Exodus 31:1-11
It is good to be with you this week, thanks so much for joining us on Hope for Today. There is absolutely no other book like the Bible, and we believe every part of the Bible is beneficial for us. As you know, we are studying in Exodus, but this is not the only book of the Bible we have teaching from.
Here is a testimony from Macedonia, and at the time we were airing our teaching from one of the Gospels.
“I listen to Radio 7 daily because it is different from all the other radio stations in our country. The music and the radio programs give me a lot of inner peace and have helped me practically with a few relationship problems I have had this year. I want to thank you for the program, Heralds of Hope. I am a Russian orthodox believer and though I always had a Bible in my home, I never opened it. I always was told that only the priests can understand the Bible and we do what we are told. Through the program Heralds of Hope, I was encouraged to read the Bible myself for the first time. This radio program has helped me a lot to understand the Gospels. I like that the teacher studies every chapter of the Gospel. Nothing is left out. I never thought that the Gospels had so many teachings about everyday life. I learned from the program how to forgive others and since then my relationships have improved greatly.”
Isn’t this testimony amazing? Notice how the listener was impacted when they read the Bible on their own. Have you had an experience like this with God’s Word? I have and those who are involved with Heralds of Hope have also experienced the life in this wonderful book. This is the life and hope we share with you.
With that introduction let’s go with Bible teacher, J Mark Horst to the Old Testament book of Exodus. If you can, follow along in your Bible and get ready to see God and be changed by Him.
Some people seem to think that work is a curse. For them, it is a burden to bear and so they do as little as possible. They go through life trying to do as little work as they possibly can. But the Bible teaches us that work is a part of our human dignity. It provides a sense of accomplishment. There is nothing demeaning about getting your hands dirty.
When God created the first human beings He said, “Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle and over all the earth.” That meant mankind was to have a supervisory role. He was to give some direction to everything that God had made. He was, in fact, responsible to God.
God also told Adam when He put him in the garden of Eden that he was responsible to dress and keep the garden. The word, dress, implies work, labor, taking care of something. And it’s important to remember that this command to work was given before sin entered the human race. So, work is not a consequence of man’s sin. Once we see God’s purpose in work, the drudgery is taken out of it and a certain joy becomes our reward. Work takes on an entirely different value.
Sometimes we may be asked to do a work that we feel poorly prepared for. What shall we do then? Some people flatly refuse. Other people say, “Well, I will try.”
If you feel ill prepared for or have problems regarding the work you are asked to do, you will find some encouragement in this message, WISDOM FOR WORK, from Exodus 31:1-11.
1. And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying,
2. See, I have called by name Bezalel the son of Un, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah:
3. And I have filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship,
4. To devise cunning works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass,
5. And in cutting of stones, to set them, and carving of timber, to work in all manner of workmanship.
6. And I, behold, I have given with him Aholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan: and in the hearts of all that are wise hearted I have put wisdom, that they may make all that I have commanded thee.
7. The tabernacle of the congregation, and the ark of the testimony, and the mercy seat that is thereupon, and all the furniture of the tabernacle,
8. And the table and his furniture, and the pure candlestick with all his furniture, and the altar of incense,
9. And the altar of burnt offering with all his furniture, and the laver and his foot,
10. And the cloths of service, and the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments of his sons, to minister in the priest’s office,
11. And the anointing oil, and sweet incense for the holy place: according to all that I have commanded thee shall they do.
In this text God gave DIRECTIVES to Moses to assure him that the workman would have wisdom for his work.
The First Directive was,
The Complement for Production
A complement is something that completes something else. So, there was a divine selection of the workmen to perform this work. God chose a man by the name of Bezalel, the son of Uri, the son of Hur of the tribe of Judah. You have his family name and his tribal name. It appears that Bezalel was a willing worker who did not shirk his job.
There was also divine perfection. God said He was going to fill Bezalel with the Spirit of God. This explains the many different areas that Bezalel could work with ease. The LORD said He was going to give him wisdom, understanding, knowledge and skill. That is a rather large gift for one man. But God said He would do that for Bezalel so that he would be able to work in metals, gold, silver and bronze, stone, and wood. Bezalel was use by the LORD to complete the work. God gave him skill as a metal worker, a stone mason, and a wood carver.
I believe there is great joy in discovering the help of the LORD in our work. What a joy it must have been to Bezaleel to carry out the great tasks that were given to him. You can get wisdom for your work if you will ask God for it.
The Next Directive was,
The Companions for Construction
The LORD knew that Bezaleel would not be able to do all this great work by himself. He assured him he would not need to work alone. Certain jobs require more than two hands, especially in the work of building. Bezalel would need some help, so God chose for him the help he needed.
He would also need some counsel, some advice, most likely in the many, many, decisions that needed to be made. Bezaleel needed the counsel of Aholiab, the son of Ahisamach. God chose for him a true companion, one into whose heart the LORD had also put wisdom.
Of course, these two men were not able to do the whole job themselves. They needed additional help, and the LORD gave them companions for construction. So, others helped them as well. The choice, however, was the LORD’s. The LORD said He put wisdom in the hearts of all the wise-hearted. He was directing Bezaleel and Aholiab, and all the other wise-hearted people who were to build the tabernacle.
Much can be done when there is good leadership and good cooperation. The LORD took charge of this particular project and appointed Bezalel and Aholiab as the supervisors, the leaders of the project and all the other wise-hearted people helped. That is beautiful. Companions for construction is what the LORD provided with wisdom in work.
The Final Directive was,
The Completion of Instruction
Every part of the tabernacle was important. The furniture of the tabernacle is mentioned in divine order beginning with the most holy place. There was the ark of testimony, covered by the mercy seat. The order of the furniture in the holy place was the table of shewbread, the lampstand for light and the altar of incense. In the court stood the altar of burnt offering and the laver. Every piece of furniture in the tabernacle was important and it was to be properly built by these wise-hearted people. Under the direction of Bezaleel and Aholiab they would be able to complete the instruction as God had given it to them for the tabernacle and its furniture.
God completed the instructions with the clothes and holy garments for the priests. Aaron and his sons were to conduct the service of priesthood in special garments. There was also the anointing oil and the sweet incense for the holy place which needed to be processed.
God never leaves anything undone. He wants everything done to perfection. He gave careful instructions for these wise workmen to complete the work in all the details of building the place of worship.
Work is no curse if seen as a part of God’s great will. We can depend on Him to give us wisdom. It will encourage us if we remember this experience of Bezalel and Aholiab and those that were given wisdom from the LORD to build the tabernacle.
God gave directives. He chose His man and gave him wisdom for work. He chose others to assist Bezalel and gave them wisdom for work. He gave them detailed instructions to complete what He had planned. A personal relationship with God will give you wisdom for your work too.
Did you hear that? God had work for us to do before sin entered the world, this means work is not part of the curse! This was an interesting thought to me. J Mark, thanks for sharing this with us and thanks for the other thoughts you shared with us on the topic of work. I also had to think about the gifts God gave to Bezalel. That is amazing how God prepared him for this task.
I had to wonder, what has God prepared you to do? What about the gifts He has given me? God is still in control and puts people where He wants them. The question is, do we see it, do we recognize it? He has given each of us gifts and He wants us to use them to build His kingdom. Are we using our gifts for Him? Last week the topic was worship and this week it is work. Have you thought about how the two fit together? Our work should be worship to God, and worship should permeate every area of our lives.
If you have any questions or if you’d like a copy of today’s teaching, here is how you can contact us. The best way is email. Our email is [email protected]. If you don’t have email, you could write to us, our address is Hope for Today, Box 3, Breezewood, Pennsylvania 15533. Or you can connect with us on our website. Our website is heraldsofhope.org. On our website you can listen to our other programs and find other helpful resources, so please look around while you are there. If you go to the connect tab you can message us directly. Again, the website is heraldsofhope.org.
Thanks so much for joining us. This brings us to the end of our program. Lord willing, we will be together next week, till then go with God and may your worship and work be one and the same. This is what we were made to do!
*This episode is an exposition of Exodus 31:1-11 by J. Otis Yoder, re-recorded by J. Mark Horst, with an opening and closing by Arlin Horst.