God Chose an Artist: Bezalel's Call

Art is a gift from God, and never has this been more true than with Bezalel, the artist called by God to build the Tabernacle. God called Bezalel and filled him with His Spirit and made him a wise artist at heart. In the same way, God calls all artists to transform their natural talents into supernatural so that they can become wise-hearted like Bezalel.As related in Exodus, after the Israelites left Egypt, they eventually came to Mount Sinai. There, the Lord not only gave Moses tablets of stone with His laws and commandments, but He also instructed that offerings be made and a sanctuary built so that He might dwell among his people. This sanctuary was the Tabernacle-a visible manifestation of the presence of God among his people. But it was not Moses who designed the Tabernacle. Instead, the Lord gave him detailed instructions for its construction, including its dimensions, the specific materials to be used, and even the colors. These instructions were to be followed explicitly-as the Lord said, "According to what I show you, you will do." This approach to art serves as a model for contemporary art projects: God provides the design and instructions, and artists have only to implement them to create works that will impact nations.Though Moses would supervise, the construction of the Tabernacle would fall to the artisan Bezalel, whom the Lord called by name. Bezalel means "shadow of God," and as biblical scholar Edward Ephraim Kalish explains, a man created in the image of God is a man with the ability and the need to create. As a result of this similarity, the artist must reflect the glory of God. In other words, only the artist who loves God and respects His laws can fulfill the commitment to create art for the glory of God. The Lord called others to help Bezalel, including Oholiab and both men and women who were "wise hearted," experts with special abilities, people with great artistic capacity and an artistic spirit filled with wisdom.The first gift that God gave to Bezalel was to fill him with the Spirit of God. The Spirit of God enriched the natural capabilities in Bezalel and transformed them into extraordinary ones. The Lord also gave Bezalel wisdom, the complete vision of the project; understanding, or comprehension of the information, distinguishing or discerning between what is true or false; and knowledge, or the information itself. The fifth gift God gave Bezalel was that of art, or that touch of excellence of the Spirit of God and virtuosity, giving him the ability to do his task with "honor and beauty," and the sixth was that of teaching. When combined with Bezalel's obedience and submission to God's instructions, these gifts were used to build the Tabernacle with a high level of excellence, and the Lord was glorified. The story of the Tabernacle does not end with Bezalel and its construction. The rituals established have transcended generations with a primary purpose: to point to Jesus as the mediator of a new covenant. Ultimately, the story of Bezalel includes the foundation of a possible theology of art, one that proclaims that art is God's will and a gift to humanity, that artists are creators, chosen and called by the Lord. Artists reflect the greatness of God, and consequently, they need to shine and reflect His glory.