On Beauty

Verses:

Ecclesiastes 3:11: He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.

Exodus 25:1-3: The Lord said to Moses, “Tell the Israelites to bring me an offering. You are to receive the offering for me from everyone whose heart prompts them to give. These are the offerings you are to receive from them: gold, silver and bronze…

Thoughts:

In this world of postmodernism, the care to make things that are truly beautiful has fallen to the wayside in our society in favor of making something solely with your feelings.

Modern art, as it is called, is thought desirable because of your interpretation of it. It breaks out of the “bounds” of what is art. It puts more stress on who is seeing it, and what he can get out of it, rather than trying to make something lovely for the encouragement and education of one.

It sacrifices beauty in favor of shock. It sacrifices order on the altar of interpretation for the god of self.

Ultimately, it raises the question: what is beauty? Some say beauty is in the eye of the beholder. And, to a certain extent, that is true. But, I have never met anyone who says a sunset is not beautiful. And only psychopaths say a murder is lovely.

So, where is the divide? Is there a universal beauty? Or is it just something defined by what different people “like”? Just as there is objective truth that all reality reflects, there is also objective beauty which is found in the world around us.

God is a God of beauty and order. In the Pentateuch, we can see His desire for beauty and order in the creation of the tabernacle and the regulation of the civil government and religious rites. Psalm 93 talks of Him establishing the heavens. Beauty in creation is not an unordered mess, but rather an ordered harmony. 

That which we create will be far more lovely when it aligns with rules and order. A song is more beautiful when it follows musical rules. A painting is more lovely when it makes use of the artistic rules. And, our lives are more beautiful when we follow the rules of the Lord. 

The Christian life is truly one of beauty. In a christian community, everyone is striving to die to self and serve others. Everyone is seeking to do the right, good thing.

Even from a standpoint which rejects God, seeking to follow the commands of God from the Bible makes for a better life.

Summary: Beauty in some ways is in the eye of the beholder. But, beauty is not a chaotic, orderless thing. Rather, it shows forth order in a way that is lovely to behold. It makes you rejoice in the rhythm of notes, the flow of colors, and the purity of life, and fills your mind with good things.

Ask Yourself: What do I see as beautiful? What does this reflect about my worldview? How can I teach myself to see the beauty of creation in the day to day? 

#19

5 Sept 2025