“…See,
I have called
by name Bezalel
the son of Uri, the son of Hur,
of the tribe of Judah.
And I have filled him
with the Spirit of God,
with wisdom
and with understanding
and with knowledge
and with all kinds of workmanship,
to fashion skillful designs,
to work in gold and in silver and in bronze,
and in the cutting of stones for setting
and in the carving of wood,
to work in all kinds of workmanship.
And now,
I Myself
have appointed with him
Oholiab the son of Ahisamach,
of the tribe of Dan;
and in the heart of all
who are wise in heart
I have put wisdom,
that they
may make all
that I have commanded you…”
(Exo. 31:1-17):
Bezalel was
a master builder,
a leader in God’s building:
His name
means “in the shadow of God,”
indicating that as a master builder,
Bezalel was
a man under the shadow of God’s grace.
Uri, the name of Bezalel’s father,
means “light of Jehovah,”
and Hur, the name of Bezalel’s grandfather,
means “free, noble, white”
(signifying clean and pure);
these three names
indicate what kind of persons
the builders of God’s dwelling place
should be:
If we
are not under the shadow of God’s grace,
many things
may come to disturb us,
but the shadow of God the Almighty
will keep these things
away from us
and cause us
to remain in a peaceful situation and condition
to do the building work.
All the builders
of God’s dwelling place
should be full of light,
not having any dark part.
All the builders
of God’s dwelling place
should be free, noble, and clean and pure.
The building up
of God’s dwelling place, the church,
is a noble work
to be done
by all God’s people;
however,
the wisdom, understanding,
knowledge, and skill
for this work
must be God Himself
as the Spirit
to us.
Only the Spirit of God
can build His own dwelling place
through us.
To build up the church
all the believers
must know
how to use
the divine nature as the gold,
the redemption of Christ as the silver,
and God’s righteous judgment as the bronze
as the materials for God’s work.
To cut stones for setting
is to help the saints
to be transformed into stones
and to be adjusted
to fit into God’s building.
To carve wood
is to work
on the humanity of the saints
for the sake of God’s building.
To work
in all kinds of workmanship
is to produce finer virtues
in human character
with the uplifted humanity of Christ,
which are needed
for the building up
of the church
as God’s dwelling place.
Oholiab was
Bezalel’s co-master builder;
his name
means “the tent or tabernacle of my father”;
Ahisamach, the name of Oholiab’s father,
means “a brother of strength or support”;
these two names
signify that Oholiab
was a man for God’s tabernacle
with strength and support:
Bezalel
was of the tribe of Judah,
the kingly tribe,
the tribe of the Lord Jesus,
and Oholiab
was of the tribe of Dan,
a lowly tribe.
The same principle
is seen
in the building of the temple
under Solomon,
who was of the tribe of Judah,
and Huram-abi,
whose mother
was a Danite woman.
This indicates
that the work of God’s dwelling place
must be done by all God’s people,
including those of high estate
and those of seemingly low estate.
The workers of the tabernacle
need to be wise in heart,
receive wisdom, understanding, and grace
from God,
and be stirred up
in their heart
to do the noble work
of building up the church,
God’s dwelling place on earth:
If we
would build God’s dwelling place,
we must be
a people filled with the Spirit of God.
In order to be filled
with the Spirit of God,
we need the willingness
to do something
for God’s building,
we need to abandon
our natural capacity,
and we need to empty ourselves
to have the absolute openness
to God
in prayer.
Every day and all the time
we need to be freshly filled
with the Triune God
through prayer;
the Christian life
is a life of prayer;
if we are short of prayer,
we will be short of the Spirit.
It is
when we are
willing and empty and continuously praying
that we have the wisdom
to work in the divine nature
and to minister to the needy ones
the particular Christ
that they need
for their growth in life
and God’s building.
The Sabbath
follows the charge
for the building of the tabernacle:
Exodus 31:13 and 16 through 17 say,
“You shall surely keep
My Sabbaths;
for it is a sign
between Me and you
throughout your generations,
that you may know
that I am Jehovah
who sanctifies you…
Therefore the children of Israel
shall keep the Sabbath,
to observe the Sabbath
throughout their generations
as a perpetual covenant.
It is a sign
between Me and the children of Israel forever;
for in six days
Jehovah made heaven and earth,
and on the seventh day
He rested
and was refreshed”:
On the seventh day
God “rested
and was refreshed”;
He looked at man
and said, “Very good,”
resting from His work of creation.
Man was
God’s refreshment
—God created man
in His own image with a spirit
so that man
could fellowship with God
and be God’s companion and counterpart.
Man’s first day
was a day of rest and enjoyment:
God rested
because He
had finished His work
and was satisfied;
God’s glory
was manifested
because man
had His image,
and His authority
was about to be exercised
for the subduing of His enemy, Satan;
as long as man
expresses God
and deals with God’s enemy,
God is satisfied
and can rest.
Later,
the seventh day
was commemorated
as the Sabbath;
God’s seventh day
was man’s first day;
after man was created,
he did not join in God’s work,
but he entered into God’s rest.
Man was created
not to work
but to be satisfied with God
and rest with God;
the Sabbath
was made for man,
not man for the Sabbath.
The rest in Genesis 2:2
is a seed
that develops through the Bible
and is harvested in Revelation;
the development of this seed
includes the rest of the Sabbath day
and the rest of the good land
in the Old Testament,
the rest of the Lord’s Day
in the New Testament,
and the rest of the millennial kingdom.
The consummation of rest
is the rest of the new heaven and new earth
with the New Jerusalem,
in which all the redeemed saints
will express God’s glory
and reign with God’s authority
for eternity.
Man’s first day
being a day of rest
established a divine principle
—God
first supplies us
with enjoyment,
and then we
work together with Him;
we need to be
one with God
in His work;
this requires
that we enjoy Him.
At Pentecost
the disciples
were filled
with the enjoyment of the Lord
at 9 a.m.;
then Peter and the eleven
stood to work
together with the Lord.
With God
it is
a matter of working and resting;
with man
it is
a matter of resting and working;
then
we work with the Lord
by being one with Him.
When we take Him
and enjoy Him
as our real Sabbath rest,
He will be
our strength
to work
and our energy
to labor.
As God’s people,
we should bear a sign
that we need God
to be our strength, energy, and everything
so that we
may be able to work together with Him
for the building up of the church
as Christ’s Body;
this honors and glorifies Him.
When we work for God
without enjoying Him
and without being one with Him,
the result is
spiritual death
and the loss
of the fellowship in the Body.
The sign that we bear
is that we
rest with God,
enjoy God,
are refreshed with God,
and are filled up with God first;
then we work together
with the very One
who fills us
in oneness with Him.
He is
our rest, our refreshment,
our energy, our strength,
and our everything
for ministering the word of God.
This is
an eternal covenant,
an eternal contract
with God:
Keeping the Sabbath
is an eternal covenant
assuring God
that we will be one with Him
by first enjoying Him
and then working
with Him, for Him, and in oneness with Him.
The mentioning of the Sabbath here
indicates that everything
related to the tabernacle and its furniture
leads us to God’s Sabbath,
with its rest and refreshment
in the enjoyment of
what God has purposed and done.
Hits: 62
7 replies on “The Workers of the Tabernacle and the Sabbath in Relation to the Building Work”
Prophecy note, 13 November 2016
“…See,
I have called
by name Bezalel
the son of Uri, the son of Hur,
of the tribe of Judah.
And I have filled him
with the Spirit of God,
with wisdom
and with understanding
and with knowledge
and with all kinds of workmanship,
to fashion skillful designs,
to work in gold and in silver and in bronze,
and in the cutting of stones for setting
and in the carving of wood,
to work in all kinds of workmanship.
And now,
I Myself
have appointed with him
Oholiab the son of Ahisamach,
of the tribe of Dan;
and in the heart of all
who are wise in heart
I have put wisdom,
that they
may make all
that I have commanded you…”
(Exo. 31:1-17):
Bezalel was
a master builder,
a leader in God’s building:
His name
means “in the shadow of God,”
indicating that as a master builder,
Bezalel was
a man under the shadow of God’s grace.
Uri, the name of Bezalel’s father,
means “light of Jehovah,”
and Hur, the name of Bezalel’s grandfather,
means “free, noble, white”
(signifying clean and pure);
these three names
indicate what kind of persons
the builders of God’s dwelling place
should be:
If we
are not under the shadow of God’s grace,
many things
may come to disturb us,
but the shadow of God the Almighty
will keep these things
away from us
and cause us
to remain in a peaceful situation and condition
to do the building work.
All the builders
of God’s dwelling place
should be full of light,
not having any dark part.
All the builders
of God’s dwelling place
should be free, noble, and clean and pure.
The building up
of God’s dwelling place, the church,
is a noble work
to be done
by all God’s people;
however,
the wisdom, understanding,
knowledge, and skill
for this work
must be God Himself
as the Spirit
to us.
Only the Spirit of God
can build His own dwelling place
through us.
To build up the church
all the believers
must know
how to use
the divine nature as the gold,
the redemption of Christ as the silver,
and God’s righteous judgment as the bronze
as the materials for God’s work.
To cut stones for setting
is to help the saints
to be transformed into stones
and to be adjusted
to fit into God’s building.
To carve wood
is to work
on the humanity of the saints
for the sake of God’s building.
To work
in all kinds of workmanship
is to produce finer virtues
in human character
with the uplifted humanity of Christ,
which are needed
for the building up
of the church
as God’s dwelling place.
Oholiab was
Bezalel’s co-master builder;
his name
means “the tent or tabernacle of my father”;
Ahisamach, the name of Oholiab’s father,
means “a brother of strength or support”;
these two names
signify that Oholiab
was a man for God’s tabernacle
with strength and support:
Bezalel
was of the tribe of Judah,
the kingly tribe,
the tribe of the Lord Jesus,
and Oholiab
was of the tribe of Dan,
a lowly tribe.
The same principle
is seen
in the building of the temple
under Solomon,
who was of the tribe of Judah,
and Huram-abi,
whose mother
was a Danite woman.
This indicates
that the work of God’s dwelling place
must be done by all God’s people,
including those of high estate
and those of seemingly low estate.
The workers of the tabernacle
need to be wise in heart,
receive wisdom, understanding, and grace
from God,
and be stirred up
in their heart
to do the noble work
of building up the church,
God’s dwelling place on earth:
If we
would build God’s dwelling place,
we must be
a people filled with the Spirit of God.
In order to be filled
with the Spirit of God,
we need the willingness
to do something
for God’s building,
we need to abandon
our natural capacity,
and we need to empty ourselves
to have the absolute openness
to God
in prayer.
Every day and all the time
we need to be freshly filled
with the Triune God
through prayer;
the Christian life
is a life of prayer;
if we are short of prayer,
we will be short of the Spirit.
It is
when we are
willing and empty and continuously praying
that we have the wisdom
to work in the divine nature
and to minister to the needy ones
the particular Christ
that they need
for their growth in life
and God’s building.
The Sabbath
follows the charge
for the building of the tabernacle:
Exodus 31:13 and 16 through 17 say,
“You shall surely keep
My Sabbaths;
for it is a sign
between Me and you
throughout your generations,
that you may know
that I am Jehovah
who sanctifies you…
Therefore the children of Israel
shall keep the Sabbath,
to observe the Sabbath
throughout their generations
as a perpetual covenant.
It is a sign
between Me and the children of Israel forever;
for in six days
Jehovah made heaven and earth,
and on the seventh day
He rested
and was refreshed”:
On the seventh day
God “rested
and was refreshed”;
He looked at man
and said, “Very good,”
resting from His work of creation.
Man was
God’s refreshment
—God created man
in His own image with a spirit
so that man
could fellowship with God
and be God’s companion and counterpart.
Man’s first day
was a day of rest and enjoyment:
God rested
because He
had finished His work
and was satisfied;
God’s glory
was manifested
because man
had His image,
and His authority
was about to be exercised
for the subduing of His enemy, Satan;
as long as man
expresses God
and deals with God’s enemy,
God is satisfied
and can rest.
Later,
the seventh day
was commemorated
as the Sabbath;
God’s seventh day
was man’s first day;
after man was created,
he did not join in God’s work,
but he entered into God’s rest.
Man was created
not to work
but to be satisfied with God
and rest with God;
the Sabbath
was made for man,
not man for the Sabbath.
The rest in Genesis 2:2
is a seed
that develops through the Bible
and is harvested in Revelation;
the development of this seed
includes the rest of the Sabbath day
and the rest of the good land
in the Old Testament,
the rest of the Lord’s Day
in the New Testament,
and the rest of the millennial kingdom.
The consummation of rest
is the rest of the new heaven and new earth
with the New Jerusalem,
in which all the redeemed saints
will express God’s glory
and reign with God’s authority
for eternity.
Man’s first day
being a day of rest
established a divine principle
—God
first supplies us
with enjoyment,
and then we
work together with Him;
we need to be
one with God
in His work;
this requires
that we enjoy Him.
At Pentecost
the disciples
were filled
with the enjoyment of the Lord
at 9 a.m.;
then Peter and the eleven
stood to work
together with the Lord.
With God
it is
a matter of working and resting;
with man
it is
a matter of resting and working;
then
we work with the Lord
by being one with Him.
When we take Him
and enjoy Him
as our real Sabbath rest,
He will be
our strength
to work
and our energy
to labor.
As God’s people,
we should bear a sign
that we need God
to be our strength, energy, and everything
so that we
may be able to work together with Him
for the building up of the church
as Christ’s Body;
this honors and glorifies Him.
When we work for God
without enjoying Him
and without being one with Him,
the result is
spiritual death
and the loss
of the fellowship in the Body.
The sign that we bear
is that we
rest with God,
enjoy God,
are refreshed with God,
and are filled up with God first;
then we work together
with the very One
who fills us
in oneness with Him.
He is
our rest, our refreshment,
our energy, our strength,
and our everything
for ministering the word of God.
This is
an eternal covenant,
an eternal contract
with God:
Keeping the Sabbath
is an eternal covenant
assuring God
that we will be one with Him
by first enjoying Him
and then working
with Him, for Him, and in oneness with Him.
The mentioning of the Sabbath here
indicates that everything
related to the tabernacle and its furniture
leads us to God’s Sabbath,
with its rest and refreshment
in the enjoyment of
what God has purposed and done.
Day 6
Exo. 31:13
Speak also to the children of Israel,
saying,
You shall surely keep
My Sabbaths;
for it is
a sign between Me and you
throughout your generations,
that you may know
that I am Jehovah
who sanctifies you.
1 Cor. 15:10
But by the grace of God
I am
what I am;
and His grace unto me
did not turn out
to be in vain,
but, on the contrary,
I labored more abundantly
than all of them,
yet not I
but the grace of God
which is with me.
The Sabbath
is mentioned again
in Exodus 31:13,
in relation to the work
of building God’s dwelling place,
signifying that as God’s people
work with Him and for Him,
they must learn to rest with Him
by enjoying Him
and being filled with Him.
Keeping the Sabbath
is a sign
that God’s people
work for God
not by their own strength
but by enjoying Him
and being one with Him.
It is
also an eternal covenant
assuring God
that we will be one with Him
by first enjoying Him
and then working
with Him, for Him,
and in oneness with Him.
God first worked
and then rested;
man first rests
and then works.
The mentioning of the Sabbath
in Exodus 31:13
indicates also that everything
related to the tabernacle and its furniture
leads us to God’s Sabbath,
with its rest and refreshment
in the enjoyment
of what God has purposed and done.
After God
gave the revelation
concerning the tabernacle and the furniture,
and after God
selected the builders
and gave Moses a charge
regarding them,
He went on
to speak again of the Sabbath.
It seems
as if God were saying,
“Do not forget
My Sabbath.
Don’t…think
that because you
are working to build My dwelling place,
you can work every day continually.
No,
even in doing
My divine work,
the work of building the tabernacle,
you must still bear a sign
to indicate
that you are My people
and you need Me.
Therefore
you need to enjoy Me first.
Then
you will be able to work
not only for Me,
but also with Me
and by being one with Me.
I will be
your strength to work
and your energy to labor.
But if you
work in yourself and by yourself,
that will be
an insult to Me.
You must do the work
of building My dwelling place
with Me, by Me, and in oneness with Me.
…You are My people,
and you should bear a sign
that you need Me
to be your enjoyment, strength, and energy.
You need Me
to be your everything
so that you
may be able to work for Me.
By working in this way
you honor Me
and glorify Me.”
Keeping the Sabbath
is also an agreement or covenant.
When we
begin to keep the Sabbath,
this indicates
that we have signed
an agreement, a contract,
that assures God
that we
shall be one with Him
in this way.
We would be one with Him
by first enjoying Him
and then by working
for Him, with Him,
and in oneness with Him.
This is
an eternal covenant.
It is
not merely for one age, dispensation, or generation.
It is
an eternal agreement
between us and God.
A covenant assures Him
that from now on
we shall enjoy Him
and be filled with Him
before we go to work
for Him, with Him,
and in oneness with Him.
In the church life
we may do many things
without first enjoying the Lord,
and without serving with the Lord
and by being one with the Lord.
That kind of service
results in
the suffering of spiritual death.
Any service to the church
that is
without the enjoyment of the Lord
and that is
without the oneness with Him
brings in spiritual death.
Whenever we serve in that way,
we cut ourselves off
from the fellowship in the Body.
Everything related to God’s dwelling place
leads us to one matter
—to the Sabbath
with its rest and refreshment
of the Lord.
Therefore,
the tabernacle with its furniture
leads us
to the enjoyment of
what God has purposed and done.
Hallelujah,
in the church life
we are in the tabernacle,
and the tabernacle leads us
to rest,
to the enjoyment
of God’s purpose
and of what He has done!
Day 5
Exo. 31:16-17
Therefore
the children of Israel
shall…observe the Sabbath
throughout their generations
as a perpetual covenant.
It is a sign
between Me and the children of Israel forever;
for in six days
Jehovah made heaven and earth,
and on the seventh day
He rested
and was refreshed.
God rested
because He had finished His work
and was satisfied.
God’s glory
was manifested
because man
had His image,
and His authority
was about to be exercised
for the subduing of His enemy, Satan.
As long as man
expresses God
and deals with God’s enemy,
God is satisfied
and can rest.
Later,
the seventh day
was commemorated
as the Sabbath.
God’s seventh day
was man’s first day.
God had prepared everything
for man’s enjoyment.
After man was created,
he did not join in God’s work;
he entered into God’s rest.
Man was created
not to work
but to be satisfied with God
and rest with God.
The Sabbath
was made for man,
not man for the Sabbath.
The rest in Genesis 2:2
is a seed
that develops through the Bible
and is harvested in Revelation.
The development of this seed
includes the rest of the Sabbath day
and the rest of the good land
in the Old Testament,
the rest of the Lord’s Day
in the New Testament,
and the rest of the millennial kingdom.
The consummation of rest
is the rest
of the new heaven and new earth
with the New Jerusalem,
in which all the redeemed saints
will express God’s glory
and reign with God’s authority
for eternity.
Exodus 31:17
indicates that the Sabbath
was not only a rest to God,
but was also a refreshment to Him.
Both Genesis and Exodus
tell us
that God rested
on the seventh day.
But in 31:17
the words “and was refreshed”
are added.
This reveals
that even God
needs to be refreshed.
To rest
is one thing
…but to be refreshed
we need something
to eat or drink.
We often refer to food and drink
as refreshment.
…The same
is true of God.
God needs something
to refresh Him.
…After God created man,
He rested.
He could look upon
His handiwork,
at the heavens, the earth,
and all the living things,
especially at man,
and say, “Very good!”
Then God could rest
and be refreshed.
…God was refreshed
with man.
Man was
God’s refreshment.
God loved man.
He created him
in His own image
with a spirit
so that man
could have fellowship with Him.
Man, therefore,
was God’s refreshment.
…Man was
like a refreshing drink
to quench God’s thirst
and satisfy Him.
When God ended His work
and began to rest,
He had man
as His companion.
To God,
the seventh day
was a day of
rest and refreshment.
However,
to man, God’s companion,
the day of rest and refreshment
was the first day.
Man’s first day
was a day of enjoyment.
It is
a divine principle
that God
does not ask us to work
until we
have had enjoyment.
God first supplies us
with enjoyment.
Then after a full enjoyment
with Him and of Him,
we may work together with Him.
…We need to be one with God
in His work.
This requires
that we enjoy Him.
If we do not know
how to enjoy God
and be filled with God,
we shall not know
how to work with Him,
how to be one with Him
in His work.
The New Testament ministry
of the apostles
began with the enjoyment
they had
on the day of Pentecost.
…When they were filled
with the Spirit,
…they were filled
with the enjoyment of the Lord.
…Others thought
that they were drunk
with wine.
Actually they were filled
with the enjoyment
of the heavenly wine.
Only after they
had been filled
with this enjoyment
did they begin
to work with God.
This is the way
to work with God,
the way to work
in oneness with Him.
When Peter
stood up with the apostles
to preach the gospel
and thereby do a work
for God,
they all
were one with God
in His work.
Day 4
Exo. 31:6
And now,
I Myself
have appointed with him
Oholiab
the son of Ahisamach,
of the tribe of Dan;
and in the heart of all
who are wise in heart
I have put wisdom,
that they
may make all
that I have commanded you.
Exo. 36:2
And Moses
called Bezalel
and Oholiab
and every man
who was wise in heart,
in whose heart Jehovah
had put wisdom,
even everyone
whose heart lifted him up
to come to the work
to do it.
Exodus 31:6b and 36:2
indicate that all the builders of the tabernacle
were wise in heart.
They all received
wisdom and understanding
from God.
Here there is
no mention of knowledge.
It is common
for people
to have knowledge,
at least in a general way.
But what is needed
for the work of building
is wisdom and understanding,
not only knowledge.
If we have
wisdom and understanding,
we shall be
persons wise in heart.
In order to do the work
of building up God’s dwelling place,
we need to be filled
with the Spirit of God
in knowledge, understanding,
wisdom, and workmanship.
We also need to learn
how to work in gold, silver, and bronze,
in cutting stones for setting,
and in the carving of wood.
The building work
includes those
of both high estate and low estate.
What we need now
is to become wise in heart,
receiving wisdom and understanding from God,
and to be stirred up
by our heart
to do the noble work
of building up the church,
God’s dwelling place
on earth today.
Although you
have the willingness
to do something
for God’s building,
…you must realize
that your natural capability
has to be altogether abandoned.
…God treasures your willingness,
which He initiated,
but your capability
—what you can do,
what you know—
in God’s estimation
means nothing.
If you will reject your ability,
this abandonment
will give God the ground
to come in
and fill you.
First
you need
the willingness;
then God needs
your openness.
God will use
only you,
not what you have
or can do.
Therefore,
you must empty yourself.
To empty yourself
means to have
an absolute openness to God.
…What part of you
needs to be unloaded?
Your capability, your knowledge,
your wisdom, your education.
It is
only when you are empty
that God can come in
to fill you.
When God fills you,
it is His Spirit
who fills you.
Even real experiences
of the church life
have to be emptied out.
Every day,
all the time,
you and I
in the leadership of the churches
need to be freshly filled
with the Triune God.
We also need
…the instant, constant prayer.
…If we are able to do things,
we do not need to pray much.
We have confidence,
we have knowledge,
we have a way,
we have ability,
we have strength:
we are certain
we can handle the situation.
We need to empty ourselves,
knowing that whatever we can do
is not counted;
it is
not only rejected
but even condemned by God.
Whatever the old man can do
is condemned by God.
We have to realize this.
Then
we shall see
our need of God
and will pray
constantly and instantly.
Whenever we
have been emptied
and are in a prayerful spirit,
if we
stand up in the church meeting,
we are aware,
and all the other saints are also aware,
that we
are living, fresh, and rich.
Other times
we may stand up
and share a lot,
but the congregation
has the feeling
that it is from the old man,
that it is empty.
When we contact others,
we may speak the same word,
talk about the same point,
but sometimes
there is a result
and other times it is lifeless.
It is
when we are
willing and empty
and continuously praying
that we have the wisdom
to work in the divine nature
and to minister
to the needy ones
the very Christ
they need,
not just minister
in a general way.
The crucial lack
is this continuous prayer.
…You are short of prayer,
so you are short of the Spirit.
It is
when you
are fully condemned
in your prayer
of the many things
that need to be dropped
that you receive
wisdom and the real understanding
of the Lord
concerning the situation,
concerning people,
and concerning the church.
Day 3
Eph. 4:11-12
And He Himself
gave some as apostles
and some as prophets
and some as evangelists
and some as shepherds and teachers,
for the perfecting of the saints
unto the work of the ministry,
unto the building up
of the Body of Christ.
Eph. 4:16
…All the Body
…causes the growth of the Body
unto the building up
of itself
in love.
Exodus 31:6
speaks of Bezalel’s co-master builder:
“And now,
I Myself
have appointed with him
Oholiab
the son of Ahisamach,
of the tribe of Dan.”
The name Oholiab
means “the tent or tabernacle of my father.”
This signifies
that one’s whole person
cares for God’s tabernacle.
Ahisamach,
the name of Oholiab’s father,
means “a brother of strength or support.”
This co-master worker
was a man for the tabernacle of God
with strength and support.
However,
this co-master builder
was of the tribe of Dan,
the tribe of the lowest estate.
The first master builder, Bezalel,
was of the tribe of Judah.
Judah is
a kingly tribe,
the tribe of the Lord Jesus.
But the second master builder, Oholiab,
came from the lowest tribe,
the tribe of Dan.
This indicates
that the building work
must include those
of both the high estate
and the low estate.
No matter whether you
are high or low,
as long as you
are one of God’s children,
you must be included
in the work of building.
The same principle
is seen
in the building of the temple
under Solomon,
who was
of the tribe of Judah,
and Huram-abi
that is, Hiram,
whose mother
was a Danite woman.
This indicates
that the work
of building God’s dwelling place
must be done
by all God’s people,
including those of high estate
and those of low estate.
The master builder
was King Solomon,
who was
of the tribe of Judah.
But the co-master builder
was once again
of the tribe of Dan.
But his estate
was even lower than that of Oholiab,
for he was
the son of a Danite woman
and of a Tyrian father.
How wonderful
the Bible is!
With the building
of both the tabernacle and the temple
the master builder
was of the tribe of Judah,
a kingly tribe,
and the co-master builder
was of the tribe of Dan,
a lowly tribe.
There is
nothing coincidental here.
This arrangement
is according to God’s sovereignty.
Exodus 35:34
indicates that Oholiab’s main task
was to teach.
No doubt,
Oholiab was wise.
However,
he must have received
most of his knowledge, understanding, and wisdom
from Bezalel.
Receiving all this
from the master builder,
he then went out
to teach others.
Here we see
a beautiful and pleasant coordination.
Exodus 35:34 says
that both Bezalel and Oholiab
did the work of teaching.
But I believe
that most of the teaching
was done by Oholiab.
This indicates
that in the building up of the church
there is
the need of adequate teaching.
We need some
to be today’s Oholiab
to teach the saints
concerning God’s building
according to
the knowledge, understanding,
wisdom, and skill
received from the master builder.
Exodus 35:35
says of Bezalel and Oholiab
that they were filled
with wisdom of heart
to work all kinds of workmanship
of an engraver or craftsman,
the skilled workman,
and the embroiderer
in blue, purple, scarlet, and fine linen.
What is the difference
between an engraver or craftsman
and a workman?
I believe
that an engraver or craftsman
has a special gift,
whereas a workman
does ordinary work with skill.
The embroiderers,
who may have been female workers,
worked in blue,
signifying heavenliness;
in purple,
signifying the kingship or royalty of Christ;
in scarlet,
signifying Christ’s redemption;
and in fine linen,
signifying Christ’s humanity.
Exodus 35:35
also speaks of
the weaver,
the doers of every work,
and those who fashion
skillful designs.
By all this
we can see
that the building up
of God’s dwelling place
is a fine, detailed work.
The fact
that many of the words
used to describe the workers
are similar in meaning
indicates that the work
of building up the church
is fine, delicate, and detailed.
Day 2
Exo. 31:3-5
And I have filled him
with the Spirit of God,
with wisdom and with understanding
and with knowledge and with all kinds of workmanship,
to fashion skillful designs,
to work in gold and in silver and in bronze,
and in the cutting of stones for setting
and in the carving of wood,
to work
in all kinds of workmanship.
If we would build
God’s dwelling place,
we must be
a people filled with the Spirit of God.
By our natural life and ability
and in our natural man,
we are not able to do this work.
Nothing natural
is capable of building
God’s dwelling place.
Only the Spirit of God
can build His own dwelling place
through us.
We are
the instruments, the means.
The actual ability, capacity,
strength, and power
must be God Himself
as the Spirit
to us.
According to Exodus 31:3,
this filling up
with the Spirit of God
involves four matters:
wisdom, understanding,
knowledge, and workmanship.
…This skill, this workmanship,
involves knowledge.
But it is not sufficient
to have only knowledge;
we also need
understanding and wisdom.
It is possible
for us
to have knowledge
without understanding.
…You may know all the verses
used in a particular message
…and may even be able
to recite many of them,
but if you put all the verses together,
you may not have
any understanding of them.
For the understanding of the verses,
you need to listen to
the ministry of the Word.
However,
we may have
both knowledge and understanding of verses,
but still not have
any revelation concerning them.
…But as a minister of the Word
continues to open the Word to you,
you eventually begin to see
what is revealed
in the verses
being considered.
This is
a matter of wisdom.
The way of doing something
is equal to the wisdom
required for doing it.
The Lord Jesus
once said
that He is the way
(John 14:6),
and Paul says
that Christ is our wisdom
(1 Cor. 1:30).
By putting these verses together,
we see that wisdom and the way
are one.
Knowledge
is a vast field.
Who can claim
to know everything
related to the building up of the church?
It is impossible
for anyone
to have such a complete knowledge.
…Do you understand
the significance of working
in gold, silver, and bronze?
Do you know
how to cut stones for setting?
Do you know
how to carve wood?
Do you know
what it means
in Exodus 35:35
to work in blue, in purple, in scarlet, and in fine linen?
The significance of all these matters
has much to do with
the building up of the church today.
Elders,
do you really know
what sanctification is?
Do you know
what is the “wood”
used in the building of God today?
You may realize
that wood signifies humanity,but do you know
how to “carve” humanity?
Suppose a brother and sister in the church
are having a difficult time
in their married life.
…Do you…really understand
their problem?
You may know
much about them,
but…you may not understand
the reasons for the situation
and the inner causes
…or the influence of their background.
…Perhaps some elders
would be able to understand
the problem of this married couple.
However,
…they may not have the wisdom
to help this couple
grow in life
and gain more of Christ.
In order to build up the church,
the elders need
knowledge, understanding, and wisdom.
…Not only elders
but all the saints of all ages
…may be
like Bezalel, Oholiab,
and the wise-hearted ones
to whom God has given wisdom…
to have a part
in building
the most noble structure
in the entire universe
—God’s dwelling place
We all
need to realize
that the noble work of
building up the church
is for every one of us.
We all
need to treasure the Lord’s speaking
concerning the building up
of His dwelling place, the church
…and see our need
to be filled with the Spirit of God
in knowledge, understanding,
wisdom, and workmanship
so that we
may do
the noble work of building.
Day 1
Exo. 31:2-3
See,
I have called
by name Bezalel
the son of Uri,
the son of Hur,
of the tribe of Judah.
And I have filled him
with the Spirit of God,
with wisdom
and with understanding
and with knowledge
and with all kinds of workmanship.
1 Cor. 3:10
According to the grace of God
given to me,
as a wise master builder
I have laid a foundation,
and another builds upon it…
In this message
we…consider
the workers of the tabernacle.
…Not even in the New Testament
do we have
such a detailed picture
showing us
how to build up
God’s dwelling place.
Today
God’s dwelling place
is the church.
The building up of the church
is truly a great matter
and a very important subject
in the Bible.
…The record in Exodus
that speaks of
the workers of the tabernacle
…shows us
the detailed way
for God’s people
to build up
His dwelling place
on earth
in this age.
Therefore,
we should treasure
this record.
Exodus 31:2-5
speaks of
the master builder of the tabernacle.
Paul uses
the term master builder
in 1 Corinthians 3:10:
“According to the grace of God
given to me,
as a wise master builder
I have laid a foundation….”
A master builder
is a leader
in God’s building.
Bezalel
is a type
in the Old Testament
of the master builder.
The name Bezalel
means “in the shadow of God.”
This indicates
that as a master builder,
Bezalel was
altogether under God’s shadowing.
He was
a man under the shadow of God’s grace.
This corresponds to
Paul’s word
in 1 Corinthians 3:10,
where he says
that it was by God’s grace
that he was made
a wise master builder.
All of us,
whether we are leaders
in God’s building
or common builders,
need God’s grace.
We need to be
under the shadow of His grace.
If we
are not under the shadow of God’s grace,
many things
may come to disturb us.
But the shadow of God
will keep these things
away from us
and cause us
to remain in a peaceful situation and condition
to do the building work.
Regarding the building up
of God’s dwelling place,
there is
a real conflict,
a severe fighting
between God and His enemy.
The enemy
does not like to see
the building of God’s dwelling place
going on in a good way.
Therefore,
he will do everything
he can
to interrupt, interfere,
frustrate, attack, and destroy.
The leading brothers
in the churches
know that it
is a troublesome matter
to take care of a local church
because the enemy
often causes disturbances and frustrations.
Certain things
we know
have been sent
by the enemy
purposely to damage
the work of building.
There is
no logical reason
for such things
to happen.
Nevertheless,
they happen
because they
were caused by the enemy.
Especially
the elders
must realize
that in order to build up a local church
we need to be
under the shadow of our God.
For the building of God’s dwelling place,
we all
should be named Bezalel.
We all
should be
those under the shadow of God.
The name of Bezalel’s father
was Uri,
which means
“light of Jehovah.”
This name
indicates that all the builders
of God’s dwelling place
should be
not only under God’s shadow
but also full of the Lord’s light.
The name of Bezalel’s grandfather
was Hur.
Hur means
“free, noble, white.”
Not only should we be
under God’s shadow
and full of light,
but we should be
free and noble.
Those who build God’s dwelling place
are not low people.
On the contrary,
they are
noble people
doing a noble work.
No other work
is as noble
as the building of God’s dwelling place.
Furthermore,
the builders of God’s dwelling place
are “white,”
that is,
they are
clean and pure.
When we
put together
the meaning of the names
Bezalel, Uri, and Hur,
we can see
what kind of person
the builders of God’s dwelling place,
especially the elders,
must be.