Reflections on Exodus 31

 

Exodus 31 (Contemporary English Version)

1. The LORD said to Moses:
2. I have chosen Bezalel from the Judah tribe to make the sacred tent and its furnishings.
3. Not only have I filled him with my Spirit, but I have given him wisdom and made him a skilled craftsman who can create objects of art with gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wood.
4. (SEE 31:3)
5. (SEE 31:3)
6. I have appointed Oholiab from the tribe of Dan to work with him, and I have also given skills to those who will help them make everything exactly as I have commanded you:
7. the sacred tent with its furnishings, the sacred chest with its place of mercy, the table with all that is on it, the lamp with its equipment, the incense altar, the altar for sacrifices with its equipment, the bronze bowl with its stand, the beautiful priestly clothes for Aaron and his sons, the oil for dedication and ordination services, and the sweet-smelling incense for the holy place.
8. (SEE 31:7)
9. (SEE 31:7)
10. (SEE 31:7)
11. (SEE 31:7)
12. Moses told the Israelites that the LORD had said: The Sabbath belongs to me. Now I command you and your descendants to always obey the laws of the Sabbath. By doing this, you will know that I have chosen you as my own.
13. (SEE 31:12)
14. Keep the Sabbath holy. You have six days to do your work, but the Sabbath is mine, and it must remain a day of rest. If you work on the Sabbath, you will no longer be part of my people, and you will be put to death.
15. (SEE 31:14)
16. Every generation of Israelites must respect the Sabbath.
17. This day will always serve as a reminder, both to me and to the Israelites, that I made the heavens and the earth in six days, then on the seventh day I rested and relaxed.
18. When God had finished speaking to Moses on Mount Sinai, he gave him the two flat stones on which he had written all of his laws with his own hand.
    

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    This chapter completes God's instructions to Moses. To this point He had given Moses the ten commandments along with instructions for the tabernacle, its furnishings, the priests garments, and the anointing oil and incense. In this chapter God revealed that He had appointed and gifted certain men to make all of these objects, including the anointing oil and incense. Not only did He give them the skills, He gave them the wisdom and knowledge they would need. I wonder if this wisdom and knowledge was what they needed to fill in the details of design that were not given in the instructions to Moses. It would be difficult, if not impossible, to make all of these things to God's specifications based on the written instructions. I have to believe this was part of the gifting God gave these men along with the skills.
    
    A truth one can always depend on is that God never expects anything of us that He does not enable us to do. If left on our own, though, we are incapable of doing what He expects. It is a partnership. We are not a dog and pony act by which God amuses Himself. We are His creation with whom He desires a relationship. Thus, He gives us instructions regarding that relationship and then bonds us with Him by enabling us to do what we can only do by His empowerment. Any attempt on our part to follow God's instructions on our own, apart from Him, is only a poor imitation of what He intends, and does harm to the relationship rather than enhance it. We may fool ourselves into thinking we are obedient when we are actually rebelling by keeping our independence from God while doing religious things to give the appearance we are His friend.
    
    In the last verses of this chapter, once the instructions for the tabernacle were completed, God gave one last word concerning the sabbath which He had mentioned in the ten commandments. Observance of the sabbath by the Israelites was to be a sign of their covenant with God which they were to observe "throughout your generations." (31:13) It was to show to their descendants and all other people that "I am the LORD who sets you apart." (31:13) Strict instructions were given should anyone fail to observe it. A time would eventually come when the nation as a whole failed to observe the sabbath, and God dealt with them as a nation. At this point, however, the concern was for individuals who did not observe it. Thus the penalty was aimed at individuals, cutting them off from the community or putting them to death.