Exodus 31:1 – 11 “Then the LORD said to Moses, “See, I have called by name Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. And I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability, and knowledge in all kinds of craftsmanship, to design artistic works in gold, silver, and bronze, to cut gemstones for settings, and to carve wood, so that he may be a master of every craft. Moreover, I have selected Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, as his assistant.
I have also given skill to all the craftsmen, that they may fashion all that I have commanded you: the Tent of Meeting, the ark of the Testimony and the mercy seat upon it, and all the other furnishings of the tent— the table with its utensils, the pure gold lampstand with all its utensils, the altar of incense, the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils, and the basin with its stand— as well as the woven garments, both the holy garments for Aaron the priest and the garments for his sons to serve as priests, in addition to the anointing oil and fragrant incense for the Holy Place. They are to make them according to all that I have commanded you.”
“As handy as a pocket in a shirt!” That’s how one guy described my late Grandpa. When my Grandpa was young, the family owned a car agency in a small town and he learned to repair vehicles by tinkering on their cars. When he went into the army in World War 1, Grandpa never made it to Europe because his commanding officer realized that he could repair any vehicle they had and kept shuffling his orders to the bottom of the pile. Later in life, Grandpa restored antique furniture and caned new bottoms for cane and rush – bottom chairs. If you had a repair emergency, you needed my Grandpa.
God has just given Moses an enormous order: construct a portable worship place using all kinds of precious materials. Remember, the Israelites are out in the wilderness and there’s no room for do – overs if somebody doesn’t get it right the first time. And God has already selected the master craftsman who will oversee the entire job; in fact, God is the One who has given this man consummate skill. How? God says, “And I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability, and knowledge in all kinds of craftsmanship, to design artistic works in gold, silver, and bronze, to cut gemstones for settings, and to carve wood, so that he may be a master of every craft.”
The name “Bezalel” means “in the shadow or protection of God.” All Bezalel’s life, God has been preparing him for this key role, for he is the one that is going to make the Tabernacle come to life. Just look at the list of skills that Bezalel possesses:
1. He is an expert in working with gold, silver, bronze, and gemstones.
2. He is a master at wood carving.
3. He is a master at weaving.
Not only does Bezalel possess all these skills himself, but he also must be able to supervise others. God has given Bezalel an assistant, Oholiab.
The name Oholiab means Father’s Tent and is suggestive of light (or enlightenment) coming from the meeting in this tent. This is remarkable because the meaning of the name of Oholiab’s colleague Bezalel is “In The Shadow Of God.” (https://www.abarim-publications.com/Meaning/Oholiab.html) So Bezalel and Oholiab together have names meaning that they are working in the shadow of God, preparing God the Father’s tent, or tabernacle.
APPLICATION: The late Jim Croce wrote a song entitled “I Got a Name.” The message of the song was that the singer was important as an individual and that he had dreams that would keep him going. Sadly, Croce died tragically in a plane crash at the age of thirty, perhaps with some of those dreams unfulfilled. But Bezalel and Oholiab were more blessed. As the story unfolds, everything these two do in creating the tabernacle is perfect, and God gives His personal seal of approval when the tabernacle is completed by filling it with His Holy Spirit.
As societies become increasingly complex, many of us feel that we are gradually being reduced to nothing more than a series of numbers – social security, driver’s license, passport, and other ID cards. At the same time, facial recognition has become both a tool and a hot topic, with those who are concerned fearing that their facial features may be stored for nefarious purposes.
There are many lessons we can take away from these scriptures, but the first and most important one is this: GOD KNOWS YOU! GOD KNOWS YOUR TALENTS, YOUR INNERMOST THOUGHTS, YOUR HOPES AND DESIRES! When you were first conceived, God already was planning a wonderful life for you and giving you talents, some of which you may not even have discovered as yet.
“But,” you say, “my life is anything but wonderful! I just lost my job! My kids are a mess! My marriage is falling apart! Where is God in all of this?” God is still there. But Jesus warned us that Satan was also real and that Satan would try to steal, kill, and destroy. The good news is that Jesus came so that we could have life abundantly. (John 10:10)
To paraphrase Jim Croce, you got a name! God knows you! God loves you! God is waiting to hear from you and to meet you! Pray to Him! He longs to show you how much more you can be! You cannot fix your life, but God can!
PRAYER: Father God, please comfort all who read this devotional, so that they will realize how much You love them individually! Help them to come to you in prayer and learn the skills you have given them and the marvelous plans you have for their lives. In the mighty Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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