“To behold the beauty of the LORD.”
Psalm 27:4 (KJV) “One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple.”
David purpose is to pursue God’s presence, and he has a definite agenda: he wants to gaze on God’s splendour; he wants his vision filled with who God is.
To behold the beauty of God we must perceive him correctly, know his true nature, and understand that He in His person possesses all that is desirable. To behold His beauty is to see Him as excellent – to witness the perfection of His character. When we read about his attributes and actions in Scripture and perceive God as He really is, then we will find Him pleasurable and beautiful.
There is another way of talking about God’s beauty in Scripture that is even more common.
The biblical authors use the word ‘glory’ hundreds of times throughout Scripture to refer to God’s overwhelming beauty and worthiness. Glory can be defined as the essential worth and beauty of God. God’s glory or beauty defines who He is and makes Him unlike any other being in the universe. God’s beauty encompasses His holiness, justice, mercy, goodness, and truth—all the attributes that set Him apart.
Psalm 63:2-5 “So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory. Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands. My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food, and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips”
Isaiah 33:17 (NKJV) “Your eyes will see the King in His beauty;”
Psalms 50:2 (NKJV) “Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God will shine forth”
Isaiah 52:7 “How lovely on the mountains Are the feet of him who brings good news, Who announces peace And brings good news of happiness, Who announces salvation, And says to Zion, “Your God reigns!”
Romans 10:15b “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news of good things!”
The more we see His glorious beauty, the more we become like Him.
2 Corinthians 3:18 (NKJV) “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.”
God’s beauty is displayed in creation, redemption, and His leadership over history.
Psalm 63:1–2 (ESV) “O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory.”