Jessie Stimpson
August 23, 2010
What Role Do the Creative Arts Play in the Worship of God?
“Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the
ends of the earth Does not become weary or tired. His understanding is inscrutable” (Isaiah 40:28 NASB).
Our God, the God who created the universe and spoke light into the darkness, who created matter from
nothing and breathed life into dead objects made of dust, who stretched out the heavens and all their
fascinating mysteries and placed volcanic furnaces in the dark trenches of the ocean floor, is appropriately
called the Creator, the One who fashions, shapes, and forms the earth, the skies, and even individual
humans, each so unique, and He saw that each thing was “good.” And this good creation glorifies the
Creator who so skillfully designed it; “The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his
craftsmanship” (Psalm 19:1 NLT)
The pinnacle of God’s creation, human beings, are made in the image and likeness of their
Creator, which means, among other things, that they have the ability to create things that proclaim the
glory and excellencies of God. Throughout the Scriptures there are examples of people filled with the
Spirit and knowledge of God who glorify and worship Him through various artistic mediums, including
poetry, music, and visual arts. The presence of these creative arts demonstrate that God’s creative Spirit is
a gift at work inside His people, and, used for His glory, they are an important part of worshiping Him.
At the beginning of Israel’s formation as a nation, God miraculously delivered His people the
Israelites from the hands of Pharaoh and the Egyptians who sought to keep them enslaved. After He
brought them out of Egypt by many signs and wonders, He demonstrated His power and faithfulness by
opening up a path through the Red Sea to allow Israel to pass through safely while Pharaoh and his
chariots were drowned in the waters. In response, Moses composed a song in worship to exalt the name of
the Lord. He began it, “I will sing to the LORD, for He has triumphed gloriously!” (Exodus 15:1 NKJV)
The verses of the song told of how God had delivered the Israelites and destroyed their enemies and how
He would plant them in a home of their own. Miriam then led all the women in singing this song with
dancing and tamborines (v.20). What a joyful way to celebrate God’s victory through music, dance, and
elaborate songs that tell a story. From the beginning of their journey as the people of God, the Israelites
worshiped the Lord through creative means.
Even when they were still in the wilderness, before reaching the Promise Land, the Israelites
created a magnificent house of worship from very detailed plans delivered to them by God through His
prophet Moses. Read the story of God commissioning and gifting specific people to do the artistic works
needed to create a tabernacle of worship, a place where the children of God could meet and speak with
God.
Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: “See, I have called by name Bezalel the son of
Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. And I have filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom,
in understanding, in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship, to design artistic works, to
work in gold, in silver, in bronze, in cutting jewels for setting, in carving wood, and to work in all
manner of workmanship.
“And I, indeed I, have appointed with him Aholiab the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of
Dan; and I have put wisdom in the hearts of all the gifted artisans, that they may make all that I
have commanded you: the tabernacle of meeting, the ark of the Testimony and the mercy seat that
is on it, and all the furniture of the tabernacle—the table and its utensils, the pure gold lampstand
with all its utensils, the altar of incense, the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils, and the
laver and its base—the garments of ministry, the holy garments for Aaron the priest and the
garments of his sons, to minister as priests, and the anointing oil and sweet incense for the holy
place. According to all that I have commanded you they shall do.” (Exodus 31:1-11 NKJV)
Not only were they to make the tabernacle and all its contents, but they were also commissioned and
gifted to sew and embroider the priestly garments. Exodus 35 describes the women gifted for this service,
“All the women who were skilled in sewing and spinning prepared blue, purple, and scarlet thread, and
fine linen cloth. All the women who were willing used their skills to spin the goat hair into yarn”
(v.25-26)
Interestingly enough, the Israelites were not primarily craftsmen and artisians in Egypt, as we
read in Exodus that the primary labor in which they engaged was brickmaking and bricklaying, not the
most creative skills. But in Exodus 35 we read, “Then Moses said to the people of Israel, ‘See, the LORD
has called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah; and he has filled him with the
Spirit of God, with skill, with intelligence, with knowledge, and with all craftsmanship, to devise artistic
designs, to work in gold and silver and bronze, in cutting stones for setting, and in carving wood, for work
in every skilled craft. And he has inspired him to teach, both him and Oholiab the son of Ahisamach of
the tribe of Dan. He has filled them with skill to do every sort of work done by an engraver or by a
designer or by an embroiderer in blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen, or by a
weaver—by any sort of workman or skilled designer’” (v.30-35, emphasis added). God not only chose
Bezalel, Aholiab, and those working under them to do the creative work He commanded them to do, He
also filled them with the Holy Spirit and with every bit of knowledge and ability they would need to
accomplish the task. God wanted them to be created, and He gifted them to create artistic works that
would be used in worship.
Matthew Henry in his commentary of Exodus 31 said, “The Israelites, who had been masons and
bricklayers in Egypt, were not qualified for curious workmanship; but the Spirit who gave the apostles
utterance in divers tongues, miraculously gave Bezaleel and Aholiab the skill that was wanting. The
honour which comes from God, is always attended with a work to be done; to be employed for God is
high honour. Those whom God calls to any service, he will find or make fit for it. The Lord gives
different gifts to different persons; let each mind his proper work, diligently remembering that whatever
wisdom any one possesses, the Lord put it in the heart, to do his commandments.”1 God has gifted people
in various different ways, even making some to be artists, writers, composers, musicians, engravers,
embroiders, or metalworkers, and He expects those whom He endows with these creative abilities to use
them in His service, to worship and glorify Him and to proclaim His excellencies to the world.
1
Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
Advance forward many years to the reign of King David, the one whom God calls a man after His
own heart, the one who wrote many of the Psalms—great literary masterpieces sung in worship by the
Hebrew people. David had such a heart to worship the Lord, that he instituted his own tabernacle where
the Levites would worship the Lord night and day with song and music. 1 Chronicles 15:16 says, “Then
David spoke to the leaders of the Levites to appoint their brethren to be the singers accompanied by
instruments of music, stringed instruments, harps, and cymbals, by raising the voice with resounding joy”
(NKJV). Ten chapters later we read,
David and the chiefs of the service also set apart for the service the sons of Asaph, and of Heman,
and of Jeduthun, who prophesied with lyres, with harps, and with cymbals. The list of those who
did the work and of their duties was: Of the sons of Asaph: Zaccur, Joseph, Nethaniah, and
Asharelah, sons of Asaph, under the direction of Asaph, who prophesied under the direction of
the king. Of Jeduthun, the sons of Jeduthun: Gedaliah, Zeri, Jeshaiah, Shimei, Hashabiah, and
Mattithiah, six, under the direction of their father Jeduthun, who prophesied with the lyre in
thanksgiving and praise to the LORD. Of Heman, the sons of Heman: Bukkiah, Mattaniah,
Uzziel, Shebuel and Jerimoth, Hananiah, Hanani, Eliathah, Giddalti, and Romamti-ezer,
Joshbekashah, Mallothi, Hothir, Mahazioth. All these were the sons of Heman the king’s seer,
according to the promise of God to exalt him, for God had given Heman fourteen sons and three
daughters. They were all under the direction of their father in the music in the house of the LORD
with cymbals, harps, and lyres for the service of the house of God. Asaph, Jeduthun, and Heman
were under the order of the king. The number of them along with their brothers, who were trained
in singing to the LORD, all who were skillful, was 288. And they cast lots for their duties, small
and great, teacher and pupil alike. (1 Chronicles 25:1-8 ESV, emphasis added)
Matthew Henry commented on this passage, “David put those in order who were appointed to be singers
and musicians in the temple. To prophesy, in this place, means praising God with great earnestness and
devout affections, under the influences of the Holy Spirit. In raising these affections, poetry and music
were employed. If the Spirit of God do not put life and fervour into our devotions, they will, however
ordered, be a lifeless, worthless form.”2 God sent His Holy Spirit upon these worshipers who were skilled
and trained as singers and musicians to give life to their creative method of worship; He blessed their
artistic offering with His own Spirit as they used their gifts to worship and give thanks and praise to His
name day and night in the tabernacle. Their offering was an acceptable one to Him.
After King David dies, his son Solomon becomes king and is chosen by God to build a temple, a
holy habitation for the Lord. In the same way Bezalel and Aholiab were skilled and gifted to create the
artistic works for the tabernacle in Moses’ day, Huram, the son of a Danite woman, was skilled in various
crafts and headed up the construction of the temple and the creation of the various carved, engraved,
embroidered works as well as all the metalwork that needed to be done according to the plans God had
given King Solomon for the temple and its articles of worship. “The arts of carving and engraving were
much in demand in the building of the Tabernacle and the Temple as well as in the ornamentation of the
priestly dresses.”3 These were skills desirable to God in the construction of His house, the most beautiful
and celebrated building in Israel’s history.
Another art form that is very prominent in the closing books of the Old Testament is the literary
art of poetry. It permeates the dramatic books of Job and Song of Solomon, the lyrical book of Psalms,
and even the instructive book of Ecclesiastes. Additionally, many of the prophets wrote their prophetic
messages in verse form. You can even see the influence of lyrical writing back in the historical books in
Deborah song in the book of Judges and Hannah’s song in 1 Samuel. Poems were commonplace
throughout Israel’s history, and they were often sung and resung to commemorate various times when
God demonstrated His power, faithfulness, and victory on behalf of His children.
Easton’s Illustrated Bible Dictionary states, “Poetry has been well defined as ‘the measured
language of emotion.’ Hebrew poetry deals almost exclusively with the great question of man's relation to
God. Guilt, condemnation, punishment, pardon, redemption, repentance are the awful themes of this
2
3
Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
New Unger’s Bible Dictionary, under definition for “Carver”
heaven-born poetry."4 The people of God communicated with God and one another through poetry and
singing as a way to process all the trials and victories, falls and redemptions, sins and repentance. They
often told their story as the people of God in these instructive or reflective literary art works that God has
chosen to include in the canon of Scripture.
In the Bible we see God’s people as a creative people, a people made in the image of their Creator
God, producing artistic works to worship His name. And if God gifted His children with creative abilities
and artistic skill then, then the One who is the same today, yesterday, and forever will surely endow some
today with those abilities to be used for His glory and purposes.
Hebrews 8:4-5 says, “For if [Jesus] were on earth, He would not be a priest, since there are priests
who offer the gifts according to the law; who serve the copy and shadow of the heavenly things, as Moses
was divinely instructed when he was about to make the tabernacle. For He said, ‘See that you make all
things according to the pattern shown you on the mountain’” (NKJV). We no longer worship God from
the same tabernacle of meeting as the Israelites in the Old Testament, but the type of worship that went on
and the service performed back then are a “copy and shadow” of the heavenly things of worship. One
commentary had this to say of these verses, “Christ, like the Levitical priests, also presents the gifts of his
people, their freewill offerings, service, praise and prayers before the Father, on the throne of Majesty.
Prior to the sacrifice of Christ, we could only approach God, through the Levitical Priesthood established
by God.”5 Now our individual bodies and the numerous bodies of believers in Jesus that make up the
church are the true temple of the Holy Spirit. In the same way the tabernacle and the temple were adorned
with creative offerings to the Lord, our lives should produce creative fruits that we can offer to God as an
act of worship.
In a vision once, God showed me His great throne room and surrounding courts. They were
decorated so exquisitely with very detailed paintings on the walls and ceilings, with sculptured pillars and
molding around the ceiling, corners, and floors. Music was continuously playing, performed by skilled
4
5
Easton’s Illustrated Bible Dictionary, under definition for “Poetry”
James Coffman, New Testament Commentary, on Hebrews 8
musicians. And I heard the words, “As it is in heaven, so it shall be on earth.”6 I sensed that God enjoys
when His children use their creative gifts as an offering of extravagant worship for Him. And like the
offering of costly perfume that Mary of Bethany poured on Jesus, the offering of artistic creations like
music, poetry, and visual arts are pleasing to God when done as an act of total devotion and worship, not
simply for our own honor and praise.
Paul wrote to the Colossians some words of wisdom that apply here; “And whatever you do, do it
heartily, as to the Lord and not to men” (NKJV). Anything we do must be of God, to God, and for God.
Just slapping something together and calling it “art for God” is not what He is looking for; He is looking
to see people walking like Bezalel, David, and Huram with skill and excellence in the field of art. Kevin
Swanson, a preacher with a weekly radio show, posed the question, “Whis is Christian art so schlocky?”
He proceeded to explain that art reaches down into the human soul and draws from it, but many
Christians have no deep beliefs in any thing real and transforming, so the “art” they create is sentimental,
substandard, and shallow. True art that seeks to glorify God must explore the deepest realms of the human
relationship with the Creator God, who is also Holy, Sovereign, Just, Righteous, and a Judge in addition
to being the Comforter, Friend, and Shepherd.7 As we are filled with the Spirit which reveals the deep
things of God to our spirits, then out from our innermost beings songs, poems, compositions, paintings,
and other great works of art will communicate the true heart of God to others around us.
Ephesians 5:18-19 exhorts us to “be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and
hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart” (ESV). Psalms are
poems set to music and hymns are sung to heroes, conquerors or gods.8 Our God is the Lord, and He
delights in our sacrifices of singing to Him. As we are continually filled with His Holy Spirit, the works
of our hands and the utterances of our lips can be a creative part of our continual act of praise and
worship. And like the skilled artisians of old mentioned in the Bible, let us apply ourselves to instruction,
6
From a vision I had on August 8, 2010
Kevin Swanson, “Does Christian Art have to be Schlock: Evoking Our Deepest Emotions,” aired June 17, 2008
8
From the NAS New Testament Greek Lexicon on Biblestudytools.com
7
knowledge, and understanding of the various arts God has gifted us in that we, too, may be fruitful in our
creations, bringing glory to His name alone and not to ourselves.
As I meditated on this topic of using art in the worship of God, I felt God speak to me the
following:
I am the Creator. It is in my nature to create beautiful things that glorify Me and lift up
My name. As my child, you have inherited that ability, and there are some who have inherited
what you might think of as the sunset-painting creative ability, while others might be more gifted
in bird-song composing; some are potters and others have received wisdom and understanding in
crafting things. Just as I built woman out of man, there are those that can build or craft great
works of art that glorify Me. I cannot give something that I Myself do not have, and I only give
good gifts, so these creative abilities reflect the Creator side of Me and they are good for
glorifying Me and My name. I desire to redeem the artistic world for My glory and to see My
children walking skillfully in artistic ability with wisdom and understanding.9
God is not simply looking to make the world aesthetically pleasing, but He is calling out true artists, filled
with the Spirit, wisdom, and knowledge of God to release the kingdom of heaven upon earth, to preach
the good news in creative ways, and to communicate His heart to a lost and dying world that He desires to
draw to Himself.
9
From my quiet time on August 4, 2010