1 And the LORD spake unto Moses,
saying, 2 See, I have called by name
Bezaleel the son of Uri, 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 in carving of timber, to work in all manner of workmanship. (Ex
31:1-5)
We
have been studying the design and features of the Wilderness Tabernacle as
given to Moses by God. For every convention of worship for the people of God,
His ministers must be duly equipped, called, and installed as such. In our
opening five verses of this chapter, there is much that may miss the
observation of the casual reader. Of course, no serious student of God’s Word
should ever take that Word in an attitude of casual abandon. Every Word is
tried as silver in the Refiner’s furnace seven times.
The
principles enunciated, I believe prophetically, in these five verses inform us
that God calls His true ministers (no a vocational choice) to the duties that
He peculiarly prepares them to perform. Such as are called are filled
with wisdom (which they only acquire from a diligent study of the Word), and a
deeper understanding of the works of God are correlated over the spectrum of
time and \eternity. In the case of the Tabernacle, a man gifted with specific
skills is required to both build, and supervise the building, of the
Tabernacle. So God always finds His man of whom He has known and prepared from
the very first. Bezaleel (meaning in the shadow, or under the protection, of God)
may have had no prior suggestion of his calling until the time was ripe in the
eyes of the Lord. I believe that a man called of God may lack a full
knowledge of the purposes of his calling until God reveals them at the proper
time. When Charles Spurgeon took shelter from a terrific thunderstorm one night
in a small country chapel, he probably had no clue that he would be led to
Christ by a barely literate old deacon, and would leave that chapel as Charles
Spurgeon the soon-to-be minster, and not Charles Spurgeon, the lost lad.
At
the very outset, let me aver that no man is worthy of the call to the ministry.
In fact, none of us – lay or clergy – are worthy the call to be a Christian. So
how is it possible for even a profane and drunken sea captain such as John
Newton to answer the call of God to the ministry? I believe it is due to a
growing and gnawing unrest in the soul to obey the small, still voice that
persistently nags at his heart. If disregarded, it grows to the point of a
painful roar that can no longer be ignored, and the man succumbs to the call.
Though no man is worthy, God will make such a man worthy by the imputed
righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ to serve in the Lord’s Holy Work. God
has even reached down to the vile reprobate on skid row to issue His call to
orders. Such men of low estate may amazingly rise to the top rung on the
ministerial ladder when they have become humble clay in the hands of the
potter. Their love for God is multiplied by the level of decadence of their
previous state just as the woman of questionable repute ministered to Jesus at
the house of Simon: Seest thou this woman? I
entered into thine house, thou gavest me no water for my feet: but she hath
washed my feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head. Thou gavest me no kiss: but this woman since the time I
came in hath not ceased to kiss my feet. My
head with oil thou didst not anoint: but this woman hath anointed my feet with
ointment. Wherefore I say unto thee, Her
sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is
forgiven, the same loveth little. (Luke
7:44-47)
The
calling of a man to the ministry is an unfolding call that spreads from the
called clergyman, to his aides in the ministry, and then to the laity at large
who are called with equal force to execute the Words of the Lord in His
Kingdom. This is illustrated in the next several verse: “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.”
(Ex 31:6-11)
There
is no more effective means of learning than that which we call ‘experiential.’
This is the strength of traditional Anglican worship. It is participatory! All
present have a voice in the prayers and responses of the Prayer Book. There was
a time when each worshipper, coming newly as a child (or an adult convert),
stumbled and stammered at the majestic language of the Prayer Book forms, or
the reading of the King James Bible; but, hearing the words read over and over,
their vocabulary became subconsciously elevated to the grandeur that God
deserves in His people. It was an experiential learning that a young child,
sitting beside his father and mother at worship, Sunday after Sunday, learns,
absorbs, and internalizes over the years of development.
You
will note in the above verses that much of the work, though led by a called
minister, is accomplished by many hands of the congregation. The women will
weave and embroider the vails and curtains of fine silk and wool; the men will
perform the heavy tasks of smelting and forming the metal for the altars and
Laver, etc. Each member of the Body of Christ has a role to play, and each is
important.
12 And the LORD spake unto
Moses, saying, 13 Speak thou also unto the
children of Israel, saying, Verily my sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign
between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the
LORD that doth sanctify you.
(Ex 31:12-13)
God reinforces His Commandment to keep the Sabbaths Holy. Was this to serve as
a sign to those outside that these were the people of God? Not at all! This was
not the salient purpose for observing the Sabbaths. That purpose is given in
the text itself! “that ye may know that I am the LORD that doth
sanctify you.” Being holy ourselves in obeying the
Commandments of God does nothing for the souls of those without the camp, but
it does have an educating and spiritual impact on our own souls in knowing God
and drawing nearer to Him.
14 Ye shall keep the sabbath
therefore; for it is holy unto you: every one that defileth it shall surely be
put to death: for whosoever doeth any work therein, that soul shall be cut off
from among his people. 15 Six days may work be done; but
in the seventh is the sabbath of rest, holy to the LORD: whosoever doeth any
work in the sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death. (Ex
31:14-15) Does the
sentence of death seem harsh for violation of the Sabbath? It is not, for
without obedience to God, we all deserve death and, in fact, are dead in
trespasses and sins already. (Ephesians 2) The temporal observance of the Lord’s
Day (Sunday) as a day of rest and worship carries on the physical benefits of
the Sabbath observance; but the spiritual observance of the Sabbath was not
annulled by Christ, but made more compelling since every day is a Sabbath rest
for the Christian who allows all of his works to be those of Christ working in
our members.
When
I check my Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary, I discover that the word,
perpetual, is not time dated. I am told that it means “continuing forever.” “16 Wherefore the children of
Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their
generations, for a perpetual covenant.” (Ex 31:16) Jesus did not cancel a single jot or tittle
from the Law, but to fulfill that Law. He made the law more stringent
spiritually since a law obeyed with reservation is not spiritually beneficial.
Not only do we not physically commit adultery, but Christ tells us that even
the desire is the same as the act. The same goes for hatred and murder. Our
spiritual Sabbath is daily!
We
are not saved by our perfect obedience to God, since no man is without sin; but
we are definitely saved unto good works that give evidence of our salvation
once we have committed our souls to Him. “17 It is a sign between me
and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the LORD made heaven and
earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed.” (Ex 31:17) Our good works
after grace give evidence of that grace.
18 And he gave unto Moses,
when he had made an end of communing with him upon mount Sinai, two tables of
testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God. (Ex 31:18) Of what vital importance to our
souls is a thing written with the very Finger of God! How many recorded
times do we observe that the Lord wrote with His Finger? Can you answer without
looking to the end of this devotion?
God
has written with His Finger FIVE times according to Scripture. He writes upon
the two tables of stone here in Exodus 31:18; again He restores His Law on
Tables of stone (that Moses had broken) in Exodus 34:28; again in Daniel 5:5;
and twice in the Gospel of St John 8:6 & 8.When God writes with His very
Finger, we had best take notice just as did the accusers of the woman taken in
adultery. Of course, His Immutable and Eternal Word is written by the hand of
His scribes at His very command, and, therefore, carries equal weight.
