Talent for Sale

Have you ever met someone who is able to light up a room with their presence? Even though you just met them, you felt as if you had known them all your life. They carry the conversation when everyone else is too uptight to talk. Kids are often attracted to them, and everyone seems to know them, or wishes they did. Such people are typically the life of the party, but their outgoing personalities are sometimes scoffed at by those who fancy themselves to be intellectuals.

This is a talent from God! We sometimes call it "charisma." Not to be confused with the referred to in the Bible in connection with supernatural gifts and manifestations of the Holy Spirit, this type of human charisma is defined in Webster’s Dictionary as "a gift of God’s grace; a divinely inspired gift, grace or talent; to rejoice at; a special quality of leadership that captures the popular imaginations and inspires unswerving allegiance and devotion."

When this type of personality is put together with some kind of musical talent or speaking ability, you have a celebrity. If such people are not famous yet, with only a little effort they usually can be. The Hebrew word halal in the Bible has a definition similar to what Webster’s says about "charisma." Halal means "to be bright; to shine, to be splendid; to boast; to praise; to celebrate; to be praised; to be famous; to cause to shine; to make bright." The root of the word conveys the idea of radiance.

There is a warning in Scripture about or using this divinely inspired gift foolishly. I [God] said unto the fools, Deal not foolishly: and to the wicked, Lift not up the horn (Psalm 75:4). The words "fool" and "foolishly" are both translated from the Hebrew word halal. Yet, halal is also used many times in the Bible to express praise to God. It is the root of the word "hallelujah," which means "praise the Lord." Some people in show business have an unusual kind of attracting power, similar to the basic meaning of halal to be bright or radiant. Sometimes this quality is seen as being cocky or boastful. In fact, some of the other translations of Psalm 75:4 use the word "boast " to translate halal, but the KJV renders it as "fool."

When I first discovered that, I was puzzled. It was the first time I had ever seen the word halal translated as "fool." It caught my interest, so I started looking a little closer at what the Lord might be saying in this strange use of a word often connected with praise to God.

In times long past, the word "fool" was used to refer to an entertainer. The fool was kept in the house of a nobleman or king to entertain by joking or clowning. The king’s subjects would always search the land for the best of the fools and offer them to the king in hopes of bringing pleasure to him. The best of the entertainers would light up the room when they walked in, and if the king was pleased, all the people in the land were blessed. The pleasure of the king was all that was important.

Of course, if he didn’t please the king, the fool could lose his head. Such an arrangement has a way of really sharpening your act! It wasn’t long before the entertainer—or "fool"—started turning his attention to trying to please the other people at the court instead of just pleasing the king. In fact, some fools abandoned the objective of entertaining the king at all, deeming it too risky. By entertaining outside the court, they were paid a lot less, but at least they could keep their head if they weren’t very talented.

The problem with trying to please the crowd instead of the king is that there are as many opinions of what is good as there are people in the crowd. No one could possibly please everyone. Yet, many fools never realized that it would be easier to just try and please the king rather than continually reshaping themselves to fit the fickle demands of the public.

The outcome of this situation was probably predictable. In order to entertain the crowd and keep their head at the same time, a fool needed to learn how to sell himself. In effect, he had to make a deal with his listeners. This is the very place many entertainers, and even worship leaders, find themselves in today.

Psalm 75:4 could be paraphrased, "To the bright and shining people who are very good at what they do, beware of the temptation to sell yourself and your talent." The end of the verse says, "and [God said] to the wicked, Lift not up the horn." Horn means power. God is saying that we must not lift up or exalt the power of the wicked. Yet, often those who have great power and wealth are admired and held in high esteem, even when they are wicked. God warns us against this.

There are several other verses in Psalm 75 that have a bearing on this matter of selling your talent: Lift not up your horn on high: speak not with a stiff neck. For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south. But God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another (Psalm 75:5-7). Don’t promote yourself, even if you feel you have the greatest gift in the history of mankind. Only God’s favor matters, and He is quite capable of promoting you if He wants to. The scriptural route to promotion is actually very clear: "Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up" (James 4:10). The hard part is waiting for God to lift you up. But if you are unwilling or unable to wait, the consequences will not be promotion but abasement.

What If You’re Already Famous?

If you are already in a position of much recognition and feel as though you can’t back out now, think again. Even though in the eyes of people you might be on your way to becoming something really great in music or in ministry, stop and consider the lessons we saw in the history of the fool. Pleasing the King is all that really matters. If God is not the One who has promoted you—or if He did promote you and things are now out of control—stop everything and seek the Lord. Your life and ministry are in the balance.

I once spoke with Jim Bakker after he had been released from prison. Among the many words of wisdom he spoke, one thing stood out to me. He said there was a time in the beginning of his ministry when he was questioning if God was really in some of the things that were happening. But because the ministry was growing so fast and there was so much good being done as a result, no one would let him stop. He couldn’t imagine letting all those people down. He was caught in a ministry machine that had started running itself. The approval of the King had become secondary to the approval of the crowd.

This is a great trap. Only a few have escaped from such a place without offending many people. But pleasing or upsetting people is not the crucial issue—you were made for pleasing God. When you get out of bed tomorrow morning, ask yourself this question: Whose "fool" will I be today, the King’s or the crowd’s Jesus said it this way: For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more (Luke 12:48) This scripture is saying that if I commit much to man, whether that be in ministry or secular occupations, man will ask of me even more than what I’ve committed. Haven’t you found that in your own life? The job always seems to grow as you get further along. God, on the other hand, will only require what He has given. Not more than I have, but the same as I have. Many times I’ve been too overwhelmed by the commitments I’ve made to people to be available to God. It’s no wonder Jesus says, "My yoke is easy" (Matthew 11:30). Man’s yoke is what kills.

When I was in the music business, I worked as a studio musician and producer. I would strive to get myself in a position of being needed by the different artists that were recording. The best thing a studio musician can hear is, "We couldn’t make this record without you." But believe me, that is the worst thing a believer can hear from the world. Only Jesus is indispensable.

If you have maneuvered yourself into a position of being needed by others, consciously or unconsciously, get out as fast as you can. Seek God and ask where you are supposed to be in Him. He’s the One who made you, gifted you, and equipped you to do His will. Find out what that is.

Meant for Worship

As already stated, the word halal is a word mostly used in the Old Testament for praise. Halal is exemplified by God Himself. He is bright, shining, famous and praiseworthy. He is radiant, and He causes the people and things around Him to shine. The Hebrew Lexicon also mentions that some people can have a portion of the halal quality, though of course not at the same level as God.

It’s interesting to note some of the people who were considered to be worthy of halal in the Bible: In Genesis 12:15 Pharaoh’s men were praising (halal) Sarai for her beauty. Sarai’s beauty stemmed from a godly attractiveness in her life, and all who met her recognized it. Of Absalom, David’s son, it was said, "In all Israel there was not a man praised [halal] for his handsome appearance as Absalom" (II Samuel 14:25 NIV). Though he was handsome and had great talent, Absalom lost his life as a result of believing his favor and gifts were greater than his duty to respect his father.

The contrast between Queen Esther and Queen Vashti shows the need for those with outward beauty and charisma to also have godly character. Both Esther and Vashti were beautiful and talented, but Vashti lost her position of favor when she did not honor the king’s request. Without godly character and the fear of the Lord, great ability is destined to go the way of Absalom and Vashti Esther, on the other hand, had a different testimony: "And Esther obtained favour in the sight of all them that looked upon her" (Esther 2:15). This same kind of godly favor is found in the Proverbs 31:10-31 description of a virtuous wife: "‘Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.’ Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the L is to be praised [halal]. Give her the reward she has earned, and let her works bring her praise [halal] at the city gate" (verses 29-31 ). Again, halal is used to describe a God-given charisma that either can be used by Him for His glory or perverted into something we use for our own selfish ends.

Many women have given all they have to gain the praise of their husband, never realizing the best way to accomplish that is to fear the Lord and live a life of noble character. Godly virtue, not charm or beauty, is the Bible’s answer to that struggle. Just being beautiful does not make someone worthy of halal praise. Having the character of God does.

These same principles apply to those who are in the world of music and entertainment. They typically spend all they have, using charm and even deception to make others believe they are bright, shining and famous . Those who are worship leaders need to beware of these same pressures, though they may be more subtle. Never forget this: The only real way to gain the halal kind of praise is by God’s character being formed in you and then recognized by others.

Halal is certainly not a praise that we should seek for ourselves, but rather it is a praise that comes naturally to those who radiate the presence and character of Christ. And it is important to see that halal is much more than a matter of being born with a sanguine personality. All who have an intimate relationship with the Lord can be radiant in His presence. I’ve met many Christians who are like that. It’s the very quality Paul was referring to when he said our lives are supposed to make the Jews jealous (see Romans 11:13-14).

Doing Something With Your Talent

Over the years I have had many people tell me, "My friends say I should try to do something with my talent." My response often surprises them: "If all you know is that people are telling you to do something with your talent, then you better seek God Almighty and see what He has in mind!"

"Ministry" can often be just as seductive as the lure of secular fame. If someone is urging you to use your talent to minister to people, be careful. God better be telling you that, and you better be asking Him for the proper timing as well—or you’ll be food for Satan’s table.

When you’ve dreamed for years of singing in public or serving God with your talent, it’s hard to imagine not promoting yourself. Many feel the best way to serve God is to become well known and reach as many people as possible. It’s a good idea, except for one thing: What if God wants your talent to be for His eyes only? What if He wants your ability to be set aside for His pleasure alone?

When God wanted talented craftsmen to work for Him, He just chose them, filled them with the Holy Spirit, and enabled them for the task (see Exodus 35:30-35). In order to be skillful in such a way that we are useful to God, we must be filled with the Holy Spirit. Unless we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we will misuse the ability we have been given. There are many talented and knowledgeable people out there, frustrated at life itself, because they do not have the Spirit of the living God in them, guiding this powerful machine called ability.

In order to have our skills developed, we must not neglect acquiring the necessary knowledge or training. However, sometimes we take our training too seriously and believe we can do things in our own strength (see Deuteronomy 8:17). We need to beware of relying on our ability or talent more than on God.

So, four components work together to bring about maximum effectiveness:

1. The fulness of the Holy Spirit in our lives

2. Godly character

3. Talent

4. Training

David’s Blunder

King David seems to have had it all: musical ability, the anointing of God, and the charisma to cause people to lay their lives down for his vision. Nevertheless, he made a serious blunder when he decided to take a census of Israel:

And Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked David to number Israel.

And David said to Joab and to the rulers of the people, Go, number Israel from Beer-sheba even to Dan; and bring the number of them to me, that I may know it. And Joab answered, The LORD make his people an hundred times so many more as they be: but, my lord the king, are they not all my lord’s servants? why then doth my lord require this thing? why will he be a cause of trespass to Israel? (I Chronicles 21:1-3)

By attempting to size up his power, David greatly angered God. Yet, haven’t we all done such a thing at one time or another? Haven’t we, too, tried to size up our power and human capabilities? Haven’t many of us in ministry roles been preoccupied at times with the size or financial stability of our congregations? We must remember David’s error, lest we see it repeated in our own lives.

Conclusion

All this may sound discouraging if you have been longing for opportunities to minister or perform in front of large audiences. However, I have learned from personal experience that few people who "make it big" in ministry or in the music business have truly improved their character or raised their level of commitment to God as a result of getting famous.