“In that day shall the branch of the Lord be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and comely for them that are escaped of Israel.” Is. 4:2
Dear Ones:
All through the Scriptures there is a remarkable contrast that is presented to men. It is that of the holiness of God and the sinfulness of men, of that which is perfectly good and wholesome to the greatest degree, and that which is base, tarnished, and tainted by selfishness. On the issue of beauty, true beauty, again we are confronted with the criteria of heaven, and that of earth. The former deals with perfection, flawlessness, perfect love and goodness. The latter is primarily a surface beauty, although at times there arises something, like a pale reflection, of the heavenly. When we come to analyze this beauty from heaven, we have glimpses of it, revealed first in the creation, which was perfect, wonderful, of a design, purpose, and reflection of the wisdom, power, and tenderness of the Creator. When we come to the coming of the Lord Jesus, to live among us, and eventually to die on the cross to save us, the contrast between the beauty of heaven and the horror of earth, cannot be more clearly contrasted. In Christ, according to Isaiah, from a physical standpoint, “…he hath no comeliness; and when we shall see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him.” (53:2) The outward, or physical appearance of Christ, was not such, as would attract the attention of others. Eventually on the cross, Isaiah would of Him: “As many were astonied (astonished) at thee; His visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men.” (52:14) Here is a man, God come in the flesh, with a very common, normal, and yet, unattractive appearance, to take upon Himself the sins of the entire world. His hidden “beauty” was revealed in a very measured manner before the resurrection. However, there would still be the inner beauty of His Person, which would shine through the veil of his flesh by the revelation of the life and love of God. After the resurrection, this inner beauty would be seen increasingly, for though He still bore the scars of Calvary, they were eclipsed by His resurrection Life. The beauty of God’s holiness was revealed to men in Christ, as He walked on earth, dying on the cross, by the words that He declared, and the works that He did. The truths which he gave to men, and the corresponding faith and power to believe Him, would result in men coming to know, as the Apostle Paul would write, “…the power of His resurrection,.”
If then the glorified Christ is the revelation to men of the perfect beauty of God’s holiness, how can this beauty be known, and revealed in us who believe? In one of David’s psalms he writes: “One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after, that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to enquire in His temple.” (Ps. 27:4) How did David “see” the beauty of the Lord? It was by the Spirit, his dependence upon the Spirit of God, according to the revealed truth of God. Paul would pray for the Ephesians along these lines, that, “…the Father of glory, may give unto you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him.” (1:17) Moses would actually pray: “And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us.” (Ps. 90:17) The practical aspect of seeking God for this knowledge of His beauty, and the revelation of it in the life, is found in Paul’s words: “But we all with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.” (2 Cor. 3:18) It is as we worship the Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ by the Spirit that He reveals His beauty in and through us.
Dear Father, Fill us with the beauty of Christ. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Love, Dad