As “moderns” we generally assume that any allusion to nature in Scripture is simply using visible reality to illustrate an idea. Hence it’s easy to think that the Creation account in Genesis is merely Moses’ interpretation of the earth’s beginnings, based on the world he saw and the unscientific knowledge of his day. And that puts all of Scripture under the same judgment of being nothing but the recorded opinion of a few chauvinistic men in an ancient and backward patriarchal society. But if you think the features of the earth merely exist with no designed purpose—that their appearance and characteristics simply “are what they are”—then your view of the world and Scripture will be limited, and your understanding of God will be far smaller than creation demands.
As the creator of all things, God has sovereignly determined the meaning and purpose of everything he has made. So when he uses a creature to illustrate a particular truth about himself, that creature was designed for the purpose of that revelation. And although the earth existed before Moses wrote the Pentatuch, it was made according to the words he recorded at the inspiration of God the Spirit, who initiated the decree of God the Father through the active voice of God the Son. In a very real sense, then, Moses’ words predate the physical world that he wrote about because God’s word always precedes and defines his action. Certainly it was no surprise to God when Moses described him as a Rock, because he made the rock for that very purpose.
What does all of this have to do with the realities of everyday life? A lot. Since the chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy him forever, it is vital for us to clearly see the world he has made to reveal himself to us. For it is impossible to glorify or enjoy what you cannot see, and it is equally impossible to communicate in a language you do not speak. Because God has designed the world to tell of his glory, and the words it speaks are heard with our eyes, the more visually literate we become the better we will be able to comprehend what he is saying, and to declare it to others. So how we see is vitally important to God and to us.
That being the case, what is the primary characteristic of God’s glory that is displayed throughout His Creation, that we as His image bearers are called to see and proclaim, reflecting it back to Him in worship and out to the world in stewardship? It is His beauty.