Variety: Exodus 35:30–33

Then Moses said to the Israelites, ‘See, the Lord has chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and he has filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skills – to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver, and bronze,  to cut and set stones, to work in wood, and to engage in all kinds of artistic crafts.’  (Exodus 35:30–33) 

Dr John Dennison from London Institute for Contemporary Christianity writes: 

In Bezalel we have an example of a human creature making with the stuff of creation. Art involves hard work, attentiveness, years of practice and life-long learning, delight with curiosity. Above all, faithful art-making entails limits – physical, moral, spiritual – and wisdom to work well with the grain of creation. And his work is bound up with others and with the flourishing of human community. 

If we acknowledge art involves these things – hard work, paying attention, learning, limitations, and collaboration – we can also intuit some of the postures of good artistry. Experienced artists are typically gifted with distinct insight and an intuitive grasp of the possibilities for meaning and beauty. But they are often also marked by humility, diligence, and patience: they’re reasonably unconcerned about themselves and intent on work that reflects the integrity of the creation. 

The constraints and postures of making, then, reflect our human life and calling. As such, art-making can highlight features of good work generally. Faithfulness in such creaturely making requires that artists not only work hard at their craft, but also that they become wise. Bezalel does not conceive of himself as a mini-god, free from all constraints to express himself as he wishes; he is not some lonely genius intent on making a name for himself. Rather, we are shown an artist whose hard work and skill are permeated with the knowledge of God: God who gives each artist life and to whom each artist might respond with faithful making. Here, that means art that enables the life of a community before God, that reflects back God’s glory – just as a mirror reflects light.