Bible Studies

A STUDY OF PSALM 27 VERSE 4

by GLENN PEASE
01/31/22
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4. One thing I ask of the LORD,
this is what I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD
and to seek him in his temple.

INTRODUCTION

Scholars tell us that David wrote this Psalm when his son Absalom had rebelled against him and sent him on the run from his throne. His own son was his enemy, and many of his people followed him, and David was in exile. There was much ugliness all about him in his circumstances, and he longs for the house of God where all is peace and beauty. He longs for escape from the ugliness of his circumstances. Beauty is a great escape, and that is why winter weary people flee to Florida or hop over to Hawaii. That is why they flee the city to go to the beauty of the woods and lakes, or possibly the mountains. Beauty has healing power to restore the tired and weary.

Victor Frankl is famous for his writings about soldiers in Hitler's concentration camps, and on this issue he wrote, "As the inner life of the prisoner tended to become more intense, he also experienced the beauty of art and nature as never before…we were carried away by nature's beauty, which we had missed for so long. "In camp, too, a man might draw the attention of a comrade working next to him to a nice view of the setting sun shining through the tall trees of the Bavarian woods…Standing outside we saw sinister clouds glowing in the west and the whole sky alive with clouds of ever-changing shapes and colours, from steel blue to red…Then, after minutes of moving silence, one prisoner said to another, 'How beautiful the world could be.'" David is weary and need restoration, and he seeks it in the house of God and in gazing on the beauty of God. Of course the house of God itself is a thing of great beauty. The worship of God has always been surrounded with the beauty of expensive jewelry and gold and silver, and art work by skilled workmen. Solomon’s temple was greater than what David could imagine, but there was much beauty already in the house of God.

This is a favorite Scripture verse for many and Pastor Steve Zeisler writes, "If I had to choose the one verse in Scripture that has challenged and helped me most it would be verse 4 of Psalm 27. This is the one verse of Scripture I've had framed; it hangs on a wall in my study."

This verse divided into three major statements that we want to focus on, and the first is-

A. One thing I ask of the LORD,
this is what I seek:

1. "St. Thomas Aqunias tells of the Lord’s prayer and says it is a series of desires. In these 52 words in the Greek N. T we have a guide to all that is worthwhile in life. Here is the formula of our Lord for happiness. It is found in desiring the right things, and He gives us those right things.” "Jesus told us to go into our room and shut the door and deal with Him in secret with our desires. Prayer is a matter between you and God where you get your desires conformed to His will. Every seed begins its growth in the secrecy of the dark ground. We get to see the fruit of that growth, but the germination takes place in privacy and so it is with people. Growth begins in the privacy of the prayer life." Author unknown

1B. He concentrates his prayer on one thing. David was a specialist in the worship of God. He who does one thing with passion will be the best. He will not only ask it but seek it. He will not just wait, but go for it. He pursues that for which he prays. Matthew Henry wrote, "If he were to ask but one thing of God, this should be it; for this he had at heart more than any thing. He desired it as a good thing; he desired it of the Lord as his gift and a token of his favor. And, having fixed his desire upon this as the one thing needful, he sought after it; he continued to pray for it, and contrived his affairs so as that he might have this liberty and opportunity. Note, Those that truly desire communion with God will set themselves with all diligence to seek after it."

2. We know that David prayed for many other things as well, but he is focused here on his top priority. Nobody can specialize on one thing only, for life is too complicated for that, but we can choose which things are going to be first things first, and second things second, and so on down the line to those thing that are hard to get done because they are so far down the line from the rest. Unfortunately, it is the things of God that are those we have a hard time getting to, because we say they are of top priority, but we prove by our action that the things of the world are more important. By our words the will of God is at the top of the list of priorities, but by our walk it is near the bottom, and here is an area where the proverb is so true that actions speak louder than words.

3. Spurgeon wrote, "One thing. Divided aims tend to distraction, weakness, disappointment. The man of one book is eminent, the man of one pursuit is successful. Let all our affections be bound up in one affection, and that affection set upon heavenly things. Have I desired --what we cannot at once attain, it is well to desire. God judges us very much by the desire of our hearts. He who rides a lame horse is not blamed by his master for want of speed, if he makes all the haste he can, and would make more if he could; God takes the will for the deed with his children. Of the Lord. This is the right target for desires, this is the well into which to dip our buckets, this is the door to knock at, the bank to draw upon; desire of men, and lie upon the dunghill with Lazarus: desire of the Lord, and to be carried of angels into Abraham's bosom. Our desires of the Lord should be sanctified, humble, constant, submissive, fervent, and it is well if, as with the psalmist, they are all molten into one mass. Under David's painful circumstances we might have expected him to desire repose, safety, and a thousand other good things, but no, he has set his heart on the pearl, and leaves the rest. That will I seek after. Holy desires must lead to resolute action. The old proverb says, "Wishers and woulders are never good housekeepers, "and "wishing never fills a sack." Desires are seed which must be sown in the good soil of activity, or they will yield no harvest. We shall find our desires to be like clouds without rain, unless followed up by practical endeavours. That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life. For the sake of communion with the King, David longed to dwell always in the palace; so far from being wearied with the services of the Tabernacle, he longed to be constantly engaged in them, as his life long pleasure. He desired above all things to be one of the household of God, a home born child, living at home with his Father. This is our dearest wish, only we extend it to those days of our immortal life which have not yet dawned. We pine for our Father's house above, the home of our souls; if we may but dwell there for ever, we care but little for the goods or ills of this poor life. "Jerusalem the golden" is the one and only goal of our heart's longings."

4. One thing have I desired of the Lord, etc. Seeing David would make but one request to God, why would he not make a greater? for, alas! what a poor request is this--to desire to dwell in God's house? and what to do? but only to see? and to see what? but only a beauty, a fading thing, at most but to enquire; and what is enquiring? but only to hear news; a vain fancy. And what cause in any of these why David should make it his request to God? But mark, O my soul, what goes with it! Take altogether --to behold the beauty of the Lord and to enquire in his temple. And now tell me, if there be, if there can be, any greater request to be made? any greater cause to be earnest about it? For though worldly beauty be a fading thing, yet "the beauty of the Lord, "shall continue when the world shall fade away; and though enquiring after news be a vain fancy, yet to enquire in God's Temple is the way to learn there is no new thing under the sun, and there it was that Solomon learned that "all is vanity." Indeed, this "one thing, "that David desires, is in effect that unum necessarium that Christ speaks of in the gospel; which Mary makes choice of there, as David doth here. Sir Richard Baker.

5. Calvin wrote, "In my opinion, however, it appears a simpler interpretation to view the words as meaning, that although David was banished from his country, despoiled of his wife, bereft of his kinsfolk; and, in fine, dispossessed of his substance, yet he was not so desirous for the recovery of these, as he was grieved and afflicted for his banishment from God's sanctuary, and the loss of his sacred privileges. Under the word one, there is an implied antithesis, in which David, disregarding all other interests, displays his intense affection for the service of God; so that it was bitterer to him to be an exile from the sanctuary, than to be denied access to his own house."

6. "David says he has desired one thing of the LORD. Let us remember divided aims tend to distraction, weakness, and disappointment. Mary, the sister of Lazarus, and Martha were members of the ‘one thing’ club. Jesus said she found the one needed thing of sitting at His feet most important. Paul was a member of the ‘one thing’ group. He said, ‘This one thing I do forgetting that which is behind, I press toward the mark’. David says he is seeking or panting after this ‘one thing’. His ‘one thing’ was to dwell in the house of the LORD forever and behold His beauty. The beauty of the LORD, Isaiah said, was the holiness of the Lord. David’s desire was to ‘inquire’ of the LORD in His temple. The word, ‘inquire’, means to gain a deeper insight of knowledge." Author unknown

7. "Notice David's wholehearted commitment to this: One thing I've asked. All the days of my life. David has one single-minded desire, and this one desire will not fade for as long as he lives. What is it? He describes this desire in three phases: to dwell in God's house; to behold and gaze upon the Lord's delightful beauty; and to seek the Lord by inquiring or mediating in His temple. What's that mean - that we've got to live each day of our life inside the church? In terms of safety statistics, that's not a bad idea. 20% of all fatal accidents occur in automobiles; 17% of all fatal accidents occur at home; 16% of all fatal accidents occur in plans, trains, and boats; but only 0.001% of all fatal accidents occur in church, so obviously the safest place to be is in church, as much as possible! No, that's not really what David has in mind. What David means by this is that he wants to have a constant communion with God. He wants to spend a lot of time being alone with God in prayer and with His Word. He wants to be close to God by always practicing the presence of God and always be studying the Bible and meditating on God's character. David longed to always have an open close fellowship between him and God, which includes feeling comfortable and at home and at peace in God's house." Author unknown

8. One thing, etc. A heavenly mind gathers itself up into one wish and no more. "One thing have I desired of the Lord, which I will require." Grant me thyself, O Lord, and I will ask no more. The new creature asks nothing of God, but to enjoy God: give me this, O Lord, and for the rest, let Ziba take all. I will part with all to buy that one pearl, the riches of heavenly grace. Jeremy Taylor.

9. One thing. The first thing, then, is David's choice, summarily described in the word, "one thing." So Christ confirmeth the prophet's word, while he called Mary's choice, "one thing." Lu 10:42. And that for these three reasons: First, because it is not a common but a chief good. If there be any good above it, it is not the chief good; and if there be any good equal unto it, it is not alone. Next, because it is the last end which we mind eternally to enjoy; if there be any end beyond it, it is not the last, but amidst, and a degree to it. All mids and ends are used for it, but it is sought for itself, and, therefore, must be but one. Thirdly, it is a centre whereunto all reasonable spirits draw. As all lines from a circle meet in the centre, so every one that seeketh happiness aright meeteth in the chief good, as the only thing which they intend, and, therefore, must be one. William Struther, in "True Happiness, or King David's Choice," 1633.

10. One thing. Changes, great changes, and many bereavements there have been in my life. I have been emptied from vessel to vessel. But one thing has never failed--one thing makes me feel that my life has been one; it has calmed my joys, it has soothed my sorrows, it has guided me in difficulty, it has strengthened me in weakness. It is the presence of God--a faithful and loving God. Yes, brethren, the presence of God is not only light, it is unity. It gives unity to the heart that believes it-- unity to the life that is conformed to it. It was the presence of God in David's soul that enabled him to say, "One thing have I desired of the Lord; "and in St, Paul's that enabled him to say, "This one thing I do." George Wagner, in the "Wanderings of the Children of Israel," 1862.

11. One thing. --One master passion in the breast,
Like Aaron's serpent, swallows up the rest. --Alexander Pope.

11B. Paul Tripp has a powerful paragraph on this one thing. "It's an incredible statement, one that I'm not sure I could honestly make. It's made even more powerful when you realize that it's written by a man who's under attack. His "one thing" isn't safety, or vindication, or victory. His "one thing" isn't power, control, or retribution. No, even under personal duress, the "one thing" that David wishes for is to be in God's house taking in the grandeur and glory of the beauty of the Lord. This desire was designed to be the central motivating desire of every person created by God and made in his image. And yet, this side of the Garden, it seems a statement that could only ever be made by a deeply devout human being. It does beg the question, "What's your one thing?" What's the "one thing" that your heart craves? What's the "one thing" that you think would change your life? What's the "one thing" that you look to for satisfaction, contentment, or peace? What's the "one thing" that you mourn that you've had to live without? What's the "one thing" that fills your day-dreams and commands your sleepy meditations? What's your one thing? The spiritual reality for many of us is that that "one thing" is not the Lord. And the danger in that reality is this; your "one thing" will control your heart and whatever controls your heart will exercise inescapable influence over your words, choices, and actions. Your "one thing" will become the one thing that shapes and directs your responses to the situations and relationships of your daily life. If the Lord isn't your "one thing," the thing that is your "one thing" will be your functional lord."

12. "Notice that David did not ask for literally "one thing", as the text reads, but a few things. David asks that he might "dwell in the house of the Lord"(v.4). He asks the Lord to be "gracious" to him(v.7). David asks to be taught the "way" of the Lord(v.11). And finally, he asks that he not be delivered "over to the desire of (his) adversaries"(v.12). Since David is clearly asking for many things, how is it true for him to say, "One thing I have asked from the Lord"? When David uses the word "one" he is not talking about quantity, but about priority. David is saying that the best thing God could give him is God. David is praying for a great many things, but the "one thing" he must have is the presence of God. If we believe this to be true, if David is correct, the implications for our life are staggering. If verse 4 is true, we can be joyful even if we are denied every earthly comfort. If our reputation suffers, if our material resources dwindle, if our health deteriorates, if we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, we can still exclaim that we fear no evil because God is with us. And, at the end of the day, God is all we need." Author unknown

13. Steve Zeisler, "The world says diversify, but the Scriptures hold up devotion as the height of wisdom. This one thing is what David tenaciously sought all the days of his life. In the New Testament Mary, the sister of Martha, is commended by our Lord because she rose above the clamor of the household, all the chores that needed to be done, not wondering what her friends would think, etc., to sit at the feet of her Master. She chose the best and it will not be taken from her, Jesus said. Mary stands in contrast to a man named Demas, who is described later, in Paul's writings. Even though there was a time when Demas served the Lord, at the end his epitaph, the last mention of him in Scripture is this, "Demas, having loved this present world, has deserted me. " (2 Tim. 4:10) Mary chose the best part, which would not be taken from her; Demas allowed himself to be seduced away. Sometimes our desire for the one thing that is worth having is dissipated by pure busyness. But David calls out in his prayer against both worldliness and busyness: "I only want one thing." David's single-mindedness is matched by his consistency. His longing will last all the days of his life."

14. "What advantage he promised himself by it. Could he but have a place in God's house, (1.) There he should be quiet and easy: there troubles would not find him, for he should be hid in secret; there troubles would not reach him, for he should be set on high, v. 5. Joash, one of David's seed, was hidden in the house of the Lord six years, and there not only preserved from the sword, but reserved to the crown, 2 Ki. 11:3. The temple was thought a safe place for Nehemiah to abscond in, Neh. 6:10. The safety of believers however is not in the walls of the temple, but in the God of the temple and their comfort in communion with him. (2.) There he should be pleasant and cheerful: there he would offer sacrifices of joy, v. 6. For God's work is its own wages. There he would sing, yea, he would sing praises to the Lord. Note, Whatever is the matter of our joy ought to be the matter of our praise; and, when we attend upon God in holy ordinances, we ought to be much in joy and praise. It is for the glory of our God that we should sing in his ways; and, whenever God lifts us up above our enemies, we ought to exalt him in our praises. Thanks be to God, who always causeth us to triumph, 2 Co. 2:14." Author unknown

B. that I may dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life

1. Note how all of this is so similar to the 23rd Psalm. He would dwell in the palace of the Lord and have perpetual fellowship. Maclaren says we desire as God’s children to be home with the Father. His aspiration is higher than the earthly house of God. The goal of life is God’s presence. He wants more than just a Sabbath but a lifetime of dwelling with God.

2. Gill wrote, "... here the place of divine worship seems to be meant, where the Lord granted his presence, and where to dwell the psalmist counted the greatest happiness on earth; he envied the very sparrows and swallows, that built their nests on the altars in it; and reckoned a day in it better than a thousand elsewhere; and to have the privilege of attending all opportunities in it, as long as he lived, is the singular request he here makes: the ends he had in view follow."

3. "And thus dwelt Hannah, the daughter of Phanuel, who is said, in the second of Luke, for the space of four score and four years not to have gone out of the temple. Not that she was there always, but often, saith Lyra; and venerable Bede to the same purpose. Not that she was never absent, no, not an hour; but for that she was often in the temple. And the same St. Luke, speaking of our Saviour's disciples, after they had seen him ascended into heaven -- "They returned," saith he, "to Jerusalem with great joy: and were continually in the temple, praising and blessing God," Luke 24:52-53. "The implications for us are clear. Our desire for communion with God must not simply be a Sunday desire. Our desire for communion with God must not simply manifest itself at a Bible study or a prayer meeting. And our desire for communion with God must not be limited to when things are going well. We, too, should desire to "dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of (our) life".

4. We love our mates and desire to dwell in a house with them all of our lives. If we love God, we should have this same desire to dwell with God in his house and have a perpetual fellowship and communion. This is not a physical house for us as it was for David, and the local church is not the same thing as the temple was to him. This can only be applied by developing a desire for a devotional life that is not a minute with God, or a 5 or 10 minute devotional reading and quick prayer. The goal is to desire to commune with God all day long. Some have been able to do this, but most of us cannot do it. Our minds need to be focused on many other things, and we do not have the capacity to be aware of God's presence continually.

4B. The point, however, is not what we can or cannot do, but what is our desire. David could not dwell in the temple all the days of his life either. In fact he could not even get there in his time of exile. But he could desire it, and that is what we can do. We can desire to be aware of the presence of God always. We can desire to experience perpetual fellowship with God. The desire is what will motivate us to come closer to the ideal even though we fall short all the time. Someone said, "But just because we are not batting a thousand does not mean we don’t try to get a hit the next time we are at the plate." Desire is itself a form of prayer, and so when we have a perpetual desire for fellowship with God, we are praying without ceasing. What this means to me is the desire for God's providential guidance in how I live a life of balance, but with the priority being the doing of that which pleases him. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 10:31 "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." This means that 24 hours a day we are to do everything in such a way that it pleases God, and that is equivalent to dwelling in the house of the Lord. It is living with God everywhere, for the whole universe is his house. "The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy him forever." This should be our strongest desire in life.

5. Steve Zeisler, "My parents have moved at least twice in the years since I left their home to be on my own. They now live in a condominium. Most of the furniture I grew up familiar with is now gone, having been replaced by new furniture. Yet, despite all the changes, when I walk into my parents house I feel at home. I can go to the refrigerator and help myself without having to ask anybody. I can put my feet up on the coffee table. I don't feel I have to make a good impression any more. (I have given up trying: they know me too well!) I have a real freedom to be who I am, to talk about things I like to talk about, to listen to other people and just be relaxed. I think that is what David is asking for here. He is saying, "The place I want to be most at home, most comfortable, most real, most secure, the place I know I will be certain I belong in is when I am face-- to-- face with the Lord, when I am in the very presence of God. That is what I am asking for. That is the single -- minded, consistent request of my heart-- that God will make me more and more at home in his presence.

To be in God's presence is to have an attitude of appreciation and delight, tasting and seeing that the Lord is good. God's face is toward us at all times but we have a choice about whether we will face him or not. We can choose whether or not we will rejoice because of him, seek to learn from him and come to recognize his handiwork in the events of our lives and in the world he has made. For some people nearness to God is frightening; for others it is irrelevant. David longed to be at home in the presence of God."

6. "We are called to live for the glory of God, and we have the opportunity to do this in every part of life. All of life is to be lived for God’s glory. Colossians 3:17 "And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him." This is a full time, 168 hour a week job. Friends, there is a spiritual dimension to every part of life. Being a Christian, a follower of Jesus Christ, ought to make a difference in all that we do, even in the small ordinary parts of life."Author unknown

all the days of my life

1. Calvin wrote, "He adds, too, steadiness of purpose, declaring that he will not cease to reiterate these prayers. Many may be seen spurring on with great impetuosity at first, whose ardor, in process of time, not only languishes, but is almost immediately extinguished. By declaring, therefore, that he would persevere in this wish during his whole life, he thereby distinguishes between himself and hypocrites.

We must, however, observe by what motive David was so powerfully stimulated. "Surely," some may say, "he could have called on God beyond the precincts of the temple. Wherever he wandered as an exile, he carried with him the precious promise of God, so that he needed not to put so great a value upon the sight of the external edifice. He appears, by some gross imagination or other, to suppose that God could be enclosed by wood and stones." But if we examine the words more carefully, it will be easy to see, that his object was altogether different from a mere sight of the noble building and its ornaments, however costly. He speaks, indeed, of the beauty of the temple, but he places that beauty not so much in the goodliness that was to be seen by the eye, as in its being the celestial pattern which was shown to Moses, as it is written in Exodus 25:40, "And look that thou make them after this pattern which was showed thee in the mount."

2. "He longed to see an end of the wars in which he was now engaged, not that he might live at ease in his own palace, but that he might have leisure and liberty for a constant attendance in God's courts. Thus Hezekiah, a genuine son of David, wished for the recovery of his health, not that he might go up to the thrones of judgment, but that he might go up to the house of the Lord, Isa. 38:22. Note, All God's children desire to dwell in God's house; where should they dwell else? Not to sojourn there as a wayfaring man, that turns aside to tarry but for a night, nor to dwell there for a time only, as the servant that abides not in the house for ever, but to dwell there all the days of their life; for there the Son abides ever. Do we hope that praising God will be the blessedness of our eternity? Surely then we ought to make it the business of our time." Author unknown
3. David Homer, "I Long to Be Always in His Presence--Dwelling in His presence, remaining always in the house of the Lord, all the days of my life, will radically reverse the way I see the presence of evil around me.--While I am in His presence, the threat the enemies of the good would normally pose are revealed for what they really are...pitiful attempts to disarm the Ancient of Days with the squeaky protests of defeated adversaries!"

C. to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD
and to seek him in his temple.

1. David is saying that he could see the unseen. He could gaze upon the invisible, for the beauty of God is in his attributes, but these are not visible tangible things. He could behold the glory of God in his nature and character. To actually see the glory and beauty of God in a visible way would lead to being vaporized instantly. It would be like opening your eyes ten feet from the Sun. You would be incinerated in a fraction of a second. If you saw the Raiders of the Lost Ark you saw the power of God's glory as it was seen in the opening of the Ark, and all who saw it were melted in the presence of such glory. David is not writing about seeing that kind of glory, for he would have to go behind the forbidden veil into the holy of holies, and that would mean certain death. He is referring obviously to the beauty of who God is, and all of us can see what God has revealed of himself in his world and Word. We do not have to go to the temple, but can gaze on his revelation of himself anywhere we are at.

1B. Gazing on God's beauty is the essence of worship, for beauty creates love and praise. Beauty is the foundation of love. You see someone who is attractive and you pursue them until you love them. Beauty is the first step toward love. The beauty of the flower draws the bee and other insects, and their love of the flowers sweetness produces fruit and more life. Animals have beauty that attracks the opposite sex, and this leads to reproduction. So it is in humans, for God made beauty to be the key agent in producing love, and then by love reproducing life. To gaze on God's beauty is the beginning of the highest form of love. You cannot love God with all your heart until you are aware of his beauty, and the more you fall in love with his beauty, the more you want to reproduce other believers. David was a great evangelist in winning people to praise God and sing in adoration of his wondrous beauty. He produced most of the praise songs that people sang in worship. He was captured by the beauty of God, and in love sought to capture others to join him in praise to the God of beauty.

1C. Though it is true that we all love beauty, the fact is we do not love beauty the way David did, for seldom to never have we made it our primary prayer, as he does in Ps. 27:4, that we be allowed to behold the beauty of God. I confess that it is not a prayer that I have offered often if ever before I studied the beauty of God. Maybe it would be a step in the right direction of spiritual growth to add God’s beauty to your prayer list. I have a hunch that we all miss a great deal of spiritual beauty because we are not really seeking it. Notice that it is just the one thing that David wants at this point in his life, and he is going to seek after it as well as ask God for it. He knows that God demands human cooperation in getting answers to prayer. We have to put forth an effort to help our prayers to be answered. He will not only ask it but seek it. He will not just wait but go for it. He pursues that for which he prays. "The reason David was compelled to "seek after" this attribute of God was simply because he was a child of God. "The works of the LORD are great, sought out of all them that have pleasure therein." (Ps. 111:2) If we truly are children of God, should we not have pleasure in seeking out the works of the LORD?" And this is specially so when seeking out the beauty of God himself.

1D. Beauty is hard to define, for it can be so different to different people. The gist of it is easy to grasp, however, for it menas that which gives pleasure to the mind and senses. It has unusual harmony, balance, form and color that appeals to our sense of what is the best of its kind. The Amplified version says, “To behold and gaze upon the sweet attractiveness and the delightful loveliness of the Lord” b) Young’s literal translation says, “To look on the pleasantness of God.” c) New Living Translation says, “Delighting in the Lord’s perfections”

1E. The implication of this verse is obvious; God is attractive in his very being. He is the kind of person we enjoy hanging out with, for he is appealing in his character in a way that makes us love him, for we know he loves us. People with great physical beauty can still be very mean and disagreeable people, but God’s beauty is both external and internal. God is light, and light is the source of all the beauty that can be seen by man, and so externally he is beautiful. But he is also internally beautiful, for his attributes cover all that we love about a person. He is love, kindness, goodness, truth, mercy, forgiveness, and a host of qualities that we appreciate in people that we love to be with. Andrew Gray comments on the ultimate representative of the beauty of God as he wrote, “Again the beauty of the Lord is seen in Christ. It is seen in Christ, for he is the brightness of the Father's glory, and the express image of his person; and he that hath seen Christ, hath seen the Father. The beauty of the Lord is seen in Christ, when we consider him as the Father's gift, and when we look to his offices, and to his character. The character of Christ was the finest spectacle of moral beauty which men or angels ever set their eyes on.”

1F. This being the case we have a better chance to gaze on the beauty of God than David did, for we have the beauty of God in Jesus Christ in a way that he could not imagine. We will study the beauty of Jesus at another time, but for now we are focusing on the Father, and the beauty that David longed to gaze upon. Old Testament saints were limited compared to us, but the fact is, they had a great deal more than we realize. He says in verse 4 that he wants to behold the beauty of the Lord.  And the word for behold is chazah, which means to examine in detail. He does not just want a quick glimpse of God’s glory. He wants to go over every detail like a girl sitting before her mirror before the prom. And then David says he will "inquire of the Lord."  And this word is used in Lev. 13:36 for a doctor examining his patient to discover what ails the patient.  So David said I want to behold God, I want to examine Him, I want to discover more about God's character What this means is that there are endless possibilities in studying the beauty of God’s person. As long as this chapter is, it is small compared to what it could be if we wrote about the beauty of all God's attributes. This would be volumes upon volumes.

2. Beauty and Glory are basically the same thing. John Piper wrote, "Glory is like beauty. It's like greatness and magnificence and wonder and awesomeness. The sun's glory is its brightness. A basketball team's glory is the display of their great skill as they win the final game. A debater's glory is the excellence of his speech and logic. A judge's glory is his faithfulness to the law and his noble mingling of justice and mercy. Glory is the shining out of greatness and excellence. God's glory is the shining out, the radiance, of his greatness and perfection. He is perfect and infinitely great in all that he is. His glory is the beauty of his infinitely wonderful and great and perfect attributes."

3. A number of verses refer to the beauty of God.
1 Chronicles 16:29, Give unto the LORD the glory [due] unto his name: bring an offering, and come before him: worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.
Psalms 29:2, Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.
Psalms 90:17, And let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us: and establish thou the work of our hands upon us; yea, the work of our hands establish thou it.
Psalms 96:9, O worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness: fear before him, all the earth.
Isaiah 28:5, In that day shall the LORD of hosts be for a crown of glory, and for a diadem of beauty, unto the residue of his people.

4. "He would dwell in God's house, not for the plenty of good entertainment that was there, in the feasts upon the sacrifices, nor for the music and good singing that were there, but to behold the beauty of the Lord and to enquire in his temple. He desired to attend in God's courts, (1.) That he might have the pleasure of meditating upon God. He knew something of the beauty of the Lord, the infinite and transcendent amiableness of the divine being and perfections; his holiness is his beauty (Ps. 110:3), his goodness is his beauty, Zec. 9:17. The harmony of all his attributes is the beauty of his nature. With an eye of faith and holy love we with pleasure behold this beauty, and observe more and more in it that is amiable, that is admirable. When with fixedness of thought, and a holy flame of devout affections, we contemplate God's glorious excellencies, and entertain ourselves with the tokens of his peculiar favour to us, this is that view of the beauty of the Lord which David here covets, and it is to be had in his ordinances, for there he manifests himself. (2.) That he might have the satisfaction of being instructed in his duty; for concerning this he would enquire in God's temple. Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? For the sake of these two things he desired that one thing, to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of his life; for blessed are those that do so; they will be still praising him (Ps. 84:4), both in speaking to him and in hearing from him." Author unknown

5. Spurgeon wrote, "That is, to gaze upon the mystery of God in Christ, for is not Christ “the beauty of the Lord?” He is rightly called “the brightness of his Father’s glory, and the express image of his person;” So all that we need on earth, or in heaven, is a perpetual vision of Jesus Christ: “to behold the beauty of the Lord,” and constantly to be enabled to present our petitions in his temple, and to receive gracious answers of peace to our supplications. “Father, my soul would fain abide Within thy temple, near thy side; But if my feet must hence depart, Still keep thy dwelling in my heart.”

5B. “You are so beautiful to me Even though I can’t see You with my eyes. Your Majesty, The Glorious One, Our King Divine, God’s Very Son,I bow before Your Holiness, And marvel at Your Righteousness But it’s what I can see You do  That really draws me close to You: The lame who walk, the blind who see, The wild one in the tombs set free. The leper touched, the child raised up, The night you drank the bitter cup. Compassion, love and purity, So merciful, humility. The tears that flowed for sinners lost, The price you paid upon the cross. E’en though abused by those You love You still want them with You above. All this and more is why I sing To You who are my Lord and King You are so beautiful to me. I want to praise You with my life.” Author unknown

5C. Spurgeon again wrote, " To behold the beauty of the Lord. An exercise both for earthly and heavenly worshippers. We must not enter the assemblies of the saints in order to see and be seen, or merely to hear the minister; we must repair to the gatherings of the righteous, intent upon the gracious object of learning more of the loving Father, more of the glorified Jesus, more of the mysterious Spirit, in order that we may the more lovingly admire, and the more reverently adore our glorious God. What a word is that, "the beauty of the Lord!" Think of it, dear reader! Better far--behold it by faith! What a sight will that be when every faithful follower of Jesus shall behold "the King in his beauty!" Oh, for that infinitely blessed vision! And to enquire in his temple. We should make our visits to the Lord's house enquirers' meetings. Not seeking sinners alone, but assured saints should be enquirers. We must enquire as to the will of God and how we may do it; as to our interest in the heavenly city, and how we may be more assured of it. We shall not need to make enquiries in heaven, for there we shall know even as we are known; but meanwhile we should sit at Jesus' feet, and awaken all our faculties to learn of him."

6. There is a magnatism in beauty that draws us to it. It is attractive, and draws us like the flower draws the bee and butterfly. They want the sweetness that the flower holds, and so it is with the beauty of God. He attracts us, for we desire the sweetness of knowing him and the power that can be ours by partaking of his attributes. There is honey in the Lord, and when we partake of it, we become sweeter people, and more attractive people that bring glory to our God, for he is praised for what he has done in our lives to make us beautiful people. Someone wrote, " Beholding the beauty of God is the key to becoming beautiful people."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." 2Cor. 3:18. God made us in His image, but we fell and scarred that image so that there is much ugliness in us. The only way to get back to what God intended and to be beautiful again is to have a positive relationship to the God of beauty, and the Savior He provided to restore our beauty, as the beauty of holiness."

7. Our focus is to be on the beauty of God, but the beauty of his works are not to be neglected, for they are designed to attract us to him. Calvin wrote, "..temples have still their beauty, which deservedly ought to draw the affections and desires of the faithful to them. The Word, sacraments, public prayers, and other helps of the same kind, cannot be neglected, without a wicked contempt of God, who manifests himself to us in these ordinances, as in a mirror or image.” To be attracted to beauty was God’s will, and still is. Beauty and God are linked from the beginning of creation."

7B. Dr. B. B. Warfield writes about how we tend to look at windows rather than look through them when it comes to nature. “A glass window stands before us. We raise our eyes and see the glass; we note its quality, and observe its defects; we speculate on its composition. Or we look straight through it on the great prospect of land and sea and sky beyond. So there are two ways of looking at the world. We may see the world and absorb ourselves in the wonders of nature. That is the scientific way. Or we may look right through the world and see God behind it. That is the religious way. The scientific way of looking at the world is not wrong any more than the glass-manufacturer’s way of looking at the window. This way of looking at things has its very important uses. Nevertheless the window was placed there not to be looked at but to be looked through; and the world has failed of its purpose unless it too is looked through and the eye rests not on it but on its God."

7C. Albert Camus the famous French atheist could see that beauty was real and spoke of something beyond man, but he could not see through the window, and he wrote, "At the heart of all beauty lies something inhuman, and these hills, the softness of the sky, the outline of these trees at this very minute lose the illusory meaning with which we had clothed them, henceforth more remote than a lost paradise... that denseness and that strangeness of the world is absurd." Beauty was absurd, for he could not see the mind behind it all. It was just meaningless order and harmony of material. Such is that which they see who have no God. Confucius was right when he said, "Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it." W. Somerset Maugham said, "Beauty is an ecstasy; it is as simple as hunger. There is really nothing to be said about it. It is like the perfume of a rose: you can smell it and that is all." But he was wrong, you can say thank you Lord for making this rose smell so pleasant. All beauty leads us back to God if we are aware of his presence as the author of the beauty and one standing along side of us enjoying it with us.

8. David Hoke, “Many Christians need to learn the value of what it means to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD Take time to enjoy the glory of the Lord. Consider His love for you. Take time to think about how patient He is with you. Look closely at His mercy. Analyze His compassion and tender care. We all need to spend time looking at Christ from every conceivable viewpoint. As we would take a diamond and hold it to the light, slowly turning it to enjoy all of its glory as the light passes through each facet, so we need to carefully consider Jesus. He is altogether lovely. We need to take time to enjoy Him, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD"

9. David Homer, "I Long to Behold His Beauty--When I see the overwhelming beauty and majestic splendor of the Lord, the ugliness of evil no longer commands my attention anymore than the compost in the garden obscures the glory of the roses...it is no less there, but the beauty of the one holds our gaze when once we lift our eyes to behold it.--God’s glory fills the earth; fallen though it is and as filled with corruption as it is, we either choose to behold the beauty of the Lord or to become obsessed with the rotting shell of what is passing away."

10. Andrew Gray wrote, "Another thing, which we may call an element of beauty in God, is the combination of his various attributes in one harmonious whole. The colours of the rainbow are beautiful, when taken one by one: but there is a beauty in the rainbow, which arises not from any single tint; there is a beauty in it which would not exist if the several hues were assumed in succession--a beauty which is a result of their assemblage and collocation, and consists in their blended radiance. In like manner so the several perfections, which coexist and unite in the nature of God, produce a glorious beauty. Holiness is beautiful; mercy is beautiful; truth is beautiful. But, over and above, there is a beauty which belongs to such combinations and harmonies as the psalmist describes, when he tells us, "Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other." "Thy mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens; and thy faithfulness reacheth unto the clouds. Thy righteousness is like the great mountains; thy judgments are a great deep, "etc."

11. Gray adds, "Again the beauty of the Lord is seen in Christ. It is seen in Christ, for he is the brightness of the Father's glory, and the express image of his person; and he that hath seen Christ, hath seen the Father. The beauty of the Lord is seen in Christ, when we consider him as the Father's gift, and when we look to his offices and to his character. The character of Christ was the finest spectacle of moral beauty which men or angels ever set their eyes on. III. We conclude by noticing some traits of the beauty of the Lord. 1. It never deceives. 2. It never fades. 3. It never loses its power. 4. It never disappoints. Condensed from Andrew Gray (1805-1861), in "Gospel Contrasts and Parallels."

12. The beauty of the Lord. The Lord's beauty, to be seen in his house, is not the beauty of his essence, for so no man can see God and live Ex 23:18,20; before this glorious beauty the angels cover their faces with their wings Isa 6:1-2; but it is the beauty of his ordinances, wherein God doth reveal to the eyes of men's minds, enlightened by his Spirit, the pleasant beauty of his goodness, justice, love, and mercy in Jesus Christ. Thomas Pierson, M.A., 1570-1633.

13. The beauty of the Lord. "Beauty" is too particular a word to express the fulness of the Holy Ghost, the pleasantness or the delight of God. Take the word in a general sense, in your apprehensions. It may be the object of all senses, inward and outward. Delight is most transcendent for pleasantness; for indeed God in his ordinances, is not only "beauty" to the eye of the soul, but is ointment to the smell, and sweetness to the taste, and all in all to all the powers of the soul.

14 The reference here is to the beauty or loveliness of the divine character as it was particularly manifested in the public worship of God, or by those symbols which in the ancient worship were designed to make that character known. In the tabernacle and in the temple there was a manifestation of the character of God not seen elsewhere. The whole worship was adapted to set forth his greatness, his glory, and his grace. Great truths were brought before the mind, fitted to elevate, to comfort, and to sanctify the soul; and it was in the contemplation of those truths that the psalmist sought to elevate and purify his own mind, and to sustain himself in the troubles and perplexities of life."

15. To adore the Lord in all His beauty is the goal of worship and life. To see God is to praise Him. To see the King in His beauty, the majesty of His garments, the royal throne, and the light of the gems and the glory of the angelic attendants. It is beauty beyond our grasp. God is attractive. He is light and like the rainbow all the colors are in that light. All of His attributes are some aspect of light. God outlined some of his attractive and appealing qualities to Moses, as recorded at Exodus 34:6, 7: "Jehovah, Jehovah, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abundant in loving-kindness and truth, preserving loving-kindness for thousands, pardoning error and transgression and sin."

16. Of my Lord, one thing I seek,
One thing my heart desires--
That I may dwell within His house;
To such my soul aspires

Within His Temple I'll inquire
(Oh, how I long to see!)
And know about the things that Christ
Hath there prepared for me!

And there I may thus, then, behold
The beauty of His face,
Where loveliness and majesty
His Being interlace.

~Poem By Eva Gray ~

17. Beauty is an important part of secular life as well as spiritual life. Joan L. Roccasalvo has written some meaningful words about this that I want to share, for it magnifies the need for the beauty of God for those who want life on a higher level than that of the secular world. We need it all for the good life, but those who have the beauty of the natural world, and not the beauty of knowing God are missing the best. She wrote, "Whoever wishes to live meaningfully must experience beauty in body, mind and spirit. Why is this so? Because beauty fills our need for enjoyment and delight in the heightened way we feel, think and act. It affects us in the very way we live. Love of the beautiful is a quintessential human quality, for beauty is to life what air is to living. Beauty lightens daily burdens. The experience of beauty affects our subconscious and penetrates to the deepest levels of the psyche. Today we gasp for the lack of it!

17B. Roccasalvo continues, "A person deprived of beauty is like a person deprived of love. A person cannot attain happiness without beauty—sensible, intellectual or religious. The point is to live in such a way that the pleasure derived from beauty is morally good and of high quality.[5] The experience of beauty brings with it something good, true and uplifting. It makes a person more completely human. Ugliness brings the opposite. Surely, ugliness captures our attention, but however fascinating, it cannot uplift us or give wholesome pleasure. Ugliness denigrates us as human beings. Beauty enables people to rise above the daily grind and contributes to an ordered society. A nation cannot function properly without the beauty of religious and national celebrations, parks and playgrounds, art exhibits, musical and literary performances. Deprived of beauty for any length of time, society seeks other forms of pleasure, often vulgar and offensive to the dignity of the human spirit."

17C. Phillip Yancy has this interesting note: “During the days of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution in China in the 1960s, Chairman Mao dismissed beauty as a bourgeois concept. Red Guards closed flower shops and ordered people to destroy their gold fish. Everyone dressed alike, in unisex, unicolor uniforms. China became a drab society, on the surface at least. What actually happened, as later became clear, was the beauty went underground. Women cultivated flowers in their homes and wore brightly colored blouses under their gray Mao jackets. Children hid jars of gold fish under their beds. Until government policy changed, bringing it back into the open, beauty existed as a kind of dangerous hidden secret-a rumor of another world.”

17D. A healthy society and a healthy personal life demands the presence of beauty in many forms. We need to look up to God's beauty as our primary focus, but this does not mean we should not look around and be thankful for the beauty God had given us everywhere. I express it in my poem-

I PRAISE YOU LORD FOR ALL OF THESE,
THE BUZZ OF BEES, THE BIRDS IN TREES;
THE SOFTLY BLOWING EVENING BREEZE;
EVEN POLLEN THAT MAKES ME SNEEZE.
NOTHING OF SPRING CAN ME DISPLEASE.
LORD I THANK YOU FOR ALL OF THESE.

I PRAISE YOU LORD FOR ALL OF THOSE,
THE SUN THAT GLOWS ON CRIMSON ROSE;
THE CROPS FROM WHICH THEY MAKE MY CLOTHES
THE LOVELY SMELLS THAT REACH MY NOSE
BEAUTY THAT INSPIRES RHYME AND PROSE
LORD I THANK YOU FOR ALL OF THOSE.

I PRAISE YOU LORD FOR ALL OF THIS
THE PEACEFUL BLISS, THE MOON LIGHT KISS
THE BUTTERFLY FROM CHRYSALIS
FLOWERS BRIGHT FROM DARK ABYSS.
ABSENCE OF THE PESSIMIST
LORD I THANK YOU FOR ALL THIS.

I PRAISE YOU LORD FOR ALL OF THAT
THE FRISKY CAT, THE FRIGHTNING BAT.
THE SIBLING THAT CAN BE A BRAT;
COWS THAT EAT TILL THEY GET FAT.
GREAT THINGS ARE EVERYWHERE YOU’RE AT
LORD I THANK YOU FOR ALL OF THAT.

I PRAISE YOU LORD FOR EVERYTHING
YOUR LOVE CAN BRING, IN TIME OF SPRING
THE THINGS THAT CRAWL, THE THINGS THAT SWING
THE THINGS THAT SWIM OR GO BY WING.
THEY ALL JOIN IN AND WITH ME SING
LORD I THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING.

17E. It is one of our greatest pleasures in life to enjoy the beauty of what God has created. It is a fallen world, but even as defective as it is, it is so beautiful that man is compelled to reproduce it in paintings and art of all kinds so that we can bring it inside our homes, churches and other buildings to enjoy when we are not outside to see it. But as awesome as all the beauty that God created is, our focus needs to first be on Author of all that beauty. Augustine said, “Now all things are beautiful because You have made them, but behold, You are inexpressibly more beautiful, who made them all.” Someone else said, “The beauty of God is vast. To enjoy flowers for their loveliness is good, but far greater it is to see behind their purity and beauty the face of God.”

18. God is beautiful in the ultimate way, for he is absolute beauty with no defect. He is the creator of all beauty, and he made man in his imgage so that he too would be a creator of beauty. Someone wrote, "All the beauty and harmony and wonder of his creation is due to God's love of beauty, or, which is the same thing, his love of Himself. His love of beauty is the origin of art, of music, of architecture, and all forms of creativity that produce beauty. The beauty of mankind is due to the fact that God made humans in his image with a greater degree of beauty than in any other creature. It is not that we are more glorious than the peacock's feathers, but that we have the beauty of minds that can appreciate the beauty of the peacock's feathers. We can comprehend the awesome beauty of God's creation as no other earthly creatures can. Man, even in his fallen condition, can appreciate the beauty of God's wonders. His truth they can shut out, but his beauty is impossible to ignore." Man cannot ignore the beauty of God's creation, but they can ignore the beauty of his person, and this is the greatest folly of man, for it leads to missing beauty that lasts forever, and this is the beauty that David longed for, and the beauty we must all desire to be living the abundant life Jesus wants us to enjoy. Again I quote, "The chief end of man is to glorify God, and enjoy him forever."

19. We enjoy God's beauty in both his Word and his world, for they are like two sides of a coin to those who acknowledge God as creator and redeemer. So much of the poetry about God's beauty is a focus on the beauty of what he has done in creation. An unknown poet penned the following:

I see God's beauty everywhere
it's everywhere I look,
I see it high upon a mountain-top
flowing with a brook,
I see it in the heaven's above
where angels sign His praise,
I see it on a star-lit night
it's everywhere I gaze,
I see God's beauty everywhere
upon a small child's face,
I see it in a mother's eyes
her baby in sweet embrace,
I see His beauty as the sun come's up
breaking the dawn of day,
I see it in the moon so bright
it's glow to light our way,
I see it in all of His children
while helping other's out,
Spreading His love, as they go
that's what love is all about,
God's beauty cannot be matched
it's His glorious work of art,
His graceful hand, poetry in motion
created from His loving heart

20. The paradox of seeking to gaze on God's beauty is, according to John Piper, the reality of the joy of it is followed by the frustration that our sinful nature cannot live up to the fullness of joy that should come with it. We fall in love with God's gift more than with God himself. Natural beauty in his creation captures our attention to the point that we forget to gaze on the beauty of his person. Augustine wrote, "I was astonished that although I now loved you . . I did not persist in enjoyment of my God. Your beauty drew me to you, but soon I was dragged away from you by my own weight and in dismay I plunged again into the things of this world . . . as though I had sensed the fragrance of the fare but was not yet able to eat it." In other words, there is a feast that awaits us in the gazing on God's beauty, but we do not have the spiritual appetite sufficient to enjoy it fully.

21. Dr. Craig Nelson wrote about how we can stop short of gazing on God by getting so caught up in the beauty of his creation. "Deeply rooted in every human heart is an unquenchable longing for beauty, a God-given sense that beauty must have a meaning that is larger and more permanent than ones own self. It can arouse pleasure, delight and even bring rest. Every person longs to observe and be a part of beauty as they seek for a rare glimpse of greatness and yearn for a vision of glory. People are moved by music - the words of a poet - the work of an artist - a new born child - the uniqueness of all living creatures - the multicolored hues of a sunset - the brilliance of a sun rise - the majesty of mountain peaks - the melodic sound of a waterfall - the wind rustling through the leaves - the simplicity of a flower - the lightness of a snow flake.

These things cultivate ones sensory awareness and expand the consciousness in a way that creates an ever deepening appreciation of creation. Yet, they are all but token twinkles and shimmering shadows of the beauty of God that has been intricately woven through the fabric of all creation to instill within a deep hunger to know true beauty Himself. The reason people are attracted to beauty and long to be attractive and wanted by another is because God is the ultimate Beautiful One. He is the absolute original pattern of all other beauty. He made mankind to long for Himself because He sees each person as beautiful and longs for intimacy with them. Anything less than knowing God will leave one unsatisfied."

22. Dr. Nelson concludes, "The Prophets Daniel and Isaiah were also given a glimpse into the beauty realm of the Beautiful God. It so overwhelmed Isaiah that he cried out, "Woe to me!"…"I am ruined!” (Isa 6:5 NIV) The breathtaking beauty of God ruined him forever. He could no longer be content with what the world had to offer. Any Christian who seeks after God with their entire being will also be ruined forever as they will take on the beautiful “fragrance of Christ” (2 Cor 2:15 NKJV) and become His reflection. The cares of the world and what it offers just won’t mean that much anymore because they will finally understand their true destiny; to “dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple.” (Ps 27:4 NIV) To be ruined means to never be the same, and we will never be the same once we really see the beauty of God. This means we are all in the same boat with David. We are praying and longing to be able to see our God in all his glory. This hungering and thirsting to partake of the feast of God's beauty is to be the motivation of our lives, for this will guarantee that we will always be pressing on and climbing upward toward the ultimate prize, which is the seeing of God.

23. God of all beauty and joy,
Grant unto us that this day we may share with thee
The purity of thy divine passion for beauty,
For beauty of form and of sound,
For beauty of thought and of expression of thought,
For beauty of action and of character,
For beauty of life and beauty of soul.

Give us thy perception, that we may hear
With thy divine joy,
The one deep-going harmony behind the clashing discords of this world.
Give us thine eyes, that we may see
With thy divine joy
All the radiant beauty of thy material world.

Give us thine eyes, to see indeed the disfigurement and the sin,
But to see through them the divine possibilities of beauty,
Which lie hidden beneath the loathsomeness.
Give us thine eyes, to see the perfect statue
In the rough-hewn weather-stained block;
To see the ideal manhood in the twisted, blackened villain.

Give us thy divine zeal for beauty,
That we may transform hideous places, hideous lives and hideous souls,
Into places fitted in beauty for thy habitation.

Into lives fitted in beauty for thy companionship,
Into souls fitted in beauty for thine indwelling,
Make us ambassadors of thy kingdom
In which all things beautiful are for ever preserved and perfected.
Author Unknown

24. Davon Huss has put together this list of the perfections of God. He wrote, (Mat 5:48 NIV) "Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect." The Lord is attractive, beautiful because he is perfect. He is perfect in:

1. Knowledge. (Isa 40:14 NIV) Whom did the LORD consult to enlighten him, and who taught him the right way? Who was it that taught him knowledge or showed him the path of understanding?

2. Holiness. When it is said that we are holy it means that we are set apart for God. When we talk about the Lord being holy it means that he is pure, free from anything that taints, impairs, infects, free from defects, faultless, free from sin or guilt, blameless. (Rev 4:8 NIV) Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under his wings. Day and night they never stop saying: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come."

3. Power. (Rev 1:8 NIV) "I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty."

4. Righteousness. He is always right. (Psa 119:142 NIV) Your righteousness is everlasting and your law is true.

5. Justice. (Psa 98:9 NIV) he (God) comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples with equity.

6. This could all be frightening, but the Bible says more about God. He is perfect in wisdom. (Dan 2:20 NIV) Daniel said: "Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever; wisdom and power are his.

7. Perfect in love. (Psa 100:5 NIV) For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.
8. In mercy. Don’t get what we deserve. (Psa 25:6 NIV) Remember, O LORD, your great mercy and love, for they are from of old.

25. Huss then goes on to show that these perfections are found in Jesus Christ who is the perfect image of the Father. He wrote,

1. Perfect in wisdom, knowledge. (Col 2:2 NIV) My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ,(Col 2:3 NIV) in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

2. Holy. (Heb 7:26 NIV) Such a high priest meets our need--one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens.

3. Power. (John 13:3) Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; (1 Cor 1:24 NIV) but to those whom God has called Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.

4. Righteousness. At Jesus’ crucifixion. (Luke 23:47) The centurion, seeing what had happened, praised God and said, "Surely this was a righteous man."

5. Justice. (2 Tim 4:1) God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead.

6. Perfect in love. John 3:16 and (1 John 4:9 NIV) This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. (1 John 4:10 NIV) This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

7. Perfect in mercy. We don’t get what we deserve, but we do get what we don’t deserve, that is grace. (John 1:14 NIV) The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.(John 1:16 NIV) From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another.(John 1:17 NIV) For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ."

and to seek him in his temple.

1. Barnes, "And to inquire in his temple - Or tabernacle. The word used here would be applicable to either, considered as the “palace” or the residence of Yahweh. As the temple was not, however, built at this time, the word must here be understood to refer to the tabernacle. The meaning of the passage is, that he would wish to seek instruction, or to obtain light on the great questions pertaining to God, and that he looked for this light in the place where God was worshipped, and by means of the views which that worship was adapted to convey to the mind. In a manner still more direct and full may we now hope to obtain just views of God by attendance on his worship. The Christian sanctuary - the place of public worship - is the place where, if anywhere on earth, we may hope to have our minds enlightened; our perplexities removed; our hearts comforted and sanctifed, by right views of God. Then, secondly, David says, "I will meditate in God's temple. I have been given a mind, intellectual capacity, as well. I have been given curiosity about the way things are. I have been given a desire to learn, a longing to find out about things, and that comes from God. In meditating or inquiring in the temple of God I will find that the needs of my mind are also met."

2. Seeking God in his temple is significant, for David is already outside where he can behold the glory and beauty of God's creation. That is not enough to satisfy his soul, and so he longs for the view of beauty he can get when he is in the temple and worshiping God. A focus on God's beauty is more important than a focus on the beauty of what he has made. All men can appreciate natural beauty, but only those who have a love for God can enjoy the awesome beauty of his person. Paul Tripp has some words of wisdom on this matter. He wrote, "All of the things have been painted with beauty, but it is not ultimate beauty. The beauty of the created world was never meant to be the beauty that would fill the eyes of our hearts. It was never meant to be the beauty to which we would look for satisfaction and peace. It was never meant to be the beauty that we would give ourselves to search for, live for, cry for, and die for. No, the physical glories of this created world are meant to be sign glories. The amazing beauty that surrounds us every day was designed to be sign beauty. All of the beautiful things that we see, touch, taste and hear every day, were designed to be signs that would point to the ultimate beauty that can only be found in the One who created them.....So, when you're looking at the beauty that surrounds you in the physical world that's your present home, require yourself to look beyond the signs to the stunning beauty of the God to whom each sign points. Only his beauty can give you hope, strength, and peace. Only his beauty can give you life."

2B. Martin Armstrong wrote about those who fall short of using their senses to go beyond the physical to the spiritual beauty all around them if they will look through the beauty to the author of it all.

Man, afraid to be alive,
Shuts his soul in senses five,
From fields of uncreated light,
Into the crystal tower of sight,
And from the roaring winds of space
Into the small flesh-carven space
Of the ear whose cave impounds
Only small and broken sounds;
And to the narrow sense of touch
From strength that held the stars in clutch
And from the warm ambrosial spice
Of flowers and fruits of paradise
To the frail and fateful power
Of tongues and nostrils sweet and sour,
And toiling for a sworded wage
Their in his self-created cage,
Oh, how safely barred is he
From menace of eternity.

2C. Wiser is the one who uses his senses to see beyond them.
Nothing fair on earth I see
But straightway think of Thee;
Thou asrt fairest in mine eyes,
Source in whom all beauty lies!

I cry in spring’s sweet hours,
When the fields are gay with flowers,
As their varied hues I see,
What must their Creator be! Lyra Germanica

2D. Gollancz quotes Traherne, "Your enjoyment of the world is never right, till every morning you awake in heaven; see yourself in your Father's palace; and look upon the skies, the earth, and the air as Celestial Joys; having such a reverent esteem for all, as if you were among the angels; the bride of a monarch, in her husband's chamber, hath no such causes of delight as you....

You never enjoy the world aright, till the sea itself floweth in your veins, till you are clothed with the heavens, and crowned with the stars, and perceive yourself to be the sole heir of the whole world, and more than so, because men are in it who are every one sole heirs as well as you. Till you can sing and rejoice and delight in God, as misers do in gold, and kings in sceptres, you never enjoy the world...All things were made to be yours, and you were made to prize them according to their value, which is your office and duty, the end for which you were created, and the means whereby you enjoy. The end for which you were created is that by prizing all that God has done, you may enjoy yourself and Him in blessedness."

3. The point is, David had to give special and specific attention to growing in the knowledge of God's beauty. It does not come by merely living, and even by seeing the beauty of his creation. He had to seek the Lord to grow. Someone wrote, "You are conscience of things like a sharp clap of thunder or the glare of headlights on an oncoming car and the ringing of the telephone. Other things you can only become conscience of as you direct attention to them, such as the contents of a book and the meaning of a conversation and a beauty of a sunset. You can ignore these things and be dimly aware of their existence, but you must give them attention as an act of the will for them to become real to you." So it is with the beauty and truth of God.

3B. Scripture makes it clear that knowing God in all the beauty of his being is the ultimate goal for joyful living. It make both you and God filled with delight. Just two passages, one from the O. T. and one from the N. T. make this so obvious.
"Thus saith the Lord, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the Lord which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the Lord." Jeremiah 9:23, 24.

"That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen." Ephesians 3:17-21.

3C. All that God is, is beautiful because all he is, is good, and we can love and appreciate it. God never does anything that is not consistent with his moral beauty of love and justice. Abraham said, “Shall not the God of all the earth do right?” And the answer is yes he will always do what is right. Only those who get a vision of who God is in the beauty of holiness can truly worship Him in Spirit and Truth. It is the beauty of art that enables us to enjoy it, and the beauty of music, and so on with all that people enjoy. When we do not study a subject deeply enough to get a vision of its beauty we will not enjoy it. And so it is with God. We need to know His beauty to adore Him, and this calls for study and time spent in getting to know God. If you never listen to classical music, or country western you will never learn to love and enjoy them, and so it is with God. Those who know him best enjoy him most. You can go to a concert or art show and see and hear the beauty and not know how to enjoy it because you do not grasp why it is beautiful to people who do grasp it. Only those who can hear and see the beauty get the pleasure of it.

4. An unknown author wrote these beautiful words:
O God, there is too little of You down here.
So very few seem to know You well;
so very few wish to know You well.
But there is within me a desire
to be filled to overflowing with You,
to let my soil-bound life become enveloped in Yours.
I want to look up into Your sanctuary
and let Your majesty and strength wash over me,
cleansing that part bound to the earth,
and elevating that part bound to You.

5. The ultimate experience of God's beauty will be in eternity in the New Jerusalem where there will be no more temple,but just the everlasting presence of God in light.
1. Beautiful Zion, built above;
Beautiful city that I love;
Beautiful gates of pearly white;
Beautiful temple—God its light;
He who was slain on Calvary
Opens those pearly gates for me.
[Chorus]
Zion, Zion, lovely Zion;
Beautiful Zion;
Zion, city of our God!
2. Beautiful heav’n, where all is light;
Beautiful angels clothed in white;
Beautiful strains that never tire;
Beautiful harps thru all the choir;
There shall I join the chorus sweet,
Worshiping at the Savior’s feet.
3. Beautiful crowns on ev’ry brow;
Beautiful palms the conq’rors show;
Beautiful robes the ransomed wear;
Beautiful all who enter there;
Thither I press with eager feet;
There shall my rest be long and sweet.
Text: George Gill, 1820–1880

6. Meanwhile we must live in this world where we have to put forth effort to behold the glory and beauty of God. We live in a world of too much to do, and so we need to make the following prayer our own.

I would like to think
that others are blind,
but I am not.
I would like to think
that I have
clarity of vision,
a penetrating insight
that lights my way.
I am good
at recognizing
the sight problems of others.
I am skilled
at pointing out
the gaps in their vision
and the blind spots
that alter how they
see
and the way they
respond.
I would like to
believe
that I have 20/20 vision,
but the evidence points
to the sad fact that
I don't.
I have the stunning ability
to look around
and not see You.
I see my
busy schedule
tasks to complete
problems to solve
people to see
demands to be met
things to repair
pressures to face
temptations to fight
pleasures to consume
things to build
things to tear down
plans to make
difficulties to survive
huge responsibilities
and short days.
I gaze at my life
every day
and again and again I fail
to see You.
It is a scary
reality,
humbling to admit.
Though this world
is filled with
Your glory,
I exist
so much of the time
glory blind.
In Your love
You created a world
that is a sight and sound
display
of Your magnificent
glory.
No matter from what perspective
we're looking,
no matter what vista
we're taking in,
no matter
where we're standing
and which way
we're gazing,
Your glory is visible
and evident.
Yet, again and again
I fail to see
Your beauty.
So I seek Your
healing
one more time.
Please place Your
powerful hands
on my broken eyes
and give me sight again.
Please place your
powerful hands
on my wayward heart
and make it seek again.
Don't let me be
so blinded
with me and mine,
that I fail to see
You.
For it's only
when my eyes
see Your
beauty,
and my heart
is filled with Your
glory
that I'll quit
seeking
identity
meaning
satisfaction
purpose
fulfillment
and life,
where it can't be found.
So I would pray
this simple prayer,
"Please touch me by
Your grace
so that there'll never
be a day
where I haven't
somehow
someway
gazed upon
Your beauty." posted by Paul Tripp Ministries

7. We have an advantage that David did not have, for God now does not limit his presence to the temple. The whole body of Christ is the temple of his Spirit, and God can reveal his beauty to us anywhere and at any time. Nigel Hemming wrote about feelling the beauty of God's presence.

You are warm like the sunshine
On a bright summer day
You are clear as the blue sky when the clouds have rolled away
You are gentle as the evening breeze
That blows against my face
And I love to be with You, Beautiful God
Oh I love to be with You, Beautiful God

You protect me with Your arms of love
And You take away my fear
I’m reaching out my hands to You
’Cause I know that you are near
Lord I’ll whisper words of tenderness
Which only You can hear
And I love to be with You, Beautiful God
Oh I love to be with You, Beautiful God

As my love for You grows strong
Close to You is where I long to be
As I gaze into Your eyes
Such a look of pure delight I see
Lord You’re smiling at me

8. Because God is ever present it is always at all time a valid prayer to make to God, which we have in Ps 90:17* And let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us: and establish thou the work of our hands upon us; yea, the work of our hands establish thou it." The word for beauty can also be translated favor, and some versions use favor, but the prayer is that we might have God's beauty rest on us so that we produce beauty in our lives. Another version has it, "And may the pleasantness of the Garden of Eden be upon us from the presence of the Lord our God, and the works of our hands will be established by him." A paraphrase goes-

And let the beauty of the Lord
Upon us still remain:
Lord, prosper thou our handy-work,
and still the same maintain.

Here is a prayer, not for the joy of seeing God's beauty, but for having his beauty rest upon us. It is what the New Testament theology calls the imparted grace of God, which is the work of the Holy Spirit in changing our nature to one of Christlikeness. It is Christ in us, and the Spirit in us giving us a new nature that fights with the old nature to bring beauty where once there was ugliness. People who have lived a godless life of sin are ugly people, but when they ask Jesus into their lives they become beautiful people.

9. I sit in a fairly dark room with no external windows. Outside is one of the most beautiful views on Athos. Yet I prefer to be here for the moment. Perhaps it reflects more my own reality. All that beauty does tell something of God. Yet, in fact, God is nothing like it. In the darkness of my soul he dwells, and I wait for the dark ray of that resplendent Divine Light so to possess my mind that nothing else will be able to take me from his Presence. Pennington, Basil. (1978). O Holy Mountain! Journal of a Retreat on Mount Athos.P.217.