Good morning my “Walking with Jesus” friends,
When you hear the words ‘craftsman’ or ‘artist’ or ‘sculptor’ what comes into your mind? We are only 5 days into 2022 but have you already seen or heard anything that is the remarkable work of someone truly gifted and inspired to fabricate something that amazes you? Look around the circle of your friends and family for a moment. Who are the gifted, the inspired, the talented people God has brought into your life and how have their works of inspiration affected you?
Yesterday we stood with Moses as he watched the people respond to the invitation God had extended to them. After all God had done for them to bring them safely out of Egyptian slavery and to Mount Sinai, God was now inviting the people to bring precious materials, from what they’d carried out of Egypt, for the purpose of building what God called a “Tent of Meeting”. It would be a place unlike any other in design, content and purpose. As the name suggests, it would be a place where God would come and meet with His people! There was no other place on earth like that! Many of these people had willing hearts and responded enthusiastically, but not all. Some were then, as some are today… unwilling to see the tangible things in their possession as things God has blessed them with, and therefore they were are unwilling to share it with God or anyone else. Some had little interest in the notion that God wanted to come and meet with His people regularly.
A day or two later Moses again stood before the people, this time to make another announcement and extend another invitation. He said “See, the LORD has chosen Bezalel, son of Uri, of the tribe of Judah, and He has filled Bezalel with the Spirit of God, with skill and ability and knowledge in all kinds of crafts – to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, to cut and set stones, to work in wood, and to engage in all kinds of artistic craftsmanship…” (Exodus 35:30-33) Now ponder the outrageous words Moses had just spoken. Mr. Bazalel was a normal guy… but he was chosen by God, given unusual talents by God, and then filled with God’s Holy Spirit, all for the purpose of unusual, inspired craftsmanship. He was going to be given the privilege of fabricating things never before seen by any human eyes. Things that would be placed in this “Tent of Meeting” and used in the worship of Almighty, Holy, Creator God!!
I’ve shared with you in the past that I grew up in a family with my Dad having amazing skill in working with wood. In the room where I prepare “Walking with Jesus” each day, I have several of the hand crafted things my Dad made, like this little wooden train. It reminds me of him, but also that my life is like a train heading down the tracks of life. It challenges me to consider where the tracks are leading my life, and what each of the rail cars in my life represent and are carrying as I enter the new year of 2022. I’ve included a picture of the train. . .
I wonder what Mr. Bezalel may have thought when he heard Moses identify him as the man God had chosen and would anoint with His Holy Spirit, to design and craft all the special artifacts which would be used in the holy worship of God in this “Tent of Meeting”? Now we need to ponder this a moment with these questions: Where did you receive the talents or skills or special giftedness that you have? Do you think it was somehow part of the family DNA you inherited, or is it simply good luck, or have you worked hard, many hours to learn and develop your skills and talents, or are you prepared to say God gave you the talent and giftedness that you have as He was designing YOU according to what He knew would be best for you and our world? And what have you done with those talents? Have you developed and refined them or ignored them? And what have you accomplished with those talents?
Every person I’ve ever met is talented in some ways. Usually it’s quite evident, even from the time they were children. My wife and I have 5 granddaughters. They range in age from 1-16 and it’s amazing for us to see the inborn talents and special interests each of them have. It’s a beautiful evidence of our great God lovingly, wonderfully, personally, individually working HIS design in each of them. We can’t hardly wait to see who they will each be as adults when those gifts and talents are fully developed. But for Mr. Bezalel there’s the added element that he had received the anointing of the Holy Spirit of God upon His God given talent, and the result was the opportunity he had to fabricate things God had designed and explained to Moses on Mount Sinai!
History tells us the great musical work titled “Messiah” by George Frideric Handel, was accomplished in 24 days of God inspired creativity, in August 1741. I’m sure you’ve heard and maybe even sung “The Hallelujah Chorus”, perhaps the most famous part of this miraculous musical work. I imagine Mr. Handel was writing the notes so fast his pen simply flew across the pages as he tried to put on paper what he was hearing through God’s inspiration in his mind and heart. How quickly or slowly Mr. Bezalel worked on the Ark of the Covenant or the Golden Lampstand or the Altar of Incense, we do not know, but we do know he was just as inspired, just as anointed in his work as Mr. Handel was, when composing “Messiah” 280 years ago!
And finally, Moses records for us that God did one more amazing thing with Mr. Bezalel. The record says: “And God has given both to Bezalel and Oholiab…the ability to teach others. God has filled them with skill to do all kinds of work as craftsmen, designers, embroideres and weavers…all of them master craftsmen. So Bezalel, Oholiab and every skilled person to whom the LORD has given skill and ability to know how to carry out all the work of constructing the ‘Tent of Meeting’, are to do the work, just as the LORD commanded.” (Ex. 35:34-36:1) Now friends, I urge you to consider that we stand on the threshold of a new year before us, filled with possibilities. I believe God has in our world today many people like Bezalel and Oholiab… gifted, talented, inspired, anointed by God both to craft and produce amazing, inspired things, as well as to teach others to do the same. Could it be YOU are one of those people and that already God is beginning to form in your heart and mind some ideas, visions of what could be in this new year? Could it be you are the parent or grandparent of someone like Bezalel or Oholiab? Have you considered how your words of encouragement and your prayers for them might make all the difference in their willingness to try, to pursue the dreams God is placing in their hearts?
Will you join me today in spending a few moments asking God to bring fresh inspiration into the lives of those whose hearts are ready to be the Bezalel’s and Oholiab’s of our day, especially if they are in your family or among your special friends?!! And watch for the evidence of the flicker of a flame of inspiration within them, and then please my friends… fan that flicker into a flame of creativity ingenuity which may produce some amazing music or literature or hand crafted things, all for the glory of God! I just wonder what God has in His heart and mind, that He would like to see become reality in 2022 as normal people like you and me, receive and follow His inspiration!? Are you ready?
Today’s Scripture is Exodus 35:30-36:1.
Choose below to read or listen.
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Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
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Pastor Doug Anderson 262.441.8785
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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