“So Bezalel, Oholiab and every skilled person to whom the LORD has given skill and ability to know how to carry out all the work of constructing the sanctuary are to do the work just as the LORD has commanded.”
~ Exodus 36:1
Hi James and Ellen,
Do you like to build things? Are you good at following instructions? Your grandpaa is really bad at following instructions. When your grandpaa needed to put together a desk and a computer workstation that he had bought, your grandmaa had to help your grandpaa with the instructions on how to put the things together. Your grandpaa does not have the aptitude to be a carpenter. Your grandpaa had an uncle – Uncle Henk, who was a carpenter. Your grandpaa’s Uncle Henk built the garage that is on the farm where your grandpaa grew up as a kid. Your grandpaa’s Uncle Henk liked to build grandfather clocks. Your grandpaa’s dad and ma have a grandfather clock that was built by your grandpaa’s Uncle Henk. Do you think that there were guys who were skilled in carpentry and who could do construction when Moses was alive? Do you remember when Moses lived? Moses lived about 3500 years ago. Your grandpaa thinks that Moses had a very extraordinary life. Moses lived to be 120 years old. God chose Moses before He created planet Earth to lead His specially chosen guys, gals and kids out of Egypt to the land area that He had promised Abraham – then Isaac – and then Jacob. God’s plan was to first have Moses educated and trained to be a leader. Do you remember where Moses grew up as a kid? Moses grew up in the home of an Egyptian Pharaoh. Right after Moses was born, Moses’ ma put Moses in a tiny reed raft and left Moses floating on the Nile River. Moses was discovered by the Pharaoh’s daughter when she went to the river to take a bath. Moses should have been killed when he was born. The Egyptian Pharaoh – at the time when Moses was born, did not want the number of God’s specially chosen guys and gals who were living in Egypt to get greater. God’s plan was to have Moses live as He had a very special plan for Moses’ life. After living for forty years with the Pharaoh’s family, Moses did something without thinking; Moses killed an Egyptian. Moses realized that he did not have a choice but to leave Egypt or . . . if Moses had stayed in Egypt, Moses would have faced the very real possibility of being killed. God’s special plan for Moses was to have Moses spend the next forty years of his life in a solitary place taking care of stubborn, ignorant sheep.
Exodus is the book in the Bible that talks about the last forty years of Moses’ life. Do you remember what Moses did the last forty years of his life? Moses led God’s specially chosen guys, gals and kids – the Israelite people group, from the country of Egypt to the land area that God had promised Abraham – then Isaac – and then Jacob. This country has been called over the years the Promised Land, Canaan, Israel and Palestine. Do you know why it took so long for the guys, gals and kids who God had specially chosen for Himself to finally make it into the Promised Land? Before God’s specially chosen guys and gals began their exodus from Egypt to the Promised Land, God’s specially chosen guys and gals did not really know God. God’s specially chosen guys and gals were like the stubborn, ignorant sheep which Moses had to take care of for over forty years. Moses and God’s specially chosen guys, gals and kids would need to stop to rest on their way to the Promised Land. God’s specially chosen guys, gals and kids stopped one day at a site called Mt. Sinai. Moses was prompted by God to climb to the top of Mt. Sinai where God talked with Moses. God used the time to give Moses all kinds of instructions. Besides giving Moses the law – which is the Ten Commandments, God gave Moses the instructions on how to build a sanctuary where He could have His presence be with His specially chosen guys, gals and kids as they journeyed to the Promised Land. Exodus 36 talks about what took place when God’s chosen people started to build the sanctuary. God’s stubborn, rebellious specially chosen guys and gals by this time had come to really want to serve and follow God. God’s specially chosen guys and gals could not do enough to help build the sanctuary as they really wanted to have God’s presence literally with them as they trekked from Egypt to the Promised Land. It even got to where God’s specially chosen guys and gals had to be told not to give anymore as . . . the guys who were constructing the sanctuary for God’s presence had more than enough to finish the construction for what God wanted built for His holy presence.
What do you think that Moses did to help build the sanctuary which God had told him to build as God really did want to have His presence literally to be with His specially chosen guys, gals and kids on planet Earth? God had tasked Moses to only lead His specially chosen guys and gals. God had hardwired other guys among His specially chosen guys to be able do other things. Verse 1 says “So Bezalel, Oholiab and every skilled person to whom the LORD has given skill and ability to know how to carry out all the work of constructing the sanctuary are to do the work just as the LORD has commanded.” The sanctuary which Bezalel, Oholiab and the other skilled guys would build was where God’s presence would always be with His specially chosen guys, gals and kids. The sanctuary was to be seen as a very special place. The sanctuary was to have curtains made out of twisted linen and blue, purple and scarlet yarn. The tent where the sanctuary was to be kept was to be covered with ram skins dyed red. Sea cow hides were to cover the ram skins. All the wood that was to be used in the sanctuary was to be acacia wood. Bronze and gold were to be used for the clasps which were to hold up the curtains. Bezalel, Oholiab and the other skilled guys who built the sanctuary where God’s presence could always be carefully followed God’s instructions. What do you think that God is preparing you to do or to be when you get big? Your grandpaa believes that God is teaching you to always follow His instructions. Your heart has become the sanctuary where God’s presence will always be with you.
Exodus 36 (114)