"The LORD showed me, and there were two baskets of figs set before the temple of the LORD, after Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had carried away captive ... the princes of Judah with the craftsmen and smiths, from Jerusalem, and had brought them to Babylon. '... so will I acknowledge those who are carried away captive from Judah, whom I have sent out of this place for their own good, into the land of the Chaldeans. For I will set My eyes on them for good, and I will bring them back to this land;'" (Jeremiah 24:1,5-6, NKJV)
In Jeremiah's lifetime the craftsmen and artists were taken out of Jerusalem "for their own good." It makes me wonder about the climate of the church (Jerusalem) today. Is our atmosphere one where the skill of creativity and artistic design can flourish? Is it one where the leaders of praise (princes of Judah) can lead effectively and do what God has called them to do? This may be an indicator of why so much of the "secular" world (Babylon) seems to have had the edge on the market in recent years when it comes to music, movies, drama, etc. They, in all of their shortcomings, are allowing the creative juices to flow.
Restoration in the church today includes a restoration of the arts. God's word regarding the craftsmen, the smiths and the praise leaders was also, "I will bring them back to this land." They are coming. Could it be that God has actually preserved these creative people in the world until the church is ready to use them effectively without watering them down?
