8 Keep me as the apple of the eye,
hide me under the shadow of thy wings. (Psalm 17:8)
To a mother cat, true beauty is in the precious countenance of her kittens. The
same is true for a mother and child of the human race. Only a mother could
perceive a wet, wrinkle new born baby as being beautiful. But, in fact, all of
God’s Creation has beauty. That beauty may be marred by sin and avarice, but
the essence and stamp of its Creator is discernible even in the lowly ant.
An English dramatist, John Lyly, of 1588 wrote: “ . . . . as near is fancy to
Beauty, as the thorn to the Rose.” Shakespeare
expressed his own sentiment on beauty in the same year as follows:
Good Lord Boyet, my beauty, though but mean,
Needs not the painted flourish of your praise:
Beauty is bought by judgement of the eye,
Not utter'd by base sale of chapmen's tongues.
But the lady who gave us the frank statement that “Beauty is in the Eye of the
Beholder” was Margaret Wolfe Hungerford in her book, Molly Bawn (1878).
Man has long attempted to define beauty, but one man’s beauty is another’s
homeliness. The ability of the heart to comprehend beauty is directly
proportional to that heart to know and appreciate the beauty of Creation and
its Creator. The “Apple of Thine Eye” is still the best description of
beauty in my opinion. This describes what God considers beauty to be, and it is
a comfort to know that He considers the each of His elect to be beautiful for
He calls us the “Apple of His Eye.”
If you have ever wondered what the term means, allow me to give you my
definition of Apple of the Eye. A mother watches her children constantly
because they are her greatest possession. One who loves gemstones is constantly
inspecting them with the meticulousness of banker. One who loves art can stand
for hours admiring a great Masterpiece. But how does this relate to the Apple
of the Eye? When we look intently at the object of our affections, that object
is reflected in the pupil of our eyes. If we look closely at a mother whose
eyes are fixed on her darling child, we will see a miniature picture of the
child reflected on the mother’s eye. That is how God perceives us. We are
constantly under His watchful eye, and a tiny image of our countenance is
reflected in God’s eyes.
Beauty, apart from God’s Creative genius, is indefinable. True art best
describes the perfection in Creation for it mimics the perfection of beauty and
glory in tradition. But the vulgar abstract art of our time mars, instead of
emulates, that beauty of God and His Nature. One of the most respected and
reputable artists and art commentator of the past century, F.W. Ruckstuhl, had
this to say of beauty and art:
Next to What is God? The most serious question of the age is – What is
Beauty? Because, strange as it may appear to the unreflecting, on the proper
answering of that question depends the Character of our future civilization. .
. . When we contemplate Nature it suggests to us that Beauty is the vestment
and expression of the Creator; that He made the pursuit of the Beautiful the
Supreme Law of the Universe; that every insect, shrub, and even crystal, senses
and obeys that law and makes itself and environment beautiful; and that
undeveloped and degenerate men alone violate that law. (Great Works of Art, and what makes them
great, Ruckstuhl,
F.W. 1925, pp 93)
Abstract art defies the Creative Model of God by marring the perfection of
beauty in Creation – whether abstraction in canvas, clay, stone, music, or even
literature. The art of Picasso expresses a chaotic vulgarization of the true images
that God has created in Nature. The decadence and degeneracy does not end with
noses where ears should be, but gruesome and bloody depiction that should be
banned to the public for their awful suggestions. Likewise, music which does
not lift the soul to a higher plane nearer to God is not beautiful at all.
Music should have melody, pitch, harmony and rhythm. The mind-bursting notes of
heavy metal and rap are not spiritually uplifting, but rather the opposite. All
of this modern rubbish that passes for art is a departure from what has defined
art for the past six millennia. Even cave dwellers had a better concept of art
than some that we see passed off as impostures of art today.
Is Beauty important? Of course it is because it expresses the perfection of
God. 11 He hath made every thing
beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no
man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end. (Eccl
3:11) Yes, indeed –
EVERYTHING!
8 Finally,
brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever
things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely (beautiful), whatsoever
things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise,
think on these things. 9 Those things, which ye
have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of
peace shall be with you. (Phil
4:8-9) Based on
God’s Word, it seems Beauty is quite important since God Himself is Beautiful,
and all that He has made is likewise.
I hope to be the Apple of god’s Eye just as was David; and I pray that you,
too, friends, will be the Apple of His eye. His eye is forever beholding those
whom He loves and accounts His own. Of course, you are a cherished treasure for
you were purchased at the greatest price ever paid for anything under the sun –
the blood of the only Begotten Son of God, our Lord Jesus Christ. His Church
is, indeed, a Pearl of Great Price. God’s only Begotten Son sold EVERYTHING
that He had to purchase that Bride for Himself.
Though I have related it before, I wish to close with an illustration of a
jeweler of some years ago who owned a jewelry shop in downtown Philadelphia. He
was growing aged and had no heir to continue his busy after him; so he sought
to find a young man to satisfy that expectation. He interviewed many hopeful
aspirants and finally chose a bright and ambitious young man who added charm to
an in-depth and technical knowledge of gemology. As he began to teach the young
man the ropes of the trade, he one day allowed the young man to try his hand at
selling the beautiful gems he had in stock.
One day, a well-dressed gentleman entered the shop seeking a wedding ring for
his fiancée. He wanted the very best for his darling. The young jeweler took
out the best diamond of the stock – and the largest. He explained to the man
why this diamond was superb. He described the technical merits regarding
setting, cut, color, and clarity. He pointed out the absence of any obvious
blemishes, and the high quality gold in which the diamond was couched. The
gentleman was not convinced and began to make as if to go. The old jeweler,
watching from his office above the shop floor, came down and said, “Allow me to
present this gentleman with the beauty and quality of this stone.” With that,
he took the ring and described how beautiful it would look on the fair finger
of his fiancée. He then held it up to the light and described the contrasting
colors emitted by the stone as he turned it so that each facet would refract a
different gleam. He described the permanence of the diamonds value, and how
such a purchase would be a high tribute to the gentleman’s loved one. He
described how the high cost was no great sacrifice for someone that he loved
for life. The man was convinced and purchased the diamond ring.
In a rush of disappointment and frustration, the young jeweler asked, “You are
not even a trained gemologist. You do not know the technical merit of that
stone, yet you were able to make the sell and I was not. Why?” The old jeweler,
with a twinkle in his eye, said: “Young man, I admit that you know diamonds
better than I, and you have a better education in knowing them; but there is a
difference – you KNOW diamonds, but I LOVE diamonds. Love makes all the
difference when it comes to BEAUTY.”
We are all diamonds in the hand of God, our Master Jeweler. We may lack appeal
and attractiveness in our plain boxes, but when God holds us up to the Light of
Life and allows His radiant beams to permeate and emerge from every angle,
suddenly, we have brilliance and a magnificent BEAUTY that we could never have
supposed. As my favorite poet, Thomas Gray has written in Elegy Written in a
country Churchyard:
Many a gem of fairest ray serene
The dark unfathomed depths of ocean bear,
Many a flower is born to blush unseen
And waste its sweetness on the desert air.
Being a child of God opens your life to beauty and joy unimaginable. Get out of
the wilderness and into the byways of life. Rise up from the darkness of the
Deep, and God will bring Light and Beauty to your tired soul.
