Why Oholiab's Story Proves God Values Artists

One of the most neglected groups, even in the Christian community, is the creatives. The artists, the writers, the storytellers, the sages, etc. And it appeared in the Old Testament that many had gone neglected as well. Pulled from one of the lowliest tribes, Oholiab received a mighty task from God that would require all of his creativity. And he would do so as a collaboration with someone from a far greater tribe, Bezalel.

Let's take a look at this collaboration and see why God, in fact, values artists, when the world doesn't seem to. A worker is worth his wages (1 Timothy 5:18) and Oholiab's worth proved more fine than gold.

Who Was Oholiab in the Bible?

As implied earlier, Oholiab had an artistic skill, which God sought to use to help with the furnishings in the Tabernacle. Think about it. We have a God who values beauty. Don't believe me, do a Google search of images from space. God values beauty. And he needed plenty of beauty for his temporary house in the place known as the Tabernacle in the Old Testament—which later became the more permanent Temple.

So when God commissions Oholiab to help with the decorating, he has given him an undertaking.

But before we dive further into that, what else do we know about Oholiab?

Oholiab works with a team to help construct the temple, headed by Bezazel, who comes from a great tribe (Exodus 36). Bezalel comes from the tribe of Judah, one of the greatest (if not the greatest) amongst the 12. So Oholiab may have felt some trepidation working with him, considering he came from the tribe of Dan.

We don't know much about the tribe of Dan other than the fact it was lesser tribe marked by its lack of faith in God.

Scripture doesn't tell us much else about him other than the fact he does really good work (Exodus 31). We can't let this slip past our attention. Good work on the house of the Lord. This means that Oholiab and Bezalel threw their all into the project.

Oholiab works as an engraver during the project and an embroiderer, showing that he has skill in multiple arts. Throughout the Old Testament, we see that God loves his visuals. We have a visual God. So if he valued the work that Oholiab did, it meant that Oholiab make it unprecedentedly beautiful.

Why Does it Matter that Oholiab and Bezalel Worked Together?

If you skim through the Old Testament, you may accidentally blip past these two men. But I beg that you don't. Because they may have formed the most mismatched group project ever.

Oholiab helped Bezalel, but these two men came from vastly different lives. Bezalel hailed from Judah, the more powerful of the two tribes. This put Oholiab, naturally, in a lesser position. But Scripture seems to indicate the two worked together, with the group, in equals measures. To some degree, they would've had to put aside their differences to collaborate.

According to a commentary on Exodus 31, "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."

Tribes didn't matter when putting together the decor for the house of the Lord. We should view this group work as a great example for our churches today. That we may differ on minor, inconsequential details in the Bible. That we may hail from different walks of life. But when we work together for God's kingdom, those differences shouldn't matter.

Why Does God Value Creatives?

Apart from the story of Oholiab and Bezalel, we see many other types of creatives in the Bible. We have to keep in mind that most worked in agricultural-type jobs, so creativity often came second. That still didn't stop the following artists from creating.

David

Perhaps one of the most famous of creatives, he penned over one hundred Psalms (songs) to the Lord. God values music. Hence why the early church sang hymns, and why we still participating in worship by singing today.

Designers of the Temple

During Solomon's reign, many workers furnished the Temple with beautiful gold decorations and decor of all types. The Tabernacle served as a predecessor to this (1 Kings 6:1-38).

Other Psalmists

David didn't alone write songs. We see other songwriters such as Asaph, the Sons of Korah, Moses, Miriam, Solomon, and Heman dotting Scripture.

God Himself

God paints every sunrise. We see him delighting in his creativity in Genesis 1. God values artistry. Imagine what kind of world we'd live in if God didn't value beauty, art, and creativity. What a boring place we'd live in.

What Can Christians Learn from Oholiab?

Even though this artist doesn't appear in many places in Scripture, we can learn a great deal from his, his co-project leader, and the group who detailed the Tabernacle.

First, artists need mentors and support

Oholiab couldn't have done the project without Bezalel. Or his group. The kind words you give to an artist or mentors you place in their path could do enormous kingdom work. This could play out practically in a number of ways. Maybe you help pay for schooling for a Christian photographer. Or you support a Christian author by buying one of their books and writing a nice review on Amazon so others can hear about it. Artists need support, even godly artists.

Secondly, God values art, and therefore, so should we

God values good art. We can interpret this in a number of ways.

First, we need to value art more as Christians. Especially in our support of Christian artists. Too many Christian thespians, writers, photographers, and artists are having to put aside their God-given talents because friends and family are unwilling to give them the support they need to continue to create. If we want to continue to spread the Gospel through the arts—one of the best common grounds to introduce non-believers to Christ—we need to show we care through prayer, through finances, and through showing up. This might mean a church may need to invest more in an artistic ministry or a Christian school may need to devote more funds to severely underfunded theater or choir programs.

Secondly, on the flip side, Christian artists need to create good art.

Not watered down art. Not feel-good art. But art that throws its whole heart into the process, like Oholiab did.

Thirdly, God can bring together unlikely people to accomplish a great task.

No one would've expected someone from a tribe of Judah and the tribe of Dan to collaborate. And yet, they set aside their differences to participate in one of the greatest artistic building projects in the Bible. Artists may often find themselves pairing with someone they don't exactly click with. But that doesn't mean that God cannot move in odd circumstances.

God calls many of us to create. So for those of us who create, let us do so well. And for those of us who consume creativity, let us support our artistic brothers and sisters in Christ.

©Getty Images/Trifonov_Evgeniy

Hope Bolinger is an acquisitions editor at End Game Press, book editor for hire, and the author of almost 30 books. More than 1500 of her works have been featured in various publications. Check out her books at hopebolinger.com for clean books in most genres, great for adults and kids. Check out her editing profile at Reedsy.com to find out about hiring her for your next book project.