Everyday Gospel: A Daily Devotional Connecting Scripture to All of LifeExemplo

God created artists, poets, composers, and preachers and endowed them with incredible gifts, so that his glory would be seen and our lives would be changed.

Besides being a pastor and an author, I am a painter. I have a studio a few blocks down from where we live that is one of my favorite places on earth. Consequently, the following passage is one of my favorite Old Testament gems:

The Lord said to Moses, “See, I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with ability and intelligence, with knowledge and all craftsmanship, to devise artistic designs, to work in gold, silver, and bronze, in cutting stones for setting, and in carving wood, to work in every craft. And behold, I have appointed with him Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan. And I have given to all able men ability, that they may make all that I have commanded you: the tent of meeting, and the ark of the testimony, and the mercy seat that is on it, and all the furnishings of the tent, the table and its utensils, and the pure lampstand with all its utensils, and the altar of incense, and the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils, and the basin and its stand, and the finely worked garments, the holy garments for Aaron the priest and the garments of his sons, for their service as priests, and the anointing oil and the fragrant incense for the Holy Place. According to all that I have commanded you, they shall do.” (Ex. 31:1–11)

God gave specific people specific artistic gifts so that his tabernacle would reflect his glory, that is, the glory of his holiness and the wonder of his mercy. God did this because he knew that he had created people with a glory orientation. Human beings love glorious things. So our lives will be captured and controlled by his glorious glory or the glory of some created thing. God loves us enough to give people the ability to create things that reflect his glory so that we would be drawn to love, worship, and serve him above anything else.

But God’s giving of artistic gifts is not limited to his tabernacle. All forms of artistic and communicative creativity have been given by God, not just for our pleasure but for a higher purpose. Since God is a spirit and cannot be seen with our physical eyes, he gives people the ability to display his glory in what they create, so that we would “see” him and surrender the awe of our hearts to him. His purpose is not just that we would enjoy the pleasure of artistic expression or respect the artist, but also that we would be given eyes to see the great artist and would give ourselves to him. God, the author of beauty, gives people the ability to create what is beautiful so that we would be drawn to gaze upon his beauty and, as we do, be rescued by his grace. So, enjoy the art around you, but as you do, may your heart run to the artist behind the art.

For further study and encouragement: Genesis 1:1–31