Journal for Christ: To Gaze Upon Your Beauty Lord

January 22, 2018

Worship: Run (Isaiah 40:31) by After the Chase

Verse 1
I want to run deep into Your presence
Until there's nothing left of me
'Till my desires are all melted down
And You are all I want to be

Verse 2
I want to run fast into Your compassion
Where Your grace will set me free
And my heart will know Your mercy
And Your love will rule in me

Chorus
I want to run, run, run...run and not grow weary
I want to walk, walk, walk...walk and not grow faint
I want to soar on wings like eagles
You will renew my strength
I want to run...I want to run

Repeat Verse 1
Repeat Verse 2

Verse 3
I want to run far along Your pathway
Until my legs carry me no more
'Till You give me eagles wings
And with Your Spirit I can soar

Chorus

Bridge 1
Make my running steps into a dance that's what these legs are for
My eyes long for Your radiance, I need You more and more
The shadow of Your mercy is more than I can bear
My lips are all consumed by You, each word I know You're there

Bridge 2
Your fire rages through the night, You let me sing my song
No gift of voice without You
So I come before Your throne, I'm faded and weighed down
But I know that You will renew my strength
So for Your kingdom I will, I will
For Your kingdom I will, I will
For Your kingdom I will, I will

run, run, run...run and not grow weary
I want to walk, walk, walk...walk and not grow faint
I want to soar on wings like eagles
You will renew my strength
I want to run...I want to run

Lyrics: https://www.justsomelyrics.com/894062/after-the-chase-run-lyrics.html

Video: https://youtu.be/LeHxtmJz_Y8

Witness:

The wind is blowing intensely, causing a cacophonous melody to arise from my three windchimes hung outside by my back door. The sky which was grey most of the day is now a subdued blue and dashes of dark purple outlined clouds are splashed across it as the sun descends beyond the horizon. Such is my life lately as the turbulence of circumstances blows across my days making for an inharmonious melody in my daily reality. Sleep deprivation, financial stress, temptations, unfulfilled plans, unrequited desires, guilt, and anxiety, are the dark purple clouds splashed across the expanse of my present life. The good I would do, I don’t. And the urge to succumb to distractions, I do. I hunger more for food for my stomach than food for my spirit.

So there I sat as I began my quiet time, breathing a prayer that God would quiet my thoughts and keep me focused. That I would realize His presence and that he would open up His Word to me. I sought out a worship song along the lines of Psalm 27:4. I typed in the phrase “gaze upon the beauty of the Lord” into the search line on YouTube. Several songs came up, as well as sermons on the phrase. I thought that the first song listed was going to be the song I would use, so I decided to listen to some of the other songs listed before I began my worship time with that song. I just wanted to rest and allow these other songs to minister to me. I also hoped that one of these songs might shed some light on the meaning of these words, for on the surface they were an enigma to me.

As I began to listen, I found that most were almost word for word reiterations of the Psalm itself but shed no light on it. Nevertheless, my heart was calmed, and my spirit was ministered to. Then I turned to the song I thought would be the one I would open up with. However, when I read the lyrics to the song, I found them to be overly redundant (2 verses repeated over and over). Now, what was I to do? I kept scrolling down the page, and the titles became less oriented to what I had typed in. So I returned to the top of the list and began to look down again. I had skipped over the fourth song listed probably because the caption read, “I want run deep into ur presence.” Perhaps the typo (they left out the word “to” after “want”) and either another typo (they accidentally left off the letters Yo in the word “Your”) or an attempt to be cool, may have steered me away from choosing to listen to this song. But I decided to overlook these things and take a listen. I am glad I did. The song did not shed light on the phrase “gaze upon the beauty of the LORD,” nor was it even based on Psalm 27:4, but Isaiah 40:31. However, I was drawn into the song more and more as I sang along. I began to feel His presence and in my spirit a sense of peace and renewal. This carried me along even as I had to pause my journaling and go to my lifegroup tonight. Thank You Lord for ministering to me in spite of the chaos I am experiencing in my life.

I think the Lord allows turmoil to overwhelm us sometimes in order to get our attention when our spirit is growing cold or lethargic. It shatters strongholds we have set up. It pulverizes pride we have allowed to pervade our souls. It humbles our haughty hearts. It causes us to cry out for comfort. It causes us to run to the Lord for refuge and renewal. He does it not to punish us, but as a pedagogical tool, to train us, His children, and turn us back to Him.

Ps 119:67-68

Before I was afflicted I went astray,

but now I obey your word.

You are good, and what you do is good;

teach me your decrees.

NIV

Ps 119:71-72

It was good for me to be afflicted

so that I might learn your decrees.

The law from your mouth is more precious to me

than thousands of pieces of silver and gold.

NIV

Ps 119:75-77

I know, O Lord, that your laws are righteous,

and in faithfulness you have afflicted me.

May your unfailing love be my comfort,

according to your promise to your servant.

Let your compassion come to me that I may live,

for your law is my delight.

NIV

WORD:

Ps 27:4-6

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.

5 For in the day of trouble

he will keep me safe in his dwelling;

he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle

and set me high upon a rock.

6 Then my head will be exalted

above the enemies who surround me;

at his tabernacle will I sacrifice with shouts of joy;

I will sing and make music to the Lord.

NIV (84)

Ps 27:4-6

4 The one thing I ask of the Lord—

the thing I seek most—

is to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,

delighting in the Lord's perfections

and meditating in his Temple.

5 For he will conceal me there when troubles come;

he will hide me in his sanctuary.

He will place me out of reach on a high rock.

6 Then I will hold my head high

above my enemies who surround me.

At his sanctuary I will offer sacrifices with shouts of joy,

singing and praising the Lord with music.

Ps 27:4-6

4 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 inquire in his temple.

5 For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock.

6 And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me: therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the Lord.

KJV

Ps 27:4-6

4 One thing have I asked 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 gaze upon the beauty of the Lord

and to inquire in his temple.

5 For he will hide me in his shelter

in the day of trouble;

he will conceal me under the cover of his tent;

he will lift me high upon a rock.

6 And now my head shall be lifted up

above my enemies all around me,

and I will offer in his tent

sacrifices with shouts of joy;

I will sing and make melody to the Lord.

ESV

http://lynnbarbee.files.wordpress.com/2011/06/aaaverse.jpg

The second aspect subsumed under David’s one desire is to “gaze upon the beauty of the LORD.” Like the first aspect (dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life), this should not be taken too literally. David is not saying that when he was in the LORD’S house, he had some sort of beatific vision of the LORD upon which he gazed. So what does this phrase mean? The NLT seeks to interpret rather than translate more formally, by paraphrasing it this way – “delighting in the LORD”S perfections.” Thus “beauty” refers to God's perfections or attributes.

Is that what David is saying? If that is so then the word “gaze’” seems strange. For how does one gaze at the attributes of the invisible God? Perhaps the answer is found in the words of the Apostle Paul in Romans 3:18-20 which says:

The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities — his eternal power and divine nature — have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.
NIV

Paul was talking about attributes that could be inferred from creation, but David was referring to something he experienced when he was in the “house of the LORD.” If we take the word “gaze” in a less literal way, what was he saying? Was he using the word “gaze” to mean “meditating on?” That would indeed be an unusual use of the word in English. However, that is what Eugene Peterson takes it to mean in his paraphrase of this verse in the Message.

I'm asking God for one thing, only one thing:
To live with him in his house my whole life long.
I'll contemplate his beauty; I'll study at his feet.

If we survey the various translations, we will find either the more ocular translations such as: “behold” or “gaze” or “see” or “to look on.” However, there are others which are less literal in their rendering of this word. Below is a list of those renderings:

· Enjoying (East-to-Read Version)

· Marvel (TEV, GNT)

· Delighting (LB, NLT)

There is a good reason for this. If we delve into the Hebrew word here, we find that it is the word chazah. Strong’s gives this definition of the word:

OT:2372 hz*j* chazah (khaw-zaw'); a primitive root; to gaze at; mentally, to perceive, contemplate (with pleasure); specifically, to have a vision of: -behold, look, prophesy, provide, see.(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)

Consulting other authorities yields nothing more than what Strong’s summarizes above.

Therefore, it is possible that David here refers not so much of an actual thing seen but instead of an internal contemplation of something. Yet that begs the question, “Why would David need to go to the tabernacle to do what he could do anywhere?” And looking at Strong’s definition leaves room for that “beatific vision” I denied earlier. You see why I said this phrase was an enigma to me.

Perhaps if we look at the word “beauty,” we will find the answer. If we were to look for another place in the scripture where the phrase “the beauty of the LORD” was used, we might not find it if we were searching in one of the modern translations. However, if we searched using the King James version, we would discover it only in one other place – Psalm 90:17 – which says:

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.KJV

However, modern translations translate this phrase here differently than they do in Psalm 27:4 as represented by how the translators of the ESV translate this verse:

Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands upon us; yes, establish the work of our hands!
ESV

If we look at these phrases in Hebrew, they are not precisely the same. The word for “Lord” in Psalm 27 is “Yahweh,” and in Psalm 90 it is “Adonai.” However, that does not affect the meaning of the phrase significantly for our purposes.

The word translated as “beauty” by the NIV in Psalm 27 and “favor” in Psalm 90 is the word no`am (no'-am) as transliterated from the Hebrew. Strongs defines this word as:

OT:5278 <u^n) no`am (no'-am); from OT:5276; agreeableness, i.e. delight, suitableness, splendor or grace:KJV - beauty, pleasant (-ness).(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)
OT:5276 u@n* na`em (naw-ame'); a primitive root; to be agreeable (literally or figuratively):KJV - pass in beauty, be delight, be pleasant, be sweet.(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)

BDB defines it this way and adds their interpretation on these verses:

OT:5278 † <u^n{Ã ‎noun masculinePs 90:17 delightfulness, pleasantness (Ecclus ?wryt <uwn ‎32:6); — þ‎n ‎absolute Zech 11:7 + 4 t.; construct Ps 27:4; 90:17; — 1. delightfulness of þ‎y. ‎contemplated in temple Ps 27:4, shewn in his favour, Wnyl@u*>>>ynda þ‎n yh!yw] ‎90:17. 2. name of one of two symbolic staves Zech 11:7,10. 3. pleasantness, as defining genitive: þ‎nÁyk@r=D^ ‎Prov 3:17; þ‎nÁyr@m=a! ‎15:26; 16:24. (from Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon, Unabridged, Electronic Database. Copyright © 2002, 2003, 2006 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Combining the info gleaned from these two words (Chazah & Noam) it would seem that David is mentally contemplating (colorfully expressed by the word “gaze”) God’s delightfulness, His pleasantness, and His grace (favor), and His splendorous glory.

Consider how these versions translate this phrase in Psalm 27:4 and 90:17

Amplified Bible:

to behold and gaze upon the beauty [the sweet attractiveness and the delightful loveliness] of the Lord

And let the beauty and delightfulness and favor of the Lord our God be upon us

The Bible in Basic English:

looking on his glory

Let the pleasure of the Lord our God be on us

Today’s English Version

to marvel there at his goodness

Lord our God, may your blessings be with us

New English Translation

so I can gaze at the splendor of the Lord (

May our sovereign God extend his favor to us!

(from The NET Bible®, Copyright © 1996-2006 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C., Dallas, Texas, www.bible.org. All rights reserved. Used by permission.)

Young’s Literal Translation

To look on the pleasantness of Jehovah

And let the pleasantness of Jehovah our God be upon us

One must remember we are dealing with poetry here and therefore it calls for thoughtful consideration of the words being used. Poetry seeks to highlight, emphasize, and expresse truth more compellingly. However, in doing so, it takes more effort sometimes to decipher that truth.

But we have not answered the objection yet that I raised earlier, which is:

“Why would David need to go to the tabernacle to do what he could do anywhere?”

If we consider what Paul says in Romans 3:18-20 along with the meaning of these words and the various ways different Bible translations handle this verse, I think it yields an interpretation that combines the literal and the figurative. When David entered the tabernacle, he saw the symbols displayed and the rituals performed. From there he contemplated the meanings behind them. Meanings that were theocentric and revealed the very glory of God Himself.

Barnes says:

[To behold the beauty of the LORD] Margin, "the delight." The word rendered "beauty" here – no ‘am - means properly "pleasantness;" then, "beauty, splendor;" then, "grace, favor." 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. Compare Ps 73:15-17.

(from Barnes' Notes, Electronic Database Copyright © 1997, 2003, 2005, 2006 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Calvin notes the tension and gives this answer:

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 Ex 25:40,
"And look that thou make them after this pattern which was showed thee in the mount."(from Calvin's Commentaries, PC Study Bible formatted electronic database Copyright © 2005-2006 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.)

The Pulpit Commentary says briefly – quoting another source:

"not the outward beauty of the sanctuary, but the gracious attributes which its ritual symbolized" ('Speaker's Commentary')(from The Pulpit Commentary, Electronic Database. Copyright © 2001, 2003, 2005, 2006 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.)

I conclude with the words of Calvin in the way of application of this verse to our present Christian era:

As the fashion of the temple was not framed according to the wisdom of man, but was an image of spiritual things, the prophet directed his eyes and all his affections to this object. Their madness is, therefore, truly detestable who wrest this place in favor of pictures and images, which, instead of deserving to be numbered among temple ornaments, are rather like dung and filth, defiling all the purity of holy things. We should now consider, whether the faithful are to be like-minded under the Christian or Gospel dispensation. I own, indeed, that we are in very different circumstances from the ancient fathers; but so far as God still preserves his people under a certain external order, and draws them to him by earthly instructions, 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.(from Calvin's Commentaries, PC Study Bible formatted electronic database Copyright © 2005-2006 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.)

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Journal for Christ

Monday, January 29, 2018

To Gaze Upon Your Beauty Lord

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