not primarily external. Our culture’s obsession with looks should tell us right away that this emphasis on physical pulchritude is the wrong way. Moreover, Isaiah 53:2 is direct and specific. This Messianic verse states of Jesus that “He hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him.” I have often said that if God really cared about our looks He would have made all women as pretty as my wife. (She could respond, “And He would have made all men as handsome as you” – but she doesn’t.) However, the key point is that Jesus in the fullness of His humanity saw no reason to have movie-star good looks. He simply did not stand out in the crowd that way. No, His beauty was and is of another sort. We should be grateful, for there is a time for each of us that we pass our physical prime; my rear-view mirror does not reflect that far back. The beauty of the Lord is different and better and accessible to all of us.