Bezaleel

MEMORY VERSE: “Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serve the Lord.” —Romans 12:11

EXODUS 35:30 – 36:3a; 38:22,23

AMONG humans there is a great variety of talents. In many instances these talents lie dormant, due, perhaps, to the lack of opportunity for developing them, and in other instances to the lack of incentive. If one has a talent for music he cannot excel in music without proper instruction and training. One who has a talent along mechanical lines must develop that talent through training and study if he is to be a successful mechanic. In an indirect sense all special talents are a gift of God, because through Adam the human race is God’s creation.

We have unique situation in the case of Bezaleel, of our lesson. He was one of the Hebrew slaves in Egypt, and it seems doubtful if he had ever had an opportunity to train as a workman in gold and in silver, and in brass. Nor would he be trained in the cutting and setting of stones, and the carving of timber, “to work in all manner of workmanship.”—Exod. 31:1-5

It is reasonable to conclude, however, that Bezaleel did possess a natural talent for this kind of work. But a natural talent for the task of building the tabernacle and producing its furnishings was not enough, so the Lord, through the power of his Spirit, imparted to this servant and his co-workers the required skills without the necessity of months and years of apprenticeship.

The Holy Spirit of God is his unlimited power, a power that he exercises to accomplish all his purposes. In Genesis 1:2 we read that “the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.” This was in connection with the creative task of preparing the earth for the habitation of man. In this instance we could properly speak of the Spirit of God as being a creative power.

All of God’s works are beyond our ability to understand, hence are miraculous. Solomon wrote, “As thou knowest not what is the way of the Spirit, nor how the bones do grow in the womb of her that is with child: even so thou knowest not the works of God who maketh all.”—Eccles. 11:5

In the beginning of the age many miracles were performed by Jesus, and later by his apostles. But since then the faithful followers of the Master have had to walk, to a greater degree, by faith. The Spirit of the Lord has been working in them in a different way than it did in Bezaleel, and those who co-operated with him in the building of the typical tabernacle.

Jesus explained to Nicodemus that in order for him to enter into the kingdom of heaven he would have to be born again, or “born … of the Spirit.” (John 3:1-16) Birth of the Spirit must be preceded by the begetting of the Spirit, and this is accomplished through the written word of God. This means that the promises of the Lord pertaining to “glory and honor and immortality” enter our hearts and minds and beget within us a new hope of life.—Rom. 2:7

This new hope of life, or new mind, continues to be nourished by the promises of God, promises which were recorded in the Bible through the power of the Holy Spirit. Thus a new life is begun, and it grows until, in the resurrection, the Spirit of God lifts it up out of death, gives it a new, divine body, and exalts it to joint-heirship with Christ, to live and reign with him in his messianic kingdom.

While we are not to expect that the Lord will perform miracles today in order to enable his people to serve him along special lines, it is nevertheless true that those who with fervency of spirit, as suggested by our memory verse, put their minds and hearts to the task of serving the Lord will find that they are able to accomplish things more efficiently than they may have thought possible.

QUESTIONS

Did God perform a miracle to enable Bezaleel to accomplish the work assigned to him?

What is the Spirit of God, and what are some of the ways it operates?

What does the Spirit of God accomplish for his people during the Gospel Age?

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