Exodus 31:3,4
“I have chosen Bezalel … and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability and knowledge in all kinds of crafts to make artistic designs …”
My wife Janet is an artist. The images with this post are her work. If she were alive during Exodus 31 times she might have been on Bezalel’s team. I sometimes wonder whose team she is supposed to be on today.
During the protestant reformation much art was expelled from the church. It was a great loss. We have never recovered really.
We can forget how much Christians have invested in art through the years. Chapel ceilings (Sistine Chapel, Vatican City) monastery walls (The Last Supper, Milan) and town squares (all over Europe) have been adorned with prize art, commissioned and paid for by believers. I wonder if the reason so much modern art is soulless and strange is because of who pays for it.
The precedent for a marriage of art and worship is here in Exodus. God commissioned art to adorn the Tabernacle. And, he equipped the artists for the work. The Spirit of God is the source of this artistic skill and craftsmanship. Preachers and artists are first cousins. Our abilities and callings originate from the same breath of God.
It is worth considering what these artists in Exodus are doing.
1. Illuminating. This is different from illustrating. You can’t make a drawing of God. He refuses to be imaged. But you can shine a light for those who seek him. The Eastern tradition emphasises “Icons” as windows through which worshipers look.
Artists should not be asked to portray only religious themes. To embroider a pomegranate or paint a lemon can be an act of worship. To patiently engage the finished product can illuminate mind and heart making worship richer and God more fully known.
2. Beautifying. Beauty matters to God. The colour, arrangement, diversity, detail, design and texture all suggest magnificence. The instructions in Exodus amaze me (Ex. 25-31). While it reads like a knitting pattern (pretty boring really), its purpose and detail is wonderful.
A believer is not constrained to produce only beautiful artefacts. His art may confront and question as well as please. It may expose pain and offer lament. But it will do Godly work. Christian art explores the colour of justice, the contours of mercy, the evidence of love, the smell of hope, the whisper of humility, the feel of faith and the taste of resurrection.
3. Celebrating. Much of the beauty described is for the delight of God and his people. The descriptions are extravagant. The art and craft in the Tabernacle was bold, expressive and lavish. It shouts praise to God and insists that worshipers approach in wonder. I think I would feel very happy worshiping in the midst of such beauty. It would stimulate celebration.
4. Obeying. The artists of Exodus are using their gifts to please God. They are doing what they are told. The work of a “skilled craftsman” and the word of a faithful prophet may be different in kind but not in commitment. Each has a vocation. Each has a calling and a choice to obey.
5. Leading. The art in the Tabernacle is purposeful. God mandates it and Moses celebrates it (Ex. 39:42, 43). The people would have enjoyed it for years to come. It would have coloured the thoughts of children as they counted cherubim on the curtains, and shaped the theology of Rabbis who meditated upon its beauty. Loveliness leads.
The Illuminated Bible is a project worth your attention. Makoto Fujimura is a committed believer and a contemporary artist. His style is abstract. He has a passion for God’s word. To celebrate the 400th anniversary of the publication of the King James Version, Crossway publishers commissioned him to produce art illuminating the gospels. They published The Illuminated Bible early this year. To visit his website to view a few pages and watch a video click here.
Questions
- What is your favourite work of art? Why?
- Does it help you worship God? How?
- Do you have a view on art and the church?
PS - An Invitation to Artists
If you attend NewHope Baptist Church in Melbourne and you are an artist please consider contributing a piece of your work to the 60th Anniversary Art Exhibition to be held later this year at the church. Talk with Janet for details. You can visit Janet’s website by clicking here.
Allan says ... "Much of the beauty described is for the delight of God and his people." Isn't it wonderful that God set this man apart to create for God - not to do a task to see tangible results, not to meet a target, not to tick a box ... but for delight and enjoyment! And not just for the delight of God's people but also for God himself!
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