The Beauty of the LORD

Hymns: 23, 24 141, 583

Reading:

Introduction

Preaching on – did not spend very long on the last verses- particularly one petition in that Psalm that stuck in my mind.

Let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us.

Society obsessed with external beauty- glamour – film – cosmetics- city centres struggle….but not the nail shops and the tatoo parlours and tanning salons and all the rest! We have fortunes being spent on trying to stop ageing…men have hair implants…liposuction, gel implants and all kinds of cosmetic surgery…grasp a little beauty for a little time!

Isn’t this a description of 21st century glossy celebrity magazines? Cult of feminine beauty.

In 1 peter it is particularly the women who are addressed with this issue… …but it is not just women who need to hear this call to fundamentally reassess beauty…men so easily can fall into the error that external beauty is the most important beauty hence the tragedy of pornography, and marital and family collapse.

Biblical Background

(a) The beauty of the LORD –

Interestingly the main word associated with many of these passages is the word from which the name Naomi comes. It has to do with beauty and happiness – what is pleasant – what is truly satisfying. In other words there is a connection between true beauty and real happiness.

(b) Emphasising the importance of the beauty of the LORD in worship – Beauty Seen!

The tabernacle and temple following was to exhibit beauty – for glory and beauty! Priests clothing.

Strength and beauty are in his sanctuary

Worship in the beauty of holiness – ,

It is the beauty associated with the exalted Messiah that causes his people to follow him willingly

Praise is beautiful

(c) Beauty being transferred from the LORD to us.

– Prayer for this in connection with work which will really be lasting.

Beauty of the Lord

The Beauty of holiness…mentioned in , , ,

overwhelmingly the beauty of the holiness of God. Key to understanding this is in the last passage. Shows us that this is primarily the beauty of God’s holiness. Parrallel lines in

BUT vital to see this –

Levites praise the beauty of holiness

Praise the LORD – whose mercy endures forever!

It is the holiness of God set in eternal mercy that is beautiful!

What is this? Has primarily to do with how desperately we need God and yet are cut off from him. Holiness has to do with separation.

Holy is what has been chosen and set in relationship with the LORD.

What about the holiness of the LORD himself?

All holiness comes from God…God chooses and sets in relation to himself…that person or thing becomes holy as a result.

What is it we mean then when we say God is holy?

Bavinck – “God is not called holy because of one particular attribute eg righteousness or purity. He is holy in a total sense in connection with every revelation in which we realise that he is truly God.”

Reymond – Gods holiness in the sense of his separateness is not to be understood primarily as a moral attribute “seperatness from sin”

It is his essential unapproachableness- his majestic otherness!

In the seraphs were sinless as they gazed upon God – yet they cover themselves before him- he is God and they are his creatures.

God’s holiness is revealed in all his attributes and in all the ways he relates to and reveals himself to his creatures. It is an awareness of the total reality and significance of his deity.As he reveals himself he is seen as the holy One. He is totally consistent with himself and totally separate from his creation. His creature must conform to his character as he is revealed. He is holy so we must conform to him.

So what is the beauty of holiness? It is having God bring us into relation with himself by his mercy. Not withstanding his deity and our creatureliness even apart from the reality of our sinfulness.

Beauty of the LORD seen.

1. What is it to see the beauty of holiness?

Often talk about the beauty of the North West Highlands…all talk…how can you put that into words! When you watched the sunset from the top of Applecross…sparkling clear evening from the top of a Fisherfield Munro…ah I know what you mean!

This is the true source of happiness and satisfaction- enjoyment of God- being brought to see something of him as personally merciful.

Shorter catechism- glorify God and enjoy him.

It is to be converted.

Conversion is likened to having blind eyes made to see.

Conversion is pictured as a dead person being raised to a new life.Born again!

It is being given a new vision of God in Jesus Christ.

Something of what Saul of Tarsus outside Damascus.

Something of .

It is something of

It is the realisiation of being clothed by God.

Interesting to see a couple of other Isaiah refs…., – Jesus not blessed with any external beauty – weight of sorrows…no external marks of his beauty Hymn 522

Conversion of Jonathon Edwards

Not able to go to Church….leather book, no label in fathers Library…opened at random…Bible and eyes fell on these words:

"Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory forever and ever. Amen."

“As I was walking there and looking up,” he says, “to the sky and clouds, there came into my mind so sweet a sense of the majesty and grace of God that I know not how to express. I seemed to see them both in a sweet conjunction of holy majesty and majestic meekness, a high and great and holy gentleness in creation.”

I was brought to a new sense of things, to an inward sweet delight in God and divine things, quite different from anything I had ever experienced before. I began to have a new kind of apprehension and idea of Christ and the work of redemption and the glorious way of salvation by him.

Has anything like this happened? Change in direction because of a change in understanding and vision of Jesus Christ? Seek it! Not hopeless quest!

Beauty of the LORD transferred

People who inject heroin- chemically induced happiness and meaning…addiction…must have more….changes them…degrades their life and ultimately takes it away…similar but opposite…real happiness and meaning…new appetite..nothing else will do!

It is to grow in grace

Not saying that there isn’t hard work…discipline etc…but there needs to be a motivation at the root of it….needs to be an appetite for it!

Need of this kind of worship…experiencing more of the beauty of holiness!

Experience of beauty of holiness: John Flavel

Transforming vision of God.

Some chameleons change to become like background

Become like what you worship…Can’t see this and remain the same!

This beauty is available to all! – not determined genetically or by cosmetics etc.

Terminates in the glory of the final transformation – eternal tide of the beauty of holiness!

Transformed totally and forever by it!

Are we seeking this? Do we ask for this in our worship?