“My beloved is to me a cluster of henna blossoms in the vineyards of Engedi.”
—Song of Songs 1:14, NASB
Reflection
Engedi is a beautiful place in Israel with many fragrances and flowers. The Scripture makes reference to the multiplied pleasures of Engedi by noting that the beloved is a cluster of henna blossoms, not just one blossom but many. This is beauty gathered together, fragrance multiplied, a picture of abundance in the presence of the beloved.
Broadly speaking, the beauty of creation radiates countless facets of Yeshua’s beauty. From the awesome height and majesty of great mountains to the preciousness of something small, like newborn babies or puppies, the natural world is carrying a witness. Flowers, oceans, horses, the sky, all are part of the manifold beauty of God. Creation does not reveal Him in only one way. It reflects Him in countless facets, each part declaring something of His majesty, tenderness, power, and delight.
There are moments when the beauty of God becomes so powerful and breathtaking that we feel like we cannot breathe. His beauty is not only pleasant or comforting. It is other. It is holy. It is powerful and beautiful in a way that the flesh cannot exist in its presence. When John saw Him in Revelation 1:17, he fell at His feet like a dead man. The living God is so extreme in beauty, color, holiness, and power that He leaves the soul in awe, aware of how great and terrible He is, in the most wonderful way.
God has made His invisible beauty manifest to us in the natural world. Since creation, His invisible attributes, His eternal power, and His divine nature have been clearly seen through what He has made. The beauty around us is not accidental. It is a reflection of Him.
Some of us get disconnected from the beauty of God all around us because we are so connected to our cell phones and computers. We can miss the flowers, the oceans, the horses, the sky, the majesty of mountains, and the preciousness of small things. We can pass by the cluster of henna blossoms multiplied a million times in God’s beautiful creation.
Beloved, God is beauty, and His creation reflects that. He is revealing something of Himself through what He has made. The natural world is inviting us to look again, to slow down, to recognize the manifold beauty of God, and to let our hearts be brought back into awe before Him.
Application
- Step away from your phone or computer today and intentionally notice one part of God’s creation as a reflection of His beauty.
- Ask the Father to awaken your heart to the multiplied pleasures of His presence all around you.
Prayer
Father, open my eyes to Your beauty. Help me not to be so connected to my phone or computer that I become disconnected from the wonder of You all around me. Let me recognize the cluster of henna blossoms multiplied a million times in Your creation. Teach me to see Your invisible beauty through what You have made. Bring my heart back into awe, reverence, and love before You. Amen.
