God in His Beautiful Greatness

I have often contemplated the Psalmist’s desire to behold the beauty of the Lord. (Psalm 27:4). Baruch Maoz has captured something more profound than just a study in God’s attributes as beneficial as that might be. This profound volume leads the reader to worshipful awe at the beauty and balance of God in all his greatness. This book will uniquely draw the reader into an aesthetic sense of wonder at the greatness of God. It is a book that you will read and return to again and again.

Baruch’s book entices you into a love affair with his God and Savior. He lures the unsuspecting to study theology as a lover muses on the face of his darling. For him the Scriptures are a collage of glimpses of God in His beautiful greatness. Careful. It’s contagious — and also colorful. The first Adam wasn’t just Mr. Adam, from 1 Garden of Eden, Tree of Life, Earth; but he was head of the human race, their representative, much like a President or Prime Minister who signs a declaration of war for all, so Adam signed one against God. And only the second Adam could break the damning war spell by brokering a peace treaty with all His blood bought friends. The love of Christ captivates you.

This short book by Baruch Maoz is not only a joy to read but it is a very timely and important book for the mental health of the West, in particular. Rationalism claimed that people can gather enough particulars to create their own universals, rejecting knowledge outside themselves, God, and revelation. But individuals who bought this view found they aren’t big enough to collect enough “lived experiences” to build universals for life and recognized that the universals offered by society were arbitrary and, they felt, constraining them from happiness, their “inalienable right.” Without universals, the distinction between reality and fantasy is lost and people escaped into their own heads and into protests against arbitrary societal absolutes imposed by establishment elites. Enter God in His Beautiful Greatness, clearly a book from a pastor’s heart, reaching out to these people and to us all. The author has gathered, organized, and wonderfully presented the particulars that unify in the ultimate universal, God Himself. Like building a mosaic, one beautiful particular at a time, the book succeeds in presenting a picture of God’s uniqueness, completeness, and more. The author encourages us to revel in this big picture and to appreciate the wonder, the mystery, and the gifts of learning our life has real meaning, we have personal significance, a purpose bigger than ourselves, and personal decisions matter, as he guides us from the tiny space of our own head into the expansive loving presence of the God who made us for Himself.

Baruch takes the reader in this compact book from God’s existence, His essence, His characteristics (attributes), the three persons of the Godhead (Trinity), and then to some significant but wrong views of God. One of the strengths of the book is found at the end of each chapter with what the author calls, “Further Reflection”. If the student or group will thoughtfully, prayerfully answer and meditate on these questions a deep knowledge both intellectually and experientially will be gained about our beautiful God. I liked the emphasis on the experiential knowledge of God. I found as this profound doctrine was explained, my heart was lifted to worship and adoration. During the reading of chapter three on God’s essence I jotted down this phrase,”a rich sweet reminder and insight” about God’s eternality. This book can be used both for personal and group study. I highly commend this small volume and I’m thankful, although originally written for a Hebrew speaking audience, that it is available in English.

Our God's greatness is not merely supreme; it is compellingly beautiful. Far too many theological treatises fall woefully short of this reality, saying true things but failing to capture the worshipful majesty of our Lord. Baruch Maoz's God in His Beautiful Greatness is a welcome corrective to this far too common malady. In a logically systematic progression, Maoz leads the reader from the knowledge of God and his basic existence, through his essence and characteristics, to his triune glory and the stirring implications for the gospel. As Maoz writes, "Theology is not irrelevant, theoretical hair-splitting; it is an opportunity for worship, a confirmation of our faith, and a tremendous help in everyday life." This book has helped me to love the Lord all the more, for which I am truly grateful. May it similarly bless many more readers, and may our beautiful God receive all the glory.