As God’s image bearers we are wired to be inclined towards beauty. Beauty is its own apologetic for the glory of God. I don’t have to convince someone of it but simply draw their attention to it. Beauty can be missed, but once seen it is seldom not magnified. Woven through the majestic storyline of Scripture is the revelation of “the beauty of the Lord.” Yet, this wonderful phrase is often neglected and misunderstood.

Defining the Beauty of the Lord

What is the beauty of the Lord? Well, to let Scripture interpret Scripture for a moment, the beauty of the Lord is the splendor of His majesty (Ps. 96:6), the shining perfection of His glorious character (Ps. 50:2), seen by the works of His hands (Ps. 19:1), and experienced by the brilliance of His holiness and goodness (Ps. 29:2). Author and theologian Jonathan King defines beauty as “an intrinsic quality of things which, when perceived, pleases the mind by displaying a certain kind of fittingness.”^[1] He goes on to say that “the existence of beautiful things requires, if you will, the existence of a Beautifier.”^[2] Thus, beauty is inherent to God and reflective of everything He is, says, and does. Therefore, beauty could be considered an attribute of God, not merely an adjective of His awe-inspiring attributes. To put it another way, beauty is not a discrete subjective observation or opinion but is a divine and objective quality of the Person of God in the Holy Trinity.

Beauty is not a discrete subjective observation or opinion but is a divine and objective quality of the Person of God in the Holy Trinity.

To state the matter further, author Don Stewart summarizes,“The beauty of the Lord can be defined as God possessing everything in His character that is desirable. Everything that is good and righteous has its ultimate fulfillment in the God of the Bible.”^[3] So if everything desirable is found in the character of our Creator, how does the revelation of God’s beauty require us to respond?

While this short list is certainly not exhaustive, there are three clear ways Scripture calls us to respond to the beauty of the Lord. We are called to “gaze on God’s beauty” (Ps. 27:4), “display God’s beauty” (Is. 61:3), and “proclaim God’s beauty” (Isa. 52:7; Rom 10:15). Let’s unpack these a bit further so that this week we might begin gazing on, displaying, and proclaiming God’s beauty in a fresh way.

Gaze On the Beauty of the Lord

At the apex of one of David’s most popular psalms, Psalm 27, is verse four, where his supreme heart cry and chief desire emerge. The fact that David expresses his desire for the presence of God in the way of “gazing on the beauty of the Lord” implies that God’s beauty can be seen and perceived. But how? Well, in the words of King again, “The outward beauty of God is expressed and perceivable in his work of creation, redemption, and consummation.”^[4] The word “gaze” as used here means to perceive; to contemplate with pleasure; or to have a vision of something, or in this case, of Someone.

So, this week ask the Lord to open your physical and spiritual eyes. Gaze upon God’s beauty in the works of His hands in creation. See it in the sunrise. Feel it in the wind moving the trees. Taste it in your morning cup of coffee. Smell it in this spring’s first bloom of flowers. Hear it in the laughter of your children. Regenerated eyes will see the beauty of the Lord everywhere, especially within the story of redemption revealed in the Scriptures and put on display in your own life. Furthermore, you will get a vision of God’s beauty yet to be revealed as we eagerly await the consummation of all His glorious promises in Christ.

Regenerated eyes will see the beauty of the Lord everywhere, especially within the story of redemption revealed in the Scriptures and put on display in your own life.

Our eyes have a thirst for beauty which nothing in this world can quench. But one glance upon the beauty of the Lord is enough to satisfy us for a lifetime.

Display the Beauty of the Lord

Right on the heels of the marvelous calling the Lord anointed Israel towards—which was fulfilled in the person and ministry of Christ—is the incredible phrase that those anointed by God are meant to “display God’s beauty” (Isaiah 61:3). There is a Scriptural principle that we become like what we behold, or we are formed by what we worship (Ps.115:8). When we behold the beauty of the Lord, is it not fitting that we become like Him in every way? This is a vital aspect of being created in the image of God—He divinely designed us to mirror and reflect His glory and beauty to the world.

Our eyes have a thirst for beauty which nothing in this world can quench. But one glance upon the beauty of the Lord is enough to satisfy us for a lifetime.

I love the way the Apostle Paul puts it in 2 Corinthians 3:18, where he writes, “We all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another.”

Returning to Isaiah 61, like the slow growth of an oak tree, we have a calling as God’s anointed people to display the beauty of the Anointed One in an ever-increasing way through our thoughts, words, and actions.

We have a calling as God’s anointed people to display the beauty of the Anointed One in an ever-increasing way through our thoughts, words, and actions.

Proclaim the Beauty of the Lord

The beauty of the Lord is most prominently seen in the good news of the gospel. You cannot and must not attempt to put God’s beauty in a box, for it’s meant to reign throughout all the earth. The message of God’s peace, happiness, and salvation is meant to be spread until “all the ends of the earth see the salvation of our God” (Isa 52:10). This why the prophet declares, “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news” (Isa. 52:7). Picking up on this theme from under the New Covenant, the once-persecutor-turned-preacher, Paul, turns our attention to the beautiful necessity of those who have encountered the beauty of the Lord to preach and proclaim to those who have never heard.

The beauty of the Lord is most prominently seen in the good news of the gospel. You cannot and must not attempt to put God’s beauty in a box, for it’s meant to reign throughout all the earth.

To return to Jonathan King’s description of beauty as “displaying a kind of fittingness,” we can begin to see how gazing on, displaying, and proclaiming the beauty of the Lord cascade from one another. First, it is most fitting that all beauty stems from the One who is the Beautifier and meets all our desires from His glorious character. How could we not gaze upon the beautiful face of our Creator and Savior? This is why the ancient hymn writer declares, “It is good to sing praises to our God, for it is pleasant, and a song of praise is fitting” (Ps. 147:1). Next, our gazing will turn into displaying as we behold the beauty of the Lord. Finally, those who display the beauty of the Lord will capture the attention of the world in such a way that we will be asked to give a reason for the hope that is in us (1 Pet. 3:15). Furthermore, when we gaze on and display the beauty of the Lord, we will be among those “who cannot but speak (or proclaim) of what we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:20).

May we go forth this week with a fresh resolve to fervently gaze on, display, and proclaim the beauty of the Lord!

Copyright © 2025 Justin Jeppesen. All rights reserved.

^[1] King, Jonathan. The Beauty of the Lord: Theology as Aesthetics (Studies in Historical and Systematic Theology) (p. 23). (Function). Kindle Edition.

^[2] Ibid. p. 29

^[3]https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/stewart_don/faq/the-attributes-of-god-that-belong-to-him-alone/16-what-does-the-beauty-of-the-lord-mean.cfm

^[4] https://www.desiringgod.org/interviews/how-can-i-see-the-beauty-of-god