(Before we "survey" the Books of Poetry, I need to share some "miscellaneous" posts. They are somewhat devotional in nature. I hope you will find them encouraging.)
In Jerusalem today, there’s a Bezalel Street, Bezalel Hotel, Bezalel Arts and Crafts Fair, Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design. We walked occasionally on Bezalel Street, usually without knowing the name. The rest of those I had never heard of. But what we do remember was having a meal at Cafe Bezalel. It was near the route we took to get to the Baptist House, when we attended there which we often did. It was kind of a coffee shop/café as I remember. We ate there once, just to say we did, because Bezalel was a pretty cool dude, as we used to say.
More than a cool dude: he was filled with the
Holy Spirit. That in itself was unusual
because in OT times the Holy Spirit did not indwell “believers” (i.e. the
righteous, the saints) as He does under the New Covenant. God placed His Spirit on people at His
discretion. This man was truly gifted.
He was wise, understanding and knowledgeable generally; and then he was
a master in artistic design; how to make things from gold, silver and bronze;
in cutting jewels for settings; in carving wood; and in all workmanship
(v3-5).
Bezalel was, of course, exactly who was
needed for the building of the “tabernacle,” the “tent of meeting.” With him God also provided Aholiab and all
the gifted artisans of Israel. The
project they were working on (v7-11) had to be fitting as “the dwelling place
of the God of Israel.”
We are also involved in building a dwelling
place for God (that’s what a temple is, by definition: the “house of God”.) In 2 Cor. 6:16 Paul says to the Corinthian
Church, “you are the temple of the living God.”
He is speaking of the body of believers, as the rest of the verse makes
clear with all the “plural” terms: them, their, they, My people. The Body of Christ is a building that is growing
into “a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also (the Ephesian Church) are
being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit” (Eph. 2:21-22). As Peter put it, “you also, as living stones
are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual
sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (1 Pt. 2:5).
We too have been blessed with the provision of
Christ. He gave to the Church Apostles, prophets,
evangelists, and pastor-teachers “for the equipping of the saints for the work
of ministry for the edifying (building up) of the body of Christ” (Eph. 4:11-12). As for the “saints,” each has been equipped
with a spiritual gift. These are
not the kind Bezalel had. The temple we
are building is a spiritual temple, not made with gold, silver or bronze. The gifts are prophecy, ministry, teaching,
exhortation, giving, leading and showing mercy (Rom. 12:6-8).
When these gifts are used in ministry they
produce God’s work (1 Cor. 12:8-11), and the temple built to the glory of God
(Eph. 4:13-16). As a believer in Christ,
you have a gift. Use it as a faithful
builder of this holy temple.
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