Psalms 50:1-2 (ESV Strong's)
(A Psalm of Asaph.)
The Mighty One, God the Lord,
speaks and summons the earth
from the rising of the sun to its setting.
Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty,
God shines forth.
Tag: God Defines Beauty
As stated above, this is a “Psalm of Asaph.” Asaph was a song writer. As with most song writers, Asaph loves to use imagery to convey the truth or thought they wanted the reader to learn or hear. In this Psalm we are reading about God the judge of the earth. God is coming to judge the world and Asaph is calling us to praise Him for that. However, to start the song, Asaph states that God, the judge, who as issued a “summons” to the earth (to call them to judgment) is coming it of Jerusalem (Zion) and is the “perfection of beauty.” We have many things in this life we use to describe utilizing the word “beautiful.” We might say a newborn baby is “beautiful.” Men might say their spouse is “beautiful” (if they are smart). We might say a sunset is “beautiful.” W might even say a story was “beautiful.” But, we seldom say anything is the “perfection of beauty.” The entertainment and marketing world likes to show us what they believe is the “perfection of beauty.” Yet, they miss the mark as compared to what Asaph is using as the “perfection of beauty.” I love this passage from the first letter of Peter about women and “beauty:”
1 Peter 3:1-4 (ESV Strong's)
Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, when they see your respectful and pure conduct. Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious.
God knows beauty and created it and describes it. There is certainly nothing wrong with describing babies, wives, stories and sunsets with the term “beauty.” But, Asaph has given us the definition of “beauty.” God is the “perfection of beauty” and we would do well to worship Him in that way and ask that He transform us into that image, as well:
2 Corinthians 3:18 (ESV Strong's)
And 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. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.
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