Sunday, September 02, 2007

Exodus 31

(1) *Then **the Lord said to Moses,


   Remember that Moses is right where he was, when we left him, when the narrative ended in Exodus 24. He’s up on the mountain alone with God. And everybody else is down in the plain waiting for him to come back. And among all the things that God said to him, we have recorded for us not only those laws from Exodus 20 - Exodus 23, but, we have these commands about the tabernacle from Exodus 25 – 31. And we find here that God is not satisfied with simply saying how the tabernacle ought to be built; He is concerned that the right chosen craftsman will be appointed to the work. God is in control of this entire operation. He is at source. He is the architect. He is the designer. And as the chief architect he will choose the construction managers and the craftsman who will bring about the implementation of this building of the tabernacle. - www.fpcjackson.org/resources/sermons/exodus/Exodus%20Vol%205%20&%206/37bexo.htm


**the Lord: Yahweh


(2) “Look, I have *specifically chosen **Bezalel son of ***Uri, grandson of ****Hur, of the tribe of Judah.


*specifically chosen: Hebrew called by name. This expression means that the person was specifically chosen for some important task As Cyrus was called by name in Isaiah 45:3-4 - even before Cyrus knew God.


**Bezalel means "in the shadow or protection of El".

I Chronicles 2:18, 19, 20, 50:18: Hezron’s son Caleb had sons from his wife Azubah and from Jerioth. Her sons were named Jesher, Shobab, and Ardon. After Azubah died, Caleb married Ephrathah, and they had a son named Hur. Hur was the father of Uri. Uri was the father of Bezalel.


***Uri is probably short for Uriah or Urell, which means God or Yahweh is my light.


****Hur: The Jewish tradition is that Hur was the husband of Miriam


(3) I have filled him with the *Spirit of God, giving him great wisdom, ability, and expertise in all kinds of crafts.


*Spirit: Hebrew ruach - spirit or breath.


   The only Old Testament saint who is specifically said to be “filled . . . with the Spirit of God”. What special wisdom, ability and expertise has God given you and me to be part of His plan? Look at just a few of those chosen by God:



  • Genesis 12:1-2: The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you. I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others.

  • Exodus 4:11-12: Then the Lord asked Moses, “Who makes a person’s mouth? Who decides whether people speak or do not speak, hear or do not hear, see or do not see? Is it not I, the Lord? Now go! I will be with you as you speak, and I will instruct you in what to say.”

  • 1 Samuel 16:12-13: So Jesse sent for him. He was dark and handsome, with beautiful eyes. And the Lord said, “This is the one; anoint him.” So as David stood there among his brothers, Samuel took the flask of olive oil he had brought and anointed David with the oil. And the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David from that day on. Then Samuel returned to Ramah.

  • Esther 4:14: Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for just such a time as this?”)

  • Judges 6:11-15: Then the angel of the Lord came and sat beneath the great tree at Ophrah, which belonged to Joash of the clan of Abiezer. Gideon son of Joash was threshing wheat at the bottom of a winepress to hide the grain from the Midianites. The angel of the Lord appeared to him and said, “Mighty hero, the Lord is with you!”
    “Sir,” Gideon replied, “if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? And where are all the miracles our ancestors told us about? Didn’t they say, ‘The Lord brought us up out of Egypt’? But now the Lord has abandoned us and handed us over to the Midianites.”
    Then the Lord turned to him and said, “Go with the strength you have, and rescue Israel from the Midianites. I am sending you!” “But Lord,” Gideon replied, “how can I rescue Israel? ...

  • Isaiah 6:89: Then I heard the Lord asking, “Whom should I send as a messenger to this people? Who will go for us?”
    I said, “Here I am. Send me.”
    And he said, “Yes, go, and say to this people,
    ...

  • Isaiah 45:3-4: “And why have I called you (Cyrus) for this work?
    Why did I call you by name when you did not know me?
    It is for the sake of Jacob my servant,
    Israel my chosen one.

  • Jeremiah 1:5: “I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb.
    Before you were born I set you apart
    and appointed you as my prophet to the nations.”

  • Amos 7:15: But the Lord called me away from my flock and told me, ‘Go and prophesy to my people in Israel.’

  • John the Baptist:

  • Matthew 4:18-21: One day as Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers—Simon, also called Peter, and Andrew—throwing a net into the water, for they fished for a living. Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!” And they left their nets at once and followed him. A little farther up the shore he saw two other brothers, James and John, sitting in a boat with their father, Zebedee, repairing their nets. And he called them to come, too.

  • Matthew 9:9: As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at his tax collector’s booth. “Follow me and be my disciple,” Jesus said to him. So Matthew got up and followed him.

  • Luke 10:1: The Lord now chose seventy-two (or 70) other disciples and sent them ahead in pairs to all the towns and places he planned to visit.

  • John 1:43: The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Come, follow me.”

  • John 15:16: You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name.

  • Galatians 1:1516: But even before I was born, God chose me and called me by his marvelous grace. Then it pleased him to reveal his Son to me so that I would proclaim the Good News about Jesus to the Gentiles.

  • Romans 8:29-30: For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And having called them, he gave them right standing with himself. And having given them right standing, he gave them his glory.

  • Colossians 3:12: Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.

  • 2 Timothy 3:16: Every Scripture is God-breathed (given by His inspiration) and profitable for instruction, for reproof and conviction of sin, for correction of error and discipline in obedience, [and] for training in righteousness (in holy living, in conformity to God's will in thought, purpose, and action),
    So that the man of God may be complete and proficient, well fitted and thoroughly equipped for every good work.
    (Amplified Version)


   In Exodus 40 verse 34, God Himself does what? He covers the tabernacle. The Shekinah Glory of God comes down and covers the tabernacle so much that Moses cannot enter in. But, God is still not done with this theme of the Spirit. Not only do you have passages like Luke 1:35, where we’re told that the shadow of the Almighty overshadowed Mary, the power of the Most high will overshadow you. But you have passages like Acts 2:1-4, that indicate that when God is building His tabernacle, actually His new covenant people, how does He do it? Through the Spirit. The Spirit is poured out. And we’re told in Acts chapter 2, that “when the day of Pentecost had come, they were all filled by the Holy Spirit and began to speak in tongues as the Spirit was giving them utterance.” And Paul says in Ephesians 2:20 & 21, that you are all being build together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit. And in Revelation 21:22, when John is describing for you what heaven is like, one of the things that he tells you is, guys I looked around and there’s no temple there. And there’s no temple there, because God and the Lamb are the temple for God’s people. But it’s the Spirit’s work that’s uniting us to God and to the Lamb and making us into the tabernacle, the temple of the Lord. - www.fpcjackson.org/resources/sermons/exodus/Exodus%20Vol%205%20&%206/37bexo.htm


   God supernaturally enabled Bezalel to do the work of building the Tabernacle. God saw this work as just as spiritual, and just as dependent on the Holy Spirit's power, as the work Moses and Aaron did.


(4) He is a master craftsman, expert in working with gold, silver, and bronze.


(5) He is skilled in engraving and mounting gemstones and in carving wood. He is a master at every craft!


(6) “And I have personally appointed *Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, to be his assistant. Moreover, I have given special skill to all the gifted craftsmen so they can make all the things I have commanded you to make:


*Oholiab means "father is my tent" or "father is a tent".


   God wanted every worker's labor to be blessed and prompted by the Holy Spirit. So, where did these guys get their expertise? - In Egypt. But, God amplified their natural talents and work experience and training to do even greater work. Little did they know, as they were working for Egypt (always a picture of "the world"), God was equipping them for this great work for Him! As we work in the world using the natural talents we were born with and the education and training we've received, how is He using us and going to use us for His much greater purpose?


"The sun and moon and every star

Are there to show me who You are

I can be sure your fingerprints

Are everywhere


My every move, my every breath

Were meant to point to your greatness

There's nothing made that was not made

To show Your power


These hands were made to praise You

These lips were made to lift You up

I give to You my life in worship

These feet were made to serve You

This tongue, to sing of Your great love

I give to You my life in worship


A tender thought, a caring deed

A gift of love to one in need

Bringing honest acts of worship to You, Lord


Lifting holy hands in worship to You, Lord

God, receive this humble sacrifice of praise" - Lyrics from a song by Jeff Deo.


(7) the Tabernacle; the Ark of the Covenant; the Ark’s cover—the place of atonement; all the furnishings of the Tabernacle;


(8) the table and its utensils; the pure gold lampstand with all its accessories; the incense altar;


(9) the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils; the washbasin with its stand;


(10) the beautifully stitched garments—the sacred garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments for his sons to wear as they minister as priests;


(11) the anointing oil; the fragrant incense for the Holy Place. The craftsmen must make everything as I have commanded you.”


(12) The Lord then gave these instructions to Moses:


(13) “Tell the people of Israel: ‘Be careful to keep my *Sabbath day, for the Sabbath is a sign of the covenant between me and you from generation to generation. It is given so you may know that I am the Lord, who makes you holy.


   They are being warned to keep the Sabbath day even though God has given them a major task to do. The day of rest are more important.


(14) You must keep the Sabbath day, for it is a holy day for you. Anyone who desecrates it must be put to death; anyone who works on that day will be cut off from the community.


(15) You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but the seventh day must be a Sabbath day of complete rest, a holy day dedicated to the Lord. Anyone who works on the Sabbath must be put to death.


(16) The people of Israel must keep the Sabbath day by observing it from generation to generation. This is a covenant obligation for all time.


(17) It is a permanent sign of my covenant with the people of Israel. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, but on the seventh day he stopped working and was refreshed.’”


Genesis 2:1-3: So the creation of the heavens and the earth and everything in them was completed. On the seventh day God had finished his work of creation, so he rested from all his work. And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because it was the day when he rested from all his work of creation.


*Sabbath day: Is the Sabbath day Sunday? Are we to observe Sabbath days? Notice that this is a sign of the covenant between God and Israel!



  • Matthew 12:8: For the Son of Man is Lord, even over the Sabbath!”

  • Matthew 12:11-12: And he answered, “If you had a sheep that fell into a well on the Sabbath, wouldn’t you work to pull it out? Of course you would. And how much more valuable is a person than a sheep! Yes, the law permits a person to do good on the Sabbath.”

  • Mark 2:27: Then Jesus said to them, “The Sabbath was made to meet the needs of people, and not people to meet the requirements of the Sabbath.

  • John 7:21-24: Jesus replied, “I did one miracle on the Sabbath, and you were amazed. But you work on the Sabbath, too, when you obey Moses’ law of circumcision. (Actually, this tradition of circumcision began with the patriarchs, long before the law of Moses.) For if the correct time for circumcising your son falls on the Sabbath, you go ahead and do it so as not to break the law of Moses. So why should you be angry with me for healing a man on the Sabbath? Look beneath the surface so you can judge correctly.”

  • Galatians 4:8-12: Before you Gentiles knew God, you were slaves to so-called gods that do not even exist. So now that you know God (or should I say, now that God knows you), why do you want to go back again and become slaves once more to the weak and useless spiritual principles of this world? You are trying to earn favor with God by observing certain days or months or seasons or years. I fear for you. Perhaps all my hard work with you was for nothing. Dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to live as I do in freedom from these things, for I have become like you Gentiles—free from those laws.

  • Acts 15:10: So why are you now challenging God by burdening the Gentile believers with a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors were able to bear?

  • Romans 14:5: In the same way, some think one day is more holy than another day, while others think every day is alike. You should each be fully convinced that whichever day you choose is acceptable.

  • Colossians 2:16-17: So don’t let anyone condemn you for what you eat or drink, or for not celebrating certain holy days or new moon ceremonies or Sabbaths. For these rules are only shadows of the reality yet to come. And Christ himself is that reality.

  • Hebrews 4:9-10: So there is a special rest (Or a Sabbath rest) still waiting for the people of God. For all who have entered into God’s rest have rested from their labors, just as God did after creating the world.


   Now what was the Jewish Sabbath signifying? That God wanted His people to rest in Him. But they never did rest in Him, even though they did nothing on the Sabbath day. Now Christ is the fulfillment of the Sabbath day, for Christ is our rest. We who are in Christ have entered into His rest, so we have a perpetual Sabbath. I have ceased from my own labors; I have entered into the FINISHED work of Jesus Christ. And even as God is now resting in the finished work of Jesus Christ, as far as my salvation, I must rest where God is resting, and realize that there is no work that I can offer to God of my hands, that can save me. The only thing that can possibly save me is Jesus Christ, and His sacrifice for my sins. And I rest in that sacrifice; that finished work of Jesus Christ. As far as my salvation is concerned, I'm resting that Christ is gonna take care of it. Through His sacrifice of His blood upon the cross, I'm resting; and thus, I have entered into the true Sabbath, that which the Jews haven't yet discovered, though they light their candles and say their prayers, and stay in bed on Saturday. How glorious it is to know the true rest of God, the true Sabbath of God, even Jesus Christ. - www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/chuck_smith_c2000/Exd/Exd030.html


   The true sabbath is a rest; the Jewish sabbath is a shadow, a picture of that rest. All the Old Testament shadows pointed to Christ. They were predictions, foreviews, of the coming of the One who would fulfill all these remarkable things. Every lamb that was brought as an offering was a shadow of the work of Christ. Every burnt offering, every bit of incense that was offered, was a picture of the fragrance of Jesus Christ. The tabernacle was a shadow of him. The high priest, in his garments and his office, was a shadow of Christ as our High Priest. Read the book of Hebrews and you will see how beautifully all this is brought out. These Old Testament shadows were looking forward to the coming of the One who would fulfill these and thus end them. When the work of Jesus Christ was finished the shadows were no longer needed. We behave very similarly today. Some twenty-two years ago when, as a much younger man, I was in Hawaii, I found myself engaged to a lovely girl who lived in Montana and whom I hadn't seen for three or four years. We were writing back and forth in those lonely days, and she sent me her picture. It was a beautiful picture and I showed it to all my friends dozens of times. I propped it up on the desk and I would look at it at least three or four times a day. It was all I had to remind me of her and it served moderately well for that purpose. But one wonderful day she arrived in Hawaii and I saw her face to face. I didn't spend much time with the picture after that, nor have I since. The other day I was cleaning out the garage and ran across the picture. It was still a beautiful picture, and I noted that she had not changed very remarkably since those days, but I found that the picture was quite incomplete and unsatisfying. When the real thing came there was no longer any need for the picture. This is exactly what happened with these Old Testament shadows, including the Sabbath. When the Lord came, and his work was ended, making possible the true fulfillment of God's intention in the Sabbath, the picture was no longer needed. The weekly sabbath ended at the cross.
- www.ldolphin.org/sabbathrest.html


(18) When the Lord finished speaking with Moses on Mount Sinai, he gave him the *two stone tablets inscribed with the terms of **the covenant, written by ***the finger of God.


   Exodus 35:1 picks up right here without missing a beat, indicating that the incident of their rebellion with the golden calf is forgotten.


*two stone tablets: These FIRST tables were the work of God - Exodus 32:16, 24:12. The SECOND tables were hewn by Moses (Exodus 34:1-4) Both written by God.


Exodus 24:12: Then the Lord said to Moses, “Come up to me on the mountain. Stay there, and I will give you the tablets of stone on which I have inscribed the instructions and commands so you can teach the people.”

Exodus 32:15-16: Then Moses turned and went down the mountain. He held in his hands the two stone tablets inscribed with the terms of the covenant. They were inscribed on both sides, front and back. These tablets were God’s work; the words on them were written by God himself.

 Deuteronomy 9:10: The Lord gave me the two tablets on which God had written with his own finger all the words he had spoken to you from the heart of the fire when you were assembled at the mountain.

Luke 11:20: But if I am casting out demons by the power (Greek - finger) of God, then the Kingdom of God has arrived among you. Last occurrence of the use of the phrase "finger of God".


**the covenant: Hebrew the two tablets of the Testimony


***the finger of God: Does God have fingers, a hand, an arm - a body?

John 4:24: For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.”

 Luke 24:39: Look at my hands. Look at my feet. You can see that it’s really me. Touch me and make sure that I am not a ghost (spirit), because ghosts (spirits) don’t have bodies, as you see that I do.”


   There were times in the Bible when God appeared in a physical body in order to be seen by men in a form which they could perceive without danger to themselves. Because God said, “No man can see me and live” (Exodus 33:20), He chose at certain times to reveal Himself in human form. These occurrences are called theophanies (Genesis 12:7-9; 18:1-33; 32:22-30). Every theophany wherein God takes on human form foreshadows the incarnation, where God took the form of a man to live among us as Emmanuel, “God with us” (Matthew 1:23).




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