The above are words uttered by old King David to his son, Solomon, relating to the construction of the Temple. Solomon would succeed to the throne and build the House of God, a project that David wanted to engage as the crowning event of his own reign. He was denied. His hands were stained with the blood of wars. God chose a man of peace to build for the God of Peace. And, that was the way of it. The value of the arts is among the many lessons found in the vision, the planning, the construction and use of the Temple. For our purpose here, the accent is on the calling of God to become an artist in carving, painting, music, architecture, drama, dance, speaking, or writing – in serving the high levels of the soul-spirit/mind-body of mankind. This suggests proper concern for choices of persons related to their work and cultural/divine meaning.
Solomon noted that work is God’s gift. (Ecclesiastes 3:13; 5:19) He listed area fields of work and artistry. Spiritually minded persons commonly focus on naked mankind entering the presence of God that they may forget that the Lord is also interested in the best presentation for his human creation in the here and now. This interest is sometimes related to the concept of the holistic person. The holistic person ought to see elevating improvement in a total context that concludes with immortality. That person will have to pass through the door of death in a transitional step to shuck off the mortal coil, as Shakespeare put it, to take on resources for a larger than earth environment. This transition may be likened to a baby abandoning womb death to world birth, from the environment of mother’s body to the environment of mother earth. This is the same person, but the change is so great that one may not perceive the difference is in the context and circumstances, on the way to perfect completion – another death/birth.
God means for us to take pleasure in the work of our hands, so to do that work well. Workers, in the perception espoused here, possess gifts from God. David attributed those gifts to the Spirit of God. How many persons perceive divine inspiration? No animal ever exulted in an ability to build a beautiful house, to manufacture a time piece, to make a pair of shoes, to write a book. We draw closer to our maker when we do well the proper things that our hands/minds find to do. God is interested in quality of life – the quality of food eaten, the care of children, and the homes lived in. Jesus fed five thousand men plus uncounted women and children. His must have become the best fish sandwiches the diners had ever eaten. May we wonder about the recipe? The great loss on the part of many indigent, or near indigent people, is that they miss the meaning of people on earth, so miss beauty in what we can be and do in life. Reading about the American Communist leader, William Z. Foster, I was impressed that he felt that the hoboes who rode the rails (a life he had known before World War I) did not lift their eyes and see the beauty and meaning of the mountains. Their eyes were always downward to their feet and the mud. Mankind needs to possess the true spirit of artists to dedication in what they do. From this they gain some of the meaning of the artists’ identity. Foster would lift disillusioned eyes to nature and communism. As Foster deplored the orientation of the poor in the downward cast, I deplored his downward spiritual look signifying nothing. Christ lifts all persons, who want to join, to look up to God. Little wonder that even in an imperfect world we can feel life unending. It may take some time to orient oneself to perceptions of true artists. King David believed artisans and workers were given of God, perhaps even if they gave no personal time for God. We remember the common grace of God that sows grains of beauty from any source. *Mark W. Lee, Sr. — 2016, 2020