Does Skill Matter to God?
Devotions for Growing Christians
Does Skill Matter to God?
Exodus 36:1 - The Lord has gifted Bezalel, Oholiab, and the other skilled craftsmen with wisdom and ability to perform any task involved in building the sanctuary. Let them construct and furnish the Tabernacle, just as the Lord has commanded.
1 Chronicles 15:22 - Kenaniah, the head Levite, was chosen as the choir leader because of his skill.
1 Chronicles 25:6,7 - These men… made music at the house of the Lord. Their responsibilities included the playing of cymbals, harps, and lyres at the house of God… They and their families were all trained in making music before the Lord, and each of them was an accomplished musician.
Should a person who has a “heart to sing” be put in a position to lead worship music, even if he or she doesn’t have a good voice? Should a person who has a “heart to teach” be entrusted to preach or teach a class, even if he or she is not a good communicator?
The answer to these questions might seem rather obvious. However, scenarios like these have caused long-running debates and tension in the church. Christian opinions vary greatly on the crossover point between a “servant heart” and the “skill level” needed to be involved in certain areas of Christian service. Often when Christians possess good character and/or a sincere desire to serve, their level of skill (and sometimes, lack of skill!) is overlooked. Compassion for less-skilled individuals may place them in areas where God has not gifted them. While giving unskilled people a chance to participate in their desired area may seem like an encouraging gesture, it actually doesn’t follow biblical examples in the area of skill. It also fails to acknowledge God’s sovereign distribution of gifts.
Let’s take the music ministry at your church, for example. Some Christians believe this ministry should be reserved for people with significant musical gift and ability. Other Christians believe that a person’s heart for service is more important than the level of skill. As long as the person is making a “joyful noise to the Lord,” his or her natural ability is not as important! Some Christians even go to the extent of saying that Christians who are very skilled musically should have limited involvement lest they become proud, or discourage others from participating.
The Bible clearly teaches that human gifts and skills are God-given. A person’s character is also important, and sometimes a more Christ-like character needs to be developed in very skilled individuals. Unfortunately, talent in any field can potentially lead to pride, egotism, and a desire for self-glory. However, limiting godly individuals with God-given abilities in favor of less proficient people is not a biblical pattern. To avoid these unbiblical extremes, let’s look at what the Bible says about God-given skills.
Skill at the Tabernacle
In Exodus 36:1-2, we learn about Bezalel and Oholiab. Moses directed these men and other skilled workers to construct the Tabernacle because the Lord had gifted them with the "wisdom and ability to perform any task involved in building the sanctuary." It’s important to note that anyone in Israel could contribute to the overall building project (Exodus 35:4-9). However, only the skilled individuals were appointed to do the actual construction of the sanctuary. Some people may have been “offended” that they weren’t named to the “elite construction team.” And the status of being a “master craftsperson” could have been a source of pride for some of the chosen workers. Perhaps God could have avoided this by having the entire project done by a more-inclusive fleet of amateur workers. However, it’s clear that God wanted skilled people to do the work on His sanctuary. Why? Obviously, because they could do a better job!
God was interested in more than just willing hearts that could get the job done. He wanted the job done with excellence! We should follow the biblical pattern today and use the God-given skills that are available. Just as we would logically seek experienced carpenters and plumbers for work on church buildings, so we should use skilled computer analysts, administrators, musicians, and speakers who are willing to dedicate their natural skills to the Lord.
Exodus 31:1-11 and 35:30-35 tell us that Bezalel was also “filled with the Spirit of God,” which empowered him to be a “master at every craft.” God gave both Bezalel and Oholiab “special skills to excel as craftsmen and designers.” In other words, God not only gave them a natural talent that they developed into expertise, but those skills were taken to another level as they were empowered by the Holy Spirit.
The same is true today. God has gifted each one of us differently. When individuals develop their natural gifts and dedicate them to the Lord, His Spirit can empower those gifts and skills. Whether it’s artistic design, expert carpentry, accomplished musicality, electrical expertise, needlework, teaching, preaching, computers, technology… etc. It’s all empowered by God! Although these blessings should not be flaunted, we should never repress the gifts that are given by God Himself.
Skill at the Temple
In 1 Chronicles 15 we learn about Kenaniah. When King David made preparations to bring the Ark of the Lord to Jerusalem, he put Kenaniah in charge of choir. Why? Because he was "skillful" (v22). Kenaniah was most likely a skilled musician as well as a vocalist (v16). David wanted excellent music for the worship of the Lord! No doubt there were many “average” singers and musicians who would have served the Lord to the best of their abilities, but that’s not what David - or God - wanted. David was not just acting on his own initiative. He was moved and directed by God Himself!
After the Ark of God was brought to Jerusalem, David continued to make preparations for the construction of Solomon’s Temple. These preparations included blueprints for the building, organizing the workers, appointing gatekeepers for the Temple courts, assigning the musicians, and many other arrangements (1 Chronicles 15-29). Skilled craftsmen were used in the construction of the Temple (2 Chronicles 3-4), and skilled musicians played and sang praises to God at the dedication ceremony. Through it all, David told Solomon, "Every part of this plan was given to me in writing from the hand of the Lord" (1 Chronicles 28:19).
Romans 15:4 says that “everything that was written in the past was written to teach us,” so there are lessons here for us today. In giving God our best, we should acknowledge God’s sovereign distribution of gifts and skills. If accomplished craftspeople, musicians, or speakers are willing and available, they should be given opportunities to serve the Lord with their gifts. Of course, this doesn’t mean that others are left out. Maybe you’ll never be a skilled musician, but you’re a great Sunday school teacher! Maybe you’re not good at construction, but you’re great at hospitality. Maybe you’re not gifted as a preacher or administrator, but you’re a warm and caring one-on-one mentor. Every individual has some kind of ability, and everyone has a niche to fill in the work and worship of the Lord. There are jobs and opportunities for all.
Pride and Jealousy
There's always a risk that talented individuals will become proud and seek glory for themselves. Despite this risk, God still moved Moses and David to select the most proficient servants who could do the best job for the House of the Lord. (Let’s not forget, unskilled individuals put in a place of prestige are not immune to the sin of pride either!)
Unfortunately, the sinful human tendencies of pride and jealousy can cause tremendous friction in the church. Those who are skilled shouldn’t look down on others or seek the limelight for themselves. Likewise, believers shouldn't try to force themselves into an area where they are not skilled or gifted - and they should not be offended if leadership suggests that area is not their gift. They should not become jealous or spiteful, but joyfully accept a different area that uses the gifts and abilities God has given them.
The Lord didn’t give us talents and gifts to create tension and division, but to use our gifts to serve one another and serve God. Let these words from the apostle Paul sum up our thoughts on the biblical view of skills:
“Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us. Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other.
In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly” (Romans 12:3-8).
- Dave Reid
(Updated 2021, Ron Reid)