Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Exodus 31:1-5

1 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,

2 See, I have called by name Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah:

3 And I have filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship,

4 To devise cunning works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass,

5 And in cutting of stones, to set them, and in carving of timber, to work in all manner of workmanship.

Today’s chapter begins by introducing us to the first artisan whom God had called to fashion the parts of the tabernacle. Bezaleel’s name means “in the shadow of God,” a particularly appropriate name for one who would be “filled with the spirit of God” to know how to build according to the Lord’s design.

Specifically, we are told that Bezaleel had expertise in working with metal, cutting stones, and carving timbers. This would allow him to assemble the wooden bodies of the furniture, to overlay them in gold, silver, and brass, and to etch the stones set upon the shoulders and in the ephod of the priest.

A skill that is not mentioned for him is the working of thread and cloth, which would be necessary for the curtains and the clothing of the priests. That work, it would seem, would be assigned to another. Perhaps someone else would also be required to prepare the anointing oil and the perfume, assuming there was more to the process than just measuring the ingredients and stirring them together.

When we think about being empowered by the Spirit of the Lord, we often think of things like prophecy, healing, and the working of miracles, but the Bible also sets the precedent for divinely inspired creativity, both of the artistic and inventive variety. There are these inspired artisans that crafted the tabernacle, but also the building of Noah’s Ark, the poems of David and Solomon, and even the stories told by Jesus. The act of creation has a divine source after all, each of us inheriting it from the greatest creator in all the universe.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Sacrifice and Consecration- Personal Example

I shared at the end of my last study series about a fear I once had. This fear was that if I really tried to follow God, sooner or later He was going to ask me to sacrifice my creativity. He was going to point to all those silly, little stories that I loved to write and say “Enough of that childish stuff, you need to dedicate yourself to some real work now.”

That was a hard thing to face, because I had always considered my creativity to be an essential part of me. Surrendering it would feel like denying a core of who I am. As I spoke with God about these fears, He assured me that He had no intentions to make me sacrifice my creativity. In fact He pointed out that He is an extremely creative being Himself, and that I feel these creative longings because I am His son.

And then He did a most beautiful thing. He asked if I would allow Him to help me with my creativity. He asked if I would be willing to make a joint effort on the stories I write, one where I use my passion to communicate His messages. After all, why can’t a writer ask God’s advice on where a plot should go, or what a story’s theme should be?

So God didn’t take my stories away from me…but He did change them. And I have not sacrificed my creativity…but I have consecrated it.

And ever since that moment my writing has had so much more purpose, and my stories are full of so much more heart. When I write, I feel so much more enriched and complete. I feel that I am doing what I love, and that in so doing I am giving glory to God.

Posted on by Abe Austin

That They Might Have Joy- Personal Example #2

One of the motivations for this study was that I have been feeling an increase of joy over the past year and wanted to examine the reasons why. As I’ve considered the matter I have identified three basic reasons. Today I’ll discuss the second.

I’ve always been fascinated by the act of writing. I wrote stories all through my teenage years, I loved crafting essays in college, and even in my careers as a software development I do a form of writing every day. Surprisingly, though, I never thought of myself as “called” to write until a year-and-a-half ago.

March of 2018 I was attending a spiritual retreat up in the mountains where I had a lot of pondering and prayer. God spoke to my heart with many sacred messages, and one of them was an invitation to take my old hobby and make it a spiritual vocation.

I distinctly felt that God took pleasure in my writing. The thought occurred to me that He is a supremely creative being, and my own desire for creativity is a sign of my being His son. It was time to start taking that gift seriously.

As a result I began a blog where I examine the principles of storytelling and publish short stories. I also began working in earnest on a novel, one which communicates the deepest feelings of my heart. And last of all I began this second spiritual blog six months ago.

My skills still have a long way to go, but the fact is I am already so much more fulfilled by doing that which I feel was I was born to do. If what I write is good for anyone else, that is delightful. But already it is enough that what I write is good for me.