What is beauty? Or you might mutter, “Why beauty instead of attire? Get on with it!”

Patience, young Skywalkers. We apply the background of the first three entries in both the next and final installments. In the meantime, a read or reread Quixote’s discussion of beauty supports this entry, in particular the beatific vision. It conveys the truth about the beauty of God’s glory.

With that said, remember now the idea stated in the previous entry about Jesus’ inherent righteousness and subsequent lack of need to dress himself in regal garb.

“For he grew up before him like a young plant,
and like a root out of dry ground;
he had no form or majesty that we should look at him,
and no beauty that we should desire him.” (Isaiah 53:2)

The above verse prophesies about the Suffering Servant, Jesus. He did not arrive as the Israelites expected, resplendent in appearance, commanding subservience through a worldly, royal image. 

“But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7)

Even though God chose David, about whom the book above in verse 12 describes as “…ruddy and had beautiful eyes and was handsome,” God does not choose or benefit people based upon their outward appearance. The beauty of Jesus issues forth from His holiness. He was and is intrinsically clothed in righteousness, just as God commands and enables Christians to be clothed. Beauty originates in God, and the Lord bestows His beauty upon those who love Him.

In Ezekiel 16, God illustrates from where we derive our beauty. God adorned his covenant people, Israel, with a God-given beauty:

8 “When I passed by you again and saw you, behold, you were at the age for love, and I spread the corner of my garment over you and covered your nakedness; I made my vow to you and entered into a covenant with you, declares the Lord GOD, and you became mine. 9 Then I bathed you with water and washed off your blood from you and anointed you with oil. 10 I clothed you also with embroidered cloth and shod you with fine leather. I wrapped you in fine linen and covered you with silk. 11 And I adorned you with ornaments and put bracelets on your wrists and a chain on your neck. 12 And I put a ring on your nose and earrings in your ears and a beautiful crown on your head. 13 Thus you were adorned with gold and silver, and your clothing was of fine linen and silk and embroidered cloth. You ate fine flour and honey and oil. You grew exceedingly beautiful and advanced to royalty. 14 And your renown went forth among the nations because of your beauty, for it was perfect through the splendor that I had bestowed on you, declares the Lord GOD.

15 “But you trusted in your beauty and played the whore because of your renown and lavished your whorings on any passerby; your beauty became his. 16 You took some of your garments and made for yourself colorful shrines, and on them played the whore. The like has never been, nor ever shall be. 17 You also took your beautiful jewels of my gold and of my silver, which I had given you, and made for yourself images of men, and with them played the whore. 18 And you took your embroidered garments to cover them, and set my oil and my incense before them. 19 Also my bread that I gave you—I fed you with fine flour and oil and honey—you set before them for a pleasing aroma; and so it was, declares the Lord GOD. 20 And you took your sons and your daughters, whom you had borne to me, and these you sacrificed to them to be devoured. Were your whorings so small a matter 21 that you slaughtered my children and delivered them up as an offering by fire to them? 22 And in all your abominations and your whorings you did not remember the days of your youth, when you were naked and bare, wallowing in your blood.”

What a remarkable difference between the two paragraphs! The Israelites turned from God, trusting in themselves rather than in Him, forgetting to honor the source of their beauty and strength. In God’s eyes, they became prostitutes, sharing their God-given gifts to please themselves and the sinful world rather than using the gifts for God’s glory. Linking this account with the New Testament, the Israelites were walking by the flesh as described in Galatians 5:19-21:

“Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.”

We are clothed and in our right minds now. May God help us to not forget the state in which He found us, the state from which He saved us, and the state into which He has adopted us His beautiful children!

In Chapter 14, Hosea shares a plea to return to the Lord:

“Return, O Israel, to the LORD your God,
for you have stumbled because of your iniquity.
Take with you words
and return to the LORD;
say to him,
“Take away all iniquity;
accept what is good,
and we will pay with bulls
the vows of our lips.
Assyria shall not save us;
we will not ride on horses;
and we will say no more, ‘Our God,’
to the work of our hands.
In you the orphan finds mercy.”
I will heal their apostasy;
I will love them freely,
for my anger has turned from them.
I will be like the dew to Israel;
he shall blossom like the lily;
he shall take root like the trees of Lebanon;
his shoots shall spread out;
his beauty shall be like the olive,
and his fragrance like Lebanon.
They shall return and dwell beneath my shadow;
they shall flourish like the grain;
they shall blossom like the vine;
their fame shall be like the wine of Lebanon.

O Ephraim, what have I to do with idols?
It is I who answer and look after you.
I am like an evergreen cypress;
from me comes your fruit.

Whoever is wise, let him understand these things;
whoever is discerning, let him know them;
for the ways of the LORD are right,
and the upright walk in them,
but transgressors stumble in them.”

In this chapter, we again see God as the root of beauty, not man. We also see a call for understanding and discernment just as we did in Proverbs. Understanding and wisdom emerge from a fear of the Lord. It is obvious why we should keep our eyes and hearts focused on God. Consider the scribes, Pharisees, false teachers, and Satan for a moment:

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness. So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.” Matthew 23:27-28

“For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds.” (2 Cor 11:13-15)

We should remain wary of external beauty since we see clearly that external beauty can deceive. I do not assert that we should shun our admiration of beauty altogether or that we should neglect good hygiene and a kempt appearance; however, authentic beauty that does not fade emerges from within due to the Holy Spirit that dwells within us, and this beauty is the kind that we should uphold as our standard.

When Moses returned from speaking with God, his face shone radiantly with God’s glory, so much so that the Israelites could not look upon him. Moses covered his face with a veil because the Israelites feared the glow of Almighty God.

God commands us to not cover our faces, to not hide our adoption into His kingdom. We’re to be light in a dark world, just as Jesus is the light—the beautiful, unsurpassed light of righteousness.

“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” (1 Peter 2:9-10)

“Do all things without grumbling or questioning, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.” (Philippians 2:14-16)

“For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” (2 Corinthians 4:5-7)

“In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16)

May our eyes remain open to see God’s holy beauty. May our minds continue to absorb God’s word so that we can discern how to walk in the light. May our hearts desire the beauty of God’s light to shine through our actions.

Proverbs 31:30

Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain,

but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.