Day 6: Ice Sculptures...a worthy artistic endeavor, or not?—C.E.F.

Ice Sculpture Pros:

Pretty
Takes great skill and knowledge to work in freezing temperatures
Pretty
Has the potential to show craftsmanship in form
Pretty
Memorable
Pretty
Can bring in a good chunk of money for the artist
Pretty
Can be practical/functional
Pretty
Fun and unique
Pretty

Ice Sculpture Cons:

It melts
It's cold
It melts
It's not lasting craftsmanship
It melts
You have to take a picture to remember it
It melts
You can't keep it on display past a few hours
It melts
Can be highly impractical
It melts



One of the primary stories in Scripture that speaks to artistic endeavors is in Exodus 31. The flight from Egypt is a not too distant memory for the Children of Israel. They have been given the 10 commandments, laws about alters, slaves, restitution, sabbaths, and festivals. Now they are making plans for how to live out the mandate they've been given. They have consecrated priests and are tallying up the needs to make the tabernacle a reality. It is here that we meet the two chief men God put in charge of seeing these great endeavors through to the end, Bezalel and Oholiab. These men have been given knowledge and craftsmanship, ability and intelligence "to work in every craft" (Exodus 31:5). But the crafts that are listed are works in "gold, silver, and bronze, in cutting stones for setting, and in carving wood". These are things that last through generations. And the result of these works of craftsmanship are things that ended up being used for the edification of the covenant community and the glorification of God.

But then there's "the anointing oil and the fragrant incense for the Holy Place". Oil and incense are not lasting. And yet it took skill and craftsmanship to produce them in the prescribed way for the desired affect and aroma. And seeing as these were intentionally used for the purpose of worship and sacrifice, it was probably someone's express job to make the oil and the incense. But I would venture to guess that the folks who mixed the oil and incense did not have the same skills as Bezalel and Oholiab.

Conclusion: We shouldn't squander the gifts we have, use them in their proper place and for their proper purpose. If we have the ability to create a sculpture it seems that it would be of more lasting import to carve from wood, to chisel marble, to work with gold, silver, or bronze. But then there's the fun and unique, pretty, and memorable aspect of ice sculptures, and to that I echo Solomon: "Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might..." whether it's something lasting or something that's just darn cool!