Bezalel and Oholiab won’t show up on many lists of Old Testament heroes. Nevertheless, we can learn a lot from them. Their story unfolds in a place where many cover-to-cover Bible reading attempts fall short: the last 15 chapters of Exodus.
These men were appointed by God to lead the construction of the Tabernacle and its furnishings. They’re described as incredible craftsmen, along with having ample wisdom and understanding. All this is bestowed upon them by God; in Exodus 31:3 God declares: “…I have filled him [Bezalel] with the Spirit of God.”
The end of Exodus can be difficult to get through because of its repetitiveness and exhaustive details. But this isn’t a mistake—the Tabernacle was a special dwelling place for God in the midst of his people, a picture of his heavenly dwelling, a symbolic recollection of Eden, and a foreshadowing of Jesus.
The theme of God’s desire to dwell with humanity stretches from the first chapter of the Bible to the last. He communed with Adam and Eve in the garden. He led Israel to construct a Tabernacle, then a Temple, as a sort of meeting place of heaven and earth. He dwelt bodily with us in Jesus. He calls those who follow Jesus, in whom he has placed his Spirit, “the temple of the living God” (2 Corinthians 6:16). Finally, he will consummate his redemptive work with a new heavens and earth and dwell with humanity forever (Revelation 21:3).
What does this have to do with Bezalel and Oholiab, and the skilled craftsmen who were stirred to join them? A lot.
God involves people at each stage in the development of his dwelling place with humanity, like he did when he called Adam and Eve to subdue and cultivate the earth. God intended for the paradise of the Garden to spread, and his purpose for human work is for us to co-create with him, bringing order, flourishing, beauty, and goodness to the world.
There are a few things that stand out about how Bezalel and Oholiab, and those they led, engaged the building of the Tabernacle:
- Their work was driven by passion and drive; they were moved to do it
- They stewarded God-given skills that can be easily undervalued (construction, sewing, engraving, metalwork, etc.)
- They worked within the blueprints given, they didn’t decide to “improve upon” things with their own ideas, or to take shortcuts
After the work is finished we read this: “And Moses saw all the work, and behold, they had done it; as the LORD had commanded, so they had done it. Then Moses blessed them” (Exodus 39:43). This may be one of the only recorded instances of Moses blessing a specific person or group rather than the whole of Israel.
These obscure craftspeople are embodiments of doing “everything in the name of the Lord Jesus” (Colossians 3:17). Because work matters to God, and not just in a philosophical sense. It is a way we reflect him and make his dwelling with humanity more tangible and accessible.
Lord, thank you for my work—that of both my formal career and the work of caring for the people and things you have entrusted to me. Help me to do all of it in your name, giving thanks to you, especially when it feels futile and meaningless. Lift my eyes to see the real good it does, the real fruit it bears, and how it contributes to building your kingdom here, “on earth as it is in heaven.” In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Throughout This Day: What are the skills God has entrusted to you? How “valuable” are they perceived to be in our modern culture? How valuable are they to God? Take a few moments to offer those skills—whether they be in work with your hands, with your heart, with your mind, or a combination—to God and ask how he would like you to use them to co-create with him, bringing goodness, beauty, and flourishing to people and to the world. How does your work contribute to bringing heaven and earth just a little bit closer together?
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