September 18, 2024

Exodus 31:1-11  (HCSB)
God’s Provision of the Skilled Workers
31 The Lord also spoke to Moses: 2 “Look, I have appointed by name Bezalel son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. 3 I have filled him with God’s Spirit, with wisdom, understanding, and ability in every craft 4 to design artistic works in gold, silver, and bronze,  5 to cut gemstones for mounting, and to carve wood for work in every craft. 6 I have also selected Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, to be with him. I have placed wisdom within every skilled craftsman in order to make all that I have commanded you: 7 the tent of meeting, the ark of the testimony, the mercy seat that is on top of it, and all the other furnishings of the tent— 8 the table with its utensils, the pure gold lamp stand with all its utensils, the altar of incense, 9 the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils, the basin with its stand— 10 the specially woven garments, both the holy garments for Aaron the priest and the garments for his sons to serve as priests, 11 the anointing oil, and the fragrant incense for the sanctuary. They must make them according to all that I have commanded you.”

Jason Ricciardi
It is incredibly important to catch HOW God is at work in Exodus 31! This passage is seated amidst 11 chapters where God lays out how we are to worship Him. It starts with the 10 Commandments but goes into other laws, how the Tabernacle should look, and how priests should approach Him. Everything described is just too big for one person to pull off. That’s where chapter 31 comes into play. Today we are going to look at the ‘V’ –your vocational skills –and how that works in concert with your spiritual gifts, experiences, and relational style. Take a big step back –God gave Israel a task that was bigger than they could/would pull off by themselves. Then God reminds them He already had something lined up. God had already put people in professions so they could be used by Him to reach others! Your profession is not something that catches God off-guard! It might be that God has appointed you –like Bezalel, Oholiab, and the skilled artisans –to use the skills you’ve developed in your workplace to honor Him. What do you do for a vocation? What skills have you learned over the years in that role? Can you see a way that God might use that in Kingdom work? Bankers, construction workers, EMTs, accountants, musicians, teachers, doctors, the list goes on!  But God placed you here at Temple for a reason, to be part of this Body, and has a plan for your specific set of skills to help believers and nonbelievers. Have you considered how your vocation fits into His plan?