God spoke to Moses: "See what I’ve done; I’ve personally chosen Bezalel son of Uri, son of Hur of the tribe of Judah. I’ve filled him with the Spirit of God, giving him skill and know-how and expertise in every kind of craft to create designs and work in gold, silver, and bronze; to cut and set gemstones; to carve wood—he’s an all-around craftsman. Exodus 31:1-5 (TM)

I wonder if, until that moment, Moses had ever connected God’s Spirit to the artistry that Bezalel did. Artists, creatives and those skilled in crafts are often left out of consideration by the spiritual body. In Exodus it was the assembly of Israel. Today I see it in my local church.

Years ago I taught a class on creativity in our church. It was a wonderful class of people like Bezalel – "filled with the Spirit of God" to do creative things in artwork, craft, dance, writing, and theatre. The group aspired to grow, flourish, and contribute to the spiritual life and worship of our local congregation, but our local body of believers either wasn’t ready or didn’t want to give it much consideration. To this day I find that painfully sad, but not surprising.

Throughout history, God’s people have tended to be ignorant of God’s creativity in each of us and it’s purpose in our lives and worship. Unfortunately, we have too often been suspicious and afraid of it. Yet God made it clear to Moses that there was a special place for artists like Bezalel and Oholiab and their work in worship.

God is an artist and He made us in His image. He has woven His creativity into our DNA. God is not ignorant, nor does He ignore, those who have discovered and struck out on the creative path.

Creative Commons photo courtesy of Flickr and bdnegin