Exodus 35:30-35 ‘Then Moses said to the people of Israel, “See, the LORD has called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah; and he has filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, with
intelligence, with knowledge, and with all craftsmanship, to devise artistic designs, to work in gold and
silver and bronze, in cutting stones for setting, and in carving wood, for work in every skilled craft. And
he has inspired him to teach, both him and Oholiab the son of Ahisamach of the tribe of Dan. He has
filled them with skill to do every sort of work done by an engraver or by a designer or by an embroiderer
in blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen, or by a weaver—by any sort of workman or
skilled designer.’
Have you ever wondered what defines beauty?
There are millions of beautiful faces in the world, yet they are all markedly different. The beauty that a
19 th century Australian Aborigines saw in his wife is very different from the beauty a 21 st century Texan
sees in his. The beauty of the billions of flowers and trees escapes logical explanation.
Art teachers talk about symmetry, form, and composition, but all those things still fail to get at the
essence of what is beauty.
It is an unfathomable mystery.
Unless there is a Creator-God who is, Himself, the definition of beauty. There is Primary Beauty and
secondary beauty.
God Himself is the absolute standard of beauty - Primary Beauty. David had one great desire – to gaze
upon the beauty of the Lord. Psalm 27:4.
The beauty we see and feel and hear is secondary beauty. That beauty is derived from God’s beauty. He
is first cause. He created all beautiful things in earth and sky for His own pleasure. So, they are beautiful,
by definition, and by design. They have no choice but to be beautiful. Unless they have been marred by
sin and Satan the destroyer. But even then, they retain some essence of the beauty God gave them. The
Father, the Son, and the Spirit worked in unison at creation to make things beautiful – like God Himself.
And He imparts to man the same ability to create beauty around him, as he did for Bezalel and Oholiab.
Human beauty is also secondary beauty but in a unique degree. We are made in God’s image. So, we are
spirit, soul, and body beautiful like God. Marred by the fall – yes. But the beautiful likeness has not been
destroyed. When you marvel at a beautiful face you are rejoicing in a reflection of God.
We must worship the Creator and not the creature, as Paul warns us in chapter 1 of Romans.
How should that fact change your gut reaction the next time you notice a beautiful body or a
spectacular flower?
Prayer:
Thank you, God, for beauty everywhere in sight, and touch, and sound, and taste. Remind me, when I
enjoy beauty in all its variety, that I am sensing revelations of You.