Brother Bezalel had skills in all kinds of crafts

Friday 2-3-17, Modesto, California

Today we read Exod 35 – 36 and Acts 10

S = Scripture  O = Observation  A = Application  P = Prayer  SOAP for the soul.

S. Ex 35:30-35 And Moses told them, "The LORD has chosen Bezalel son of Uri, grandson of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. The LORD has filled Bezalel with the Spirit of God, giving him great wisdom, intelligence, and skill in all kinds of crafts. He is able to create beautiful objects from gold, silver, and bronze. He is skilled in cutting and setting gemstones and in carving wood. In fact, he has every necessary skill. NLT

O. Jacob’s extended family of 75 people with all their flocks and herds moved to Egypt because of the famine. 430 years later 600,000 Israelite men, plus women and children left Egypt. The Egyptians were so anxious to see them go that they loaded them down with gold, precious stones and much more. Now, here is Moses out in the wilderness building a very precise, ornamental tent of meeting with almost every pole overlaid with gold. 430 earlier, Jacob’s family were all shepherds, but during their 4 centuries as slaves many had learned special crafts. Now God chose a contractor named Bezalel. He filled him with great wisdom, intelligence and skills. Moses took of a free will offering of gold, silver, yarn, wood… all the many materials for the tent of meeting and later had to yell, “Stop! Bring no more!”

A. I am amazed as I see a mobile city of over one million people surviving in the desert and now pausing to build a beautifully decorated, luxurious “tent of meeting” and the golden artifacts that were placed in it… and every part of it had to be taken apart and transported to the next location. 

I could never had guessed when I was a teenager learning to draw house plans just for fun, that I would one day be designing church buildings to be approved by professional architects. Then when faced with high winds that often blew down our “circus type” campaign tents, I worked with Missionary Paul Brannan to design a simple, portable “tent of meeting” of iron beams and canvass, that could be dismantled in one day and raised in another location in one day.

P. Lord Jesus, serving as Your missionary has been, and still is, both challenging and satisfying. I feel so honored to have been chosen for this service. Sometimes You have taken the things I entertained myself with as a youth to develop and to bless Your work. I thank You… that You are still choosing, calling and equipping many youth for the enormous task of evangelism and discipleship in this day of ever-changing electronics. Shower them with Your inspired new ideas and the commitment to reach the lost of this world.  Amen.

Ralph