Bezalel and Oholiab


            Bezalel and Oholiab. These are two Bible names you've probably never heard of, but they are men who I think should be talked about a lot more often, and they should still inspire us today. You can read about them in Exodus 35:30-35, among other places. These men were the leaders in the construction of the Tabernacle, the tent where God's presence would dwell with the Israelites. They were gifted by the Spirit to devise artistic designs, with knowledge in every kind of craft. They worked with gold, silver, and bronze, and with blue, purple, and crimson yarns, with fine linen, and with animal skins.  They carved wood and embroidered and weaved. They used their artistic and architectural talents to help draw people into the worship of God by making a tabernacle of extraordinary beauty that helped signal to the even greater beauty of God.

Why do they matter? Because if you look back at church history, churches and Christians were often some of the biggest patrons of the arts. Perhaps because they knew that there were yet people like Bezalel and Oholiab that God raises up in each age whom God gifts with creative talents and whom God calls to use their creative talents for the glorification of God and the betterment of others. Thus, if you go to the Vatican or visit old churches in Europe you will be amazed and astounded by the beauty of the paintings, the statues, the architecture. Nowadays though it is increasingly rare to see churches or Christians as patrons of great art. 

Are we perhaps worse off because of it? Sometimes I wonder if the church might be better at evangelism today if we did a better job of lifting up creatives among us. We are in some ways better at this than others (Christian support of music/musicians remains high). And surely Christian creatives are not absent among us. But what if we had lots of Christians who were making not just beautiful music, but were also writing beautiful stories, making beautiful movies, constructing beautiful buildings, and drawing beautiful art. I just wonder if we are doing enough to lift up the Bezalels and Oholiabs of our own day. Are we helping them to see the spiritual dimension of their creative gifts and to see how God gifted them with their abilities for a reason? Do we have patrons supporting them financially? I just wonder about how if we did, if their beautiful work might just help draw more people to our beautiful God. 

It was once famously asked, “Why should the devil have all the good music?” I similarly wonder why the devil should have all the good films and television shows. I just think that Christian art should have the potential to be the highest of all art, because what can be more beautiful than things that testify to the beauty of our God? To the beauty of a world filled with his love, and the beauty of a life lived by the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. 

I'm not saying that art needs to be explicitly Christian to be beautiful. Beauty can be found in things from all cultures and religions. Furthermore, subtle Christian influences can sometimes be more powerful than overt Christian influences. But I do think that the more something speaks to things that are really true and virtuous, the more beautiful they will be. I can't tell you how many shows I've seen where they've tried to portray vices as good, and it lessens at least to some degree the appeal of their work and the beauty of their work. It causes the work to fail to speak to our souls in the way really good art does. 

We were made in the image of a Creator God, and at least one thing that means is that to be human, to reflect our Maker, is to be creative, to create like God creates. If you read the surrounding chapters of Exodus around Bezalel and Oholiab and the construction of the tabernacle, you'll notice that God never speaks as if only the work of the priests and Levites is the sacred work. God lifts up the work of craftsmen and teachers, sewers and weavers as sacred work, as work inspired by His Spirit and done for His glory. What skills has God given you, and how might you use those skills in His service? And how might we better lift up all the great diversity of vocations God has called us to: from artistry or ministry to dentistry or carpentry? For we are better together, when all bring their gifts to the table. 

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