#2 - Musings of A Christian/Artist

In Pursuit of a Biblical Understanding of Art and the Artist’s Calling.

What if God commissioned you for a work of art? If God Himself asks you to use your skill, your gift to create a piece for Him would you be able to do it?

As I continue to study the Bible for what God has said about Art and Artists, I've come across some Biblical figures that we don't often learn about in Sunday School. You've probably heard of Noah and Moses. We know about David and Goliath. But how many of us have heard of Bezalel? Bezalel lived at the same time as Moses, he is the first person in the scripture to be described as being 'filled with the Spirit of God,' and he was an Artist.

When God told Moses to build a holy place where His Spirit could live among the people, God called Bezalel by name and commissioned him to lead the work. The Bible describes how Bezalel and his assistant Oholiab gathered all of the artists from various disciplines: clothing designers, metal workers, wood workers, perfumers, and more. Together they built the tabernacle-- the place where God's Spirit could reside among the people-- and all of the pieces needed for the operation of the tabernacle. Everything from the priests' special robes to the furniture, and even symbolic jewelry was crafted by Bezalel, Oholiab, and their army of Artists. Bezalel himself, constructed the 'Ark of the Covenant' based on instructions that God had given to Moses. This sacred, ornate box held the two stone tablets on which the ten commandments were written.

Reading this, I was of course struck by the fact that Artists were so important to the plan of God. For many of us who grew up in church or are currently a part of a church community, it can often feel like art is undermined as something frivolous or even as something unholy. Many of us have witnessed people demonizing art and implying that it is somehow the devil's territory. But in scripture, from the very beginning, art belongs to God and Artists are His vessels. The other thing that stood out to me was the fact that these artists who God commissioned were ready to do the job. Each of them must have been so dedicated to perfecting their craft in their daily life, that by the time God needed them for the building of the tabernacle, they had the ability to do what He asked.

I believe that the Spirit of God pointed this out to me because I often overthink my art and hesitate to create. Instead of perfecting my craft by continuing to do and share my work, I would often do nothing while waiting for the "perfect idea" or the most meaningful idea to come to me. But if Bezalel had thought that way, he wouldn't have been prepared when God called him to build the tabernacle.

As I end this post, I want to invite anyone who may be reading this to consider your preparation.

Are you filled with God's Spirit? Can He give you divine inspiration for your art as He did with Bezalel?

Are you practicing your craft? Will you be ready when God commissions you?

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If you're interested in these sorts of reflections or in learning more about what the Bible has to say about God's original intention for artists, subscribe and join me again for my next post.

Has God ever given you inspiration for a piece? Please share it in the comment section. Peace out ✌🏾