THE ART OF GOD: The Heavens & The Earth
by Ric Ergenbright
TO THE READER:
No human work can adequately describe or illustrate the work of God, and this book is certainly not an attempt to do so. It is instead a meager adjunct to the topic it addresses—the supreme artistry of God in creation. As such, its purpose is not to define the art of God or to limit it by the narrow subject matter and personal vision of my photography, but to encourage you to experience it firsthand and to see God’s majesty through what He has made. Consider this, then, as an abbreviated catalog, spotlighting a few selected pieces from the greatest art exhibit in the world. Indeed, the world is the exhibit, and everything in it is the art of God.
May this book inspire you to look at the splendor of God’s creation through new eyes and to praise Him for the great things He has done.
Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of His glory. Isaiah 6:3
CONTENTS
Foreword — Introduction
Elements — Air | Fire | Water | Earth
Design — Line | Shape | Form | Texture | Color | Pattern
Environments — Mountains | Forests | Deserts | Coasts | Plains
Ebb & Flow — Shadow & Light | Seasons | Endless Water | Sunrise & Sunset
Photographic Notes
NOTE: CLICKING ON THE IMAGES BELOW WILL LEAD TO THE FULL TEXT AND PHOTOS FOR THAT SECTION OF THE BOOK.
ART OF GOD Foreword
FOREWORD Holy Scripture and the great hymns of the church are filled with verses praising God for His loving creation of man and earth. For the hands that formed the world and molded Adam from its dust also gave us a reverence for its beauty and a desire to praise Him...
ART OF GOD Introduction
When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and stars, which You have ordained, what is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You visit him? Psalm 8:3-4 INTRODUCTION The seed for this book was sown in my childhood on long summer...
Elements: Opener
By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible. Hebrews 11:3 The art of God was created by the Word of God, spoken outside of time and space, possessing the inherent...
Elements: Air
The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit. John 3:8 Using the natural characteristics of air to illustrate the supernatural attributes of God, the Bible...
Elements: Fire
The mountains melt like wax at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the Lord of the whole earth. Psalm 97:5 Fire is frequently used in the Bible to describe God’s appearances, attributes, blessings, and judgments. He appeared to Moses “in a flame of fire from...
Elements: Water
Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” John 3:5 Earthly life cannot exist without water, and water is most frequently used in Scripture to symbolize God’s free gift of eternal...
Elements: Earth
Of old You laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands. Psalm 102:25 We commonly think of rock as the solid foundational element of the earth, and it is most frequently used in the Bible to symbolize the strength, steadfast...
DESIGN: The World – Intro
The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth,...
DESIGN: The Word – Intro
I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your descendants after you. Genesis 17:7 The Bible’s purpose is to glorify God. Its goal is to save His chosen...
Design: Line
Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements? Surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? Job 38:4-5 A line drawn in the sands of Eden and stretching to the end of time defines the...
Design: Shape
Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness. Genesis 1:3-4 As contrast between light and dark sharply defines an object’s visual shape, so God uses the same element to...
Design: Form
The Lord lives! Blessed be my Rock! Let the God of my salvation be exalted. Psalm 18:46 As shape adds dimension to line, so form adds depth to shape, progressively revealing a more complete picture. Likewise, it is the depth of God’s promises to Abraham that reveals...
Design: Texture
The heavens are Yours, the earth also is Yours; the world and all its fullness, You have founded them. Psalm 89:11 I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. Isaiah 46:10, niv Texture adds beauty and character to form by...
Design: Color
Bless the Lord, all His works, in all places of His dominion. Bless the Lord, O my soul! Psalm 103:22 The black-and-white character of Israel’s repeated apostasy and God’s grace after their conquest of Canaan contrasts sharply with the Bible’s colorful depiction of...
Design: Pattern
“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord. Isaiah 55:8 Pattern is the highest expression of design, because it reflects the reality of the template that determines an object’s structure and gives it ultimate meaning. The pattern...
Environments: Introduction
You alone are the Lord. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you. Nehemiah 9:6, niv ...
Environments: Mountains
Your mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens; Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds. Your righteousness is like the great mountains; Your judgments are a great deep; O Lord, You preserve man and beast. Psalm 36:5-6 With poetic names such as “Roof of the World,” “Abode of...
Environments: Forests
The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. Acts 17:24 Trees play a variety of symbolic roles in Scripture, including a major part in the account of man’s sin against God, and Christ’s...
Environments: Deserts
Ah, Lord God! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for You. Jeremiah 32:17 The inhospitable character of the desert environment is frequently used in Scripture to emphasize people’s need to...
Environments: Coasts
Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him! Mark 4:41 In the ancient Near East, oceans were a common symbol for the powers of chaos and death. In the Bible, however, the sea is no threat to God, for He created it and it obeys His commands. When...
Environments: Grasslands
Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth”; and it was so. Genesis 1:11 Grass is a common scriptural metaphor for the brevity of...
Ebb & Flow: Introduction
The sun rises and the sun sets, and hurries back to where it rises. The wind blows to the south and turns to the north; round and round it goes, ever returning on its course. All streams flow into the sea, yet the sea is never full. To the place the streams come from,...
Ebb & Flow: Shadow & Light
You will light my lamp; the Lord my God will enlighten my darkness. Psalm 18:28 The descriptive power of the contrast between darkness and light makes it one of the most effective and frequently used metaphors in the Bible. Illustrating God’s blessings, presence, and...
Ebb & Flow: Seasons
To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to time to build up; a time to...
Ebb & Flow: Endless Water
He draws up drops of water, which distill as rain from the mist, which the clouds drop down and pour abundantly on man. Job 36:27-28 At this also my heart trembles, and leaps from its place. Hear attentively the thunder of His voice, and the rumbling that comes from...
Ebb & Flow: Sunrise / Sunset
The day is Yours, the night also is Yours; You have prepared the light and the sun. Psalm 74:16 The sun, moon, and stars were the principal deities in pagan pantheons of the ancient Near East, but the Bible emphatically taught that they were mere...