Bezalel and Oholiab and every craftsman in
whom the LORD has put skill and intelligence
to know how to do any work in the
construction of the sanctuary shall work in
accordance with all that the LORD has
commanded.
Moses describes in Exodus a situation in
which the Israelites were commissioned by
God, each according to his or her ability. God
placed in their hearts and minds and hands
the skill for each to perform the work that God
intended them to perform. People were
specifically chosen by God; people were
specifically gifted by God; people were
specifically called by God. Moses leaves no
doubt that the one who chose the work and
the one who chose the workers was the
same—it was God. Moses also leaves no
doubt that those who were of God knew in
their hearts that they had been called to work
on God’s behalf. “And Moses called Bezalel
and Oholiab and every craftsman in whose
mind the LORD had put skill, everyone
whose heart stirred him up to come to do
the work.”
Since the beginning, it has always been
God’s plan, God’s work, and God’s workers.
There is something for each of us to do—for
each of us to be involved in—that has been
determined by God. He is a God of mercy and
grace. He is a God of patience and
endurance. He is a God who continues to
forgive, providing ample opportunity for us to
find him and be near him. He also is a God of
demands and expectations.
He has forever intended that his people be
involved in his work. He made us
specifically for his express purposes
—to
do his will, and to show the world through
our service that he alone is God.
Very few Israelites were given great
artistic skill like Bezalel and Oholiab. Most
had more
“common
” gifts. Yet all were a
part of the work that God set for them to do
in that place and time. The same is true for
us today. We have different gifts and
abilities. Yet all gifts have been given by
the same God, and all are to be put to use
in his work.
As people who know Christ, we, like the
ancients, have been specifically chosen,
specifically gifted, and specifically called.
Our God
-given giftedness is varied, as is
our service to God. Each of us has been
given gifts through the same Spirit, and
each of us serves the same Lord with
those gifts, as Paul declares in 1
Corinthians 12:4
-5. Our life is to be one of
manifesting the gifts that God has granted
to us, regardless what those gifts may be.
For some, those gifts will be public
and
obvious. For others, our gifts will be less
public and less obvious, but no less
important to the kingdom. Each of us
—by
virtue of the fact that we are saved in
Jesus Christ
—is called to bless the
community of God and to bless the world
around us with the gifts that our great God
has granted us through his grace. And we
are to remember always that it is for God’s
glory that we serve.
–Ricky