skilled hands

One of my favorite passages in the early Old Testament is Exodus 31:1-11, which I read again this morning. I’m guessing it’s probably not very high on most people’s lists, though.

In that passage, the Lord says this: "See, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and I have 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 crafts. Moreover, I have appointed Oholiab son of Ahisamak, of the tribe of Dan, to help him. Also I have given ability to all the skilled workers to make everything I have commanded you: the tent of meeting, the ark of the covenant law with the atonement cover on it, and all the other furnishings of the tent— the table and its articles, the pure gold lampstand and all its accessories, the altar of incense, the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, the basin with its stand—and also the woven garments, both the sacred garments for Aaron the priest and the garments for his sons when they serve as priests, and the anointing oil and fragrant incense for the Holy Place. They are to make them just as I commanded you."

Boring stuff, but here’s what it says to me: God values the work we do with our hands. In fact, I think he loves it when we make stuff. To me, that’s part of what it means to be made in his image; our Creator made us also with the skills to create. So when I read this, I’m reminded of the basic God-honoring nature of creative and constructive work. Our tradesmen, artists, pre-school teachers, and everyone who nurtures and uses those basic skills that take stuff and convert it into prettier or better or more useful stuff – those people should see this passage as evidence that God ordains and blesses what they do

But my musings go a bit farther. To me it’s fascinating that God made us with creative, inquisitive minds, plus he made this world with permanent laws of physics, plus he seeded the earth with all kinds of materials. An outcome of these three things is that we as a people are equipped by God to be able and to want to figure out how to make roads and bridges and skyscrapers and ships and airplanes.

That’s why, to me, the amazing technology of a modern merchant ship or the mind-boggling capabilities of GPS are just as much a part of God’s creation as the mountains and rivers. When I see a great thing that man has done, like the Sydney Opera House, I tend to praise God for it just as much as when I see wild horses running free.

God wanted to glorify himself and bless his people with a wonderful tabernacle, so he called and equipped good artisans and builders. Today I’m seeing his image reflected in the contractors building houses in my neighborhood, and the chemists designing new coatings in our lab, and the engineers figuring out better ways to move materials around our plants. I’m seeing it in my wife, who teaches music, and her students, who make music; in my friend, who leads crafts at Kid’s Connection, and all the children who make refrigerator-worthy gifts for moms and grandmas. I’m seeing it in the interior designers and writers and cooks and theater people, who all delight our minds and senses with things we couldn’t experience without them.

Ours is a beautiful, creative community because God made us to be that way. That’s a praiseworthy gift to all of us.