Wisdom Truck 5

 

The next passage we look at is going to fit in a lot of connected passages, that have to do with one concept and two men...

Exo 28:3  And thou shalt speak unto all that are wise-hearted, whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom, that they make Aaron's garments to sanctify him, that he may minister unto me in the priest's office. 

Following that, we find later the two men:

Exo 31:2  See, I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah: 

Exo 31:3  and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship, 

Exo 31:4  to devise skilful works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass, 

Exo 31:5  and in cutting of stones for setting, and in carving of wood, to work in all manner of workmanship. 

Exo 31:6  And I, behold, I have appointed with him Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan; and in the heart of all that are wise-hearted I have put wisdom, that they may make all that I have commanded thee: 

And after that colon, comes all the fancy sacred works that would go into the Tabernacle.  The Tabernacle itself, the Tent of Meeting, is where the people gathered to meet God.  And the names of these men are no coincidence- but we'll come back to that.  The new concept we have here is "wise-hearted", which some translations render "skilled craftsmen".  But that doesn't go far enough.  I have said many times that Proverbs uses three characteristics that are in places interchangeable with the Three Persons of God.  The Father is Knowledge; the Son is Understanding; and the Spirit is Wisdom.  No coincidence then also, that both places we see the phrase "wise-hearted" we see connected to it "filled with the Spirit of God".

So yes, they were born with an innate gift or skill.  And this should draw us to 1 Corinthians 12...

1Co 12:8  For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, 

1Co 12:9  to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, 

1Co 12:10  to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 

Thus we see that gifts from God, innate skills, are the province of the Holy Spirit.  But to do God's sacred work, there needs to be an "extra filling" of the Spirit, to enable them to accomplish what they could not have otherwise.  That gift writes these pages; it makes it so that Pastor Jack Hibbs can say, "I could preach for hours and give an altar call, and two people might come forward, where Greg Laurie can read a menu in a restaurant and ten thousand people get saved!"  Hibbs's gift is teaching; Laurie's is evangelism.  They are very similar men, whose stories would never had led you to Christ until each at different times came under the guidance of the same man, Pastor Chuck Smith.  And Smith would have never reached them, except for the timing of God that brought both men- one seeking music, one seeking girls- to his church.

Now, to the names.  Remember, I said what they were making were the fine, sacred details of the Tabernacle, which was a tent.  A tent is a shelter, something used to shade you.  With that in mind: Bezalel means, "In the Shadow of God"... and Oholiab (or Aholiab depending on the translation) means, "His Father's Tent".  If you are willing, this can remind you of another, more famous passage:

Luk 1:34  And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” 

Luk 1:35  And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God.

The Spirit overshadows Mary- like a tent she has come under.  Bezalel and Aholiab had an innate gift, and were open to the Spirit of Wisdom; just as Mary had found favor with God, and that made her open to the Gift the Spirit was going to bring into her.  God can do wonderful things with any of us- but to the hearts open to His Wisdom, He will make miracles.

Does it strike you now, the marvels God wrought through Paul- who became a tent maker...?