Exodus | Chapter 31

Exodus 31:1-18 – “Looking for a Few Good Men”

Outline:

  1. Intro.
  2. Vs. 1-11: Called, Filled & Equipped
  3. Vs. 12-17: At Rest in the Presence of God
  4. Vs. 18: Obedient to the Word of God

Intro.

Reading this section refreshed my memory of 13 years ago. You see, it was 13 years ago that I began to sense the Lord changing my direction in life. At the time, I was an associate pastor in Escondido and still doing jewelry work to support my family. I really felt the Lord moving me out of Southern California. Through lots of prayer and seeking counsel from others, Merced kept coming up. I, of course, resisted this until one day as I was reading through a passage very similar to this one in 2 Chronicles 2:5-7. In this passage, the Lord lays upon Solomon’s heart to build a temple for the Lord, yet he recognizes that he is unable to build it since heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain Him. So he asks Hiram, king of Tyre, to “send at once a man skillful to work in gold and silver.” Those words jumped off the page in my Bible as confirmation that we were to move to Merced to start a work here. It all seemed to make sense to me, being a skilled gold and silversmith.

What does that have to do with the passage before us? Well, one of the greatest mysteries in all the world is the fact that God uses humans to accomplish His work. It does not matter what the work is, He still calls, equips, and puts people to work to accomplish His will. Now, thirteen years have passed, and the calling and equipping have reached a point where the actual building work is ready to begin. But what exactly are the things necessary to ready one’s self for God’s work? That is what we shall look at this morning.

You may not feel as though you have any part in God’s plan or work. I mean, you are not one of these two men mentioned in this passage. Let me remind you that only two men are mentioned in this passage, but it is obvious that they were not going to be the only ones doing the construction. In fact, we read in chapter 35:10 that “all who were skilled among them” were to come and make all that the Lord commanded. So you see, all had a part to play in God’s plan.

II.) Vs. 1-11: Called, Filled & Equipped

Vs. 1-6: You will recall that for 40 days Moses has been on top of the mountain receiving the instructions for the tabernacle. Material had been collected, but there was one thing missing: Who are the ones to carry out God’s plans? Now, let’s take a look at these two characters for a moment, and you will see that God does three things for the servant He uses for His work:

  1. Vs. 2: He calls them by name: Just as the plans were heavenly and not from Moses or a committee, so too were those who would be called to complete the work. Do you see those words, “See, I have called by name”? This tells us that God Himself had personally selected those fellows for the work. If you will, they were handpicked! So what does that have to do with you and me? Well, it’s simple—you have been handpicked to be here for this work! I look out at you all in amazement at the quality of people God has placed here. It is no accident that you are here at this time in this body of believers. No, God has called you here. The way He called you and what He called you to may be very different from one another, but He still got you here.
  2. Vs. 3: He fills them with His Spirit: There was a supernatural enabling upon them to do the work they were called to. Now, it is interesting that God saw this work as just as spiritual as He did the priesthood. No matter what God has called you to, the greatest single need we all have is to be filled with His Spirit to do the work. We are even told specifically what God’s Spirit and power in their lives were for: “wisdom, understanding, and knowledge.” That is, “how to use properly that which He has gifted you with!” God not only gave them the skill to do the work, He gave them the power to do so in wisdom, understanding, and knowledge. There is no amount of learning that can substitute for the anointing of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer. There is no way I can do what some of you do—I’m not called or empowered by the Spirit of God the way you are.
  3. Vs. 3b-5: He equips them for the manner of work: Listed here are six different areas these guys were to be equipped in. This is, if you will, the training and experience to do the work of God. Now, don’t think for a minute that this has to do solely with going to Bible school and the like. All of our life experiences are training for the Lord’s work. Is that not great? Who knows what it is in life that is equipping you for the work that God has for you? Notice that this was for “all manner of workmanship.” You may be stuck in some hole-in-the-wall place learning something that you don’t think has to do with anything God could ever use, but the truth is that God is equipping you through the situations and circumstances you find yourself in now. So do yourself a favor and stay in school! I cannot tell you all the stuff God has used to equip me for that which He has called and empowered me to do.

Folks, God never establishes a work that He does not first call, fill with His Spirit, and equip to accomplish the task. So they were “personally selected, empowered to use properly that which He has gifted, and trained to do the work of God.”

We are given the names of the two men as:

  1. Vs. 2-5 Bez-a-lel: His name means, “In the shadow of God.” When this phrase is used, it always speaks of the intimacy and protection of God. We are further told that he was the son of Uri, which means “light,” so he was the son of light. His grandfather’s name is given as Hur, which means “free or liberty.” So he was the son of liberty. You will remember Hur is the guy that came along in Exodus 17 to help hold up Moses’ arms while Joshua fought the Amalekites. Lastly, we are told that he was from the tribe of Judah, which means “praise.” It is an interesting fact that as the nation would break camp, Judah would always lead them out. May I make an observation of character based on these names? Namely, that the successful servant is one that:
    • Has the greatest sense of security in the Lord.
    • Sees that who he is, is only realized in the light of God.
    • That what he does is only accomplished in his surrender of his will freely to the Lord.
    • And lastly, that it is in the above that he will ultimately find the greatest joy and praise.
  2. Vs. 6 O-ho-lee-ab: His name means, “tent of his father.” His father’s name is A-his-a-mek, which means “my brother helps.” We are told that they are of the tribe of Dan, which means judge. Another interesting side note is that the tribe of Dan always brought up the rear as the nation broke camp. So again, the name of this fellow tells us about the character of the servant of the Lord:
    • He needs to be found always in the tent of the Father.
    • He needs to have a heart that always helps his brother.
    • Lastly, he needs to see that what he does comes about through the judgment of another in his place.

Vs. 7-11: We have already gone through this list of items that were found in the tabernacle, but what does it have to do with these two fellows? Well, may I suggest a few things?

  1. Notice that their calling, empowering, and equipping was all centered around God’s plan and not theirs. What if Bez-a-lel and O-ho-lee-ab did not want to do what they had been gifted to do? I mean, what if they wanted to dress in the robes of a high priest instead? Well, then they would not have been following what God had gifted them to do. You see, it is God’s decision on who and how He gifts His people. The only question is, what are you going to do with the gifts He has blessed you with? Whatever God has equipped you to do, that is what you ought to be doing—but you should be doing it to glorify Him, not yourself. The bottom line is that since the gift is from the Lord, it ought to be used for the Lord! Obedience to what God had already called, empowered, and equipped them for was their only responsible response. Let me put it another way: I may like music, I may even like to sing, but I may not be gifted, empowered, or equipped for it. You see, a lot of folks want to do something that God has not gifted them for, and no amount of schooling will make them what God has not called them to. So how do you know if you are called? Well, it probably won’t be your evaluation that determines that, but rather you will see God creating the opportunities for you. I’m always amazed at how most of us have illusions of grandeur. We don’t just see ourselves in some position—no, we see ourselves as the star! I can’t prove it, but I kind of think that these two guys were just content serving the Lord in whatever capacity the Lord had for them. So what am I saying? Well, don’t despise the days of small things—allow the Lord to raise you up!
  2. God had a clear vision and plan for these guys. Now, the timing of this compared to when they actually started the work is not specified. Perhaps they felt the leading of the Lord months or years before, and they had to wait for the Lord to bring it to pass. A lot of times, we feel as though the Lord has no sense of timing, but the truth is, His way is perfect. I shudder to think what would have happened if twelve years ago I had tried to do what we are doing now. I was not ready, no matter how much I thought I was. No, I was being equipped for the work. And you know what? What I’m going through now is further equipping me for what He has for me next. You get it? You cannot skip grades in God’s plan for you—it is right on target!

III.) Vs. 12-17: At Rest in the Presence of God

Vs. 12-17: At first glance, this section does not seem to belong with what we have just studied. Now, in keeping with the context of the calling of the man or woman of God for the work of God, we have just seen that the man of God must be called, anointed, and equipped for the work. Here, we shall see that he is also to be a person who is at rest in the Lord. What?

God has already spoken at length on the subject of the Sabbath in chapter 16. It is clear here that, just like circumcision was a sign of God’s covenant with Abraham, the keeping of the Sabbath was to be a sign for the nation of Israel of the covenant they were making now along with Moses. Notice that it says very plainly that this sign was “to the children of Israel.” Nowhere does it say that it was for the Church. Still, there are those who seek to put all under this law today. Now, I think it is a good thing if you wish to observe a day of rest on Saturday, but you cannot make it a law. Those that do need to read this section here carefully, as verse 14 says that if they do not do so, then they are to be put to death. Any orthodox Jew will tell you that there are certain things you just cannot do, such as use electricity or start a fire. In fact, Al Gore’s running mate was an orthodox Jew, and you might remember that on the Sabbath, he would not drive his car as that would constitute starting a fire. So? Well, for all those folks that try to keep the Sabbath and say that we are not following the Bible, ask them if they drive to their church on Saturdays!

So what does this have to do with the calling of the servant to the work of God? Well, the Sabbath, we read in the New Testament, was only a shadow, and the substance is Christ. Hebrews 4:9-11 tells us that “There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest.” Do you get it? Those that are called, empowered, and equipped will accomplish their work for the Lord as they rest in His work through them.

There is another point to this as well. The servant of the Lord won’t be found striving to make things happen. It is interesting to me to see that right after God tells Moses He has a few good men in mind for the work, He goes right back and reminds them that the work is never to be bigger than their relationship with Him! They are to rest in their relationship with the Lord—they are not to work in order to have a relationship with the Lord. No, they are to work because they have a relationship with the Lord.

May I caution all of us never to allow the work of God to supersede our relationship with Him. God forbid we start saying things through our actions like, “I don’t have time to read Your word and pray today, Lord—I have to go down and work on the building!” One last thought here as well: just because we may be doing the work of the Lord does not mean that we can disobey the will of the Lord. These guys were still expected to do the work of the Lord in a way that pleased Him. Simply put, the end does not justify the means!

Look at the words of verse 12, “And the Lord spoke to Moses.” Then go on to verse 17 and read, “in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day He rested and was refreshed.” It is the Lord telling Moses the story of the first Sabbath back in Genesis 2:2-3, but here God adds some intriguing insight that is not found in Genesis 2:2-3. You will not find the words, “and was refreshed” in the account in Genesis. God says that the resting brought refreshment! So? The word means a “breath of fresh air.” I believe that the Lord is showing that resting in Him while we work will bring us refreshment and joy! I don’t believe that words like, “I’m so tired and worn out because I’ve been working for the Lord,” have any merit! You see, if we are working as we rest in Him, then it’s pure refreshment! When we get burned out, it is because we are making the work bigger than His work on our behalf, or we are doing it in our own strength!

IV.) Vs. 18: Obedient to the Word of God

Vs. 18: The last thing necessary to accomplish God’s work is found right here in the last verse. God writes down His words by His own hand. So, if we are going to accomplish the work of God, it will come about as we obey the Word of God. We often say that something is not written in stone—well, this is! Notice that we are told that the finger of God wrote these stones. In chapter 32:15-16, we are told that they were written on both sides. At any rate, whenever you read that God wrote something down with His finger, the response is always the same—silence! Hey, folks, if you want to be a servant of the Lord, then obey the Word of the Lord. There can be no arguing with Him and His ways—just silence.

As I finish this morning, I pray that you can take some gems with you, as we shall soon embark on a great adventure. So why not allow the Lord to prepare you for His work!