Cornelius Van Til offered a revolutionary exposition of the Christian worldview through the lens of Reformed theology. He argued and, I believe demonstrated, that Biblical metaphysics, epistemology, and ethics mutually presuppose and include one another. Every ethical statement of the Bible — commands about righteousness — presuppose the existence and sovereignty of the Creator God (metaphysics) and His infallible revelation (epistemology). Biblical teaching about knowledge obviously presupposes the reality of and revelation from the Creator God, and faithful submission to Him as the way to know.
On all of this Van Til’s exposition was brilliant and profound. But, if I dare say it, he missed an essential aspect of the Christian worldview and an important aspect of apologetics. I am referring to aesthetics: beauty as apologetics.
In the first essay in this series, I suggested ways in which merchants traveling through Israel around 1300 BC might have seen and heard the wisdom of Biblical law, if Israel had indeed obeyed the Torah. The book of Judges shows us that in fact, Israel flagrantly disobeyed Yahweh’s wise ways, bowing down to idols and falling into slavery to the nations around them.
However, through David’s godly influence and worship reform, Israel did largely turn back unto God, so He gave her a king who would exemplify the wisdom of Torah, Solomon. It is in the reign of Solomon that we see the fulfillment of the testimony-light for the nations that Torah was meant to shine. With Solomon, we see that the ethical and aesthetic aspects of Torah combine to show the glory of Yahweh to the nations.
It is remarkable that the very same Hebrew word for “wisdom” that appears in Deuteronomy 4:6 appears in the Bible for the first time in the book of Exodus in a context that might surprise modern readers.
And you shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother, for glory and for beauty. So you shall speak to all who are gifted artisans, whom I have filled with the Spirit of wisdom, that they may make Aaron’s garments, to consecrate him, that he may minister to Me as priest. Exodus 28:2-3
I capitalize the word “Spirit” because I believe the passage is talking about wisdom given by the Holy Spirit. This is made explicit in a later passage.
See, I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. And I have filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship, to design artistic works, to work in gold, in silver, in bronze, in cutting jewels for setting, in carving wood, and to work in all manner of workmanship. Exodus 31:2-5 (see also, Exodus 31:6)
The garments of Aaron and his sons, as well as the whole tabernacle itself, were designed by Yahweh to show beauty and glory, to be a testimony to Israel herself, first, and to the nations who might see Yahweh’s glorious abode and the garments of beauty His priests wore. But the tabernacle was only a beginning. Through David and Solomon, Yahweh gave Israel a glorious house that outshined the tabernacle and manifested the praise of Yahweh to the world.
We need to remember that the beauty of the temple included the music — inherited from the Davidic musical revolution1 — and the fragrance of the incense, as well as the beauty of the great sea supported by twelve bronze oxen, the ten bronze carts, and the massive pillars in front of the temple (1 Kings 7:13-45) — all of this beauty was on display for any Gentile or Israelite to enjoy. Beauty for the eyes, ears, and nose for anyone who approached the temple. Also, those who offered peace offerings — which could include Gentiles — would be able to taste that Yahweh is good.
In Solomon, the aesthetic and ethical beauty of Torah were united in a testimony to the nations, exactly as Yahweh intended and Moses taught. As was appropriate for the old covenant era, Solomon did not travel to the nations. They came to him. The queen of Sheba is the most well-known example, but there is no reason to believe she was unique. She, like many others, “heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of Yahweh” (1 Kings 10:1). Fame related to the “Name of Yahweh” means that Solomon, like Joseph before him and Daniel after him, did not take credit for the wisdom Yahweh gave him. He glorified Yahweh for His goodness and told others of His grace.
The queen of Sheba came to test Solomon with hard questions. Solomon answered according to the wisdom of Yahweh’s Torah. Nothing, we are told, was too difficult for him (1 Kings 10:3). These questions would presumably have been about righteousness and wisdom in ruling a nation. But we must give due attention to what immediately follows.
And when the queen of Sheba had seen all the wisdom of Solomon, the house that he had built, the food on his table, the seating of his servants, the service of his waiters and their apparel, his cupbearers, and his ascension offering which he offered in the house of Yahweh, there was no more spirit in her. Then she said to the king: ‘It was a true report which I heard in my own land about your words and your wisdom. . . .’ 1 Kings 10:4-6
The house referred to in verse 4 is probably Solomon’s own palace. There she saw the cuisine on his table — this would include the beauty of the plates, utensils, and glasses, as well as the colors, the fragrance and, of course, the taste of the feast prepared for her. She noticed how Solomon’s servants dressed and how they waited on the table — again, beauty and glory in the details, beauty and glory that speaks of Solomon’s wisdom and Yahweh’s blessing.
Leihart interprets verse 5 as referring to the ascension offering, as also does Young’s literal translation of the Bible. As Leithart explains: “Sheba’s speech moves from a confession of the greatness of Solomon’s wisdom to recognition of the blessing for those who stand continually (dymt, another liturgical term) before Solomon (10:8), to a blessing on Yahweh himself, who desires Solomon and who gives Israel such a king out of his love. Sheba is no neutral international observer. She is a convert, won by Solomon’s sapiential evangelism.”2
This is what Torah was supposed to do, win the nations to believe in Yahweh in fulfillment of the covenant promise to Abraham that all the nations would be blessed through him. Wisdom in righteousness comports with wisdom in the beauty of a feast — including the apparel and comportment of the servants! — and the glory of Israel’s worship. When Moses taught Israel that the Torah was to be a testimony to the nations, he was guiding Yahweh’s people to think and live in terms of the Abrahamic promise.
Solomon fulfilled that calling more than most kings, though he himself stumbled in the end. Only Jesus is the “full embodiment of wisdom” who draws the nations to the Father — though His wisdom is strange, for He eats with tax-collectors and sinners, not with queens. Even in our secular age, when people hate the Bible and the God of the Old Testament, almost everyone praises Jesus as a wise and good teacher — without, of course, understanding that His teaching is nothing other than the true meaning of Israel’s righteous and wise Torah.
Leithart not only sees this passage as pointing typologically to Christ, but also to the church and her calling to publicly represent the wisdom of Scripture to the nations. The wisdom of Torah and the wisdom of Jesus are to be put on display to the whole world that the nations might be blessed in the Seed of Abraham.3
Torah is testimony. Jesus — the living Torah, the fulfillment of all Torah — is the light of the world, the way, the truth and the life.
Ralph Smith is pastor of Mitaka Evangelical Church.