Bezalel

By Guest Writer

Scripture Reading: Exodus 31:1-11, Exodus 35:30-35, Exodus 36:1-7

In the past, I’ve made an idol out of my calling in life. There were countless times when I cried out to God, asking Him to “make it clear” what He wanted me to do with this life. While it’s true that I really did want to know how to spend my days and focus my attention, what I really wanted was certainty. I thought if God could just point me in the generally right direction, I could start hustling to make something of myself. What I wanted was the assurance I wouldn’t fail. I wanted control.

But God doesn’t offer us the assurance of this kind of control. He does, however, promise His faithful love and His promise to be present with His people (Deuteronomy 31:6, Hebrews 13:5). Our God is not the means to an end—He’s the beginning, the end, and everything in between (Revelation 22:13). And so calling isn’t so much a sure destination but an invitation into a deeper relationship with our Creator God.

One of the ways God has invited me to experience Him is through the gifts He’s given me. When I read about Bezalel in Exodus 31, I see God’s same commitment to be present through both calling and gifting.

The LORD also spoke to Moses: “Look, I have appointed by name Bezalel son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. I have filled him with God’s Spirit, with wisdom, understanding, and ability in every craft to design artistic works”
—Exodus 31:1–4

Bezalel was an artisan with a big calling over his life: to lead the creation of the tabernacle, the place where God would take up residence with His people. Still, God didn’t leave Bezalel to fend for himself in the face of such an enormous undertaking. He sent Himself—His Spirit.

The Hebrew word ruach is translated as “God’s Spirit,” and here it refers to God’s personal presence and power coming forth to empower God’s people to do the specific tasks He’s called us to do. The Creator of the universe called Bezalel to create something God surely could have made on His own—no doubt perfectly and far more efficiently. Instead, He gifted and called a man like Bezalel. Why?

Because our God is relational, revealing His glory through creation and those who bear His image (Genesis 1:26–28). He doesn’t need us or the work of our hands, but He wants us and He invites us to share in His work. By His Spirit He gives us gifts to do that work (1Corinthians 12:4–7). It’s a precedent He set in the garden. God is about bringing eternity here to earth now, creating space for Him to dwell—to tabernacle—with His people. For those who call Jesus Christ “Lord,” that meeting place is now within us, by His Spirit (2Corinthians 6:16).

Whatever the call, He’s already given us everything we need to accomplish it (1Peter 1:3). The gifts He gives us are a vehicle through which we can know Him better, accomplish His will, bring Him glory, and care for His creation and people.

Written by Kara Gause