Beauty for ashes
God used skilled artists and craftsmen to create His house of worship. He wanted it to be a place of beauty where His glory dwelt. His desire was that the beauty for ashes of His house be the visual director pointing the people to Him.
Creators With A Mission
In Exodus chapter 31 to 36 scripture describes the men and women who helped to create the tabernacle, tools and instruments used in worship. Bezalel and Oholiab were two of these men. God chose them to be the head artisans of the tabernacle.
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. Exodus 31: 1-4 ESV
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.” Exodus 31:5-11 ESV.
This week we continue looking at God as the Creator and how creativity affects our spiritual life.
God used skilled artists and craftsmen to create His house of worship. He wanted it to be a place of beauty for ashes where His glory dwelt. His desire was that the beauty of His house be the visual director pointing the people to Him.
Creators With A Mission
In Exodus chapter 31 to 36 scripture describes the men and women who helped to create the tabernacle, tools and instruments used in worship. Bezalel and Oholiab were two of these men. God chose them to be the head artisans of the tabernacle.
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. Exodus 31: 1-4 ESV
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.” Exodus 31:5-11 ESV
God took these artists and gave them a very important job to do. To create a beautiful house for Him to dwell and for the people to worship Him alone.
The people of Israel had been worshipping golden calves after being delivered from Egypt and seeking after other gods. God was angry for a time with them.
He wanted to be reconciled with them. God desired to show them how great and glorious His hand of mercy was in their lives. He wanted to teach them that He alone deserved the glory as their Creator and Deliverer.
As artists and creators we should take note of what this means for our lives. God desires to direct our hearts towards His love for us in each thing we do. That includes the work we do. We need to have humility before our Creator because He is our God, the One who shaped and formed us and gave us all intelligence and beautiful ideas. If we do not learn to see the work we create as important to God and His glory, then we have missed the point of creation.
Remember that our work can quickly become a god in our lives if we let it. It can replace our relationship with our Creator and affect everything we do. We need to continually seek the guidance and love of God as we seek to glorify Him in our creativity.
Above and Beyond For God Beauty for ashes
The people of Israel wanted to please God. They brought Him whatever goods they had to help create this dwelling place. They gave above and beyond what was needed in their desire to create God’s glory.