Bringing Down the Mountain
“The Lord said to Moses, “See, I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with ability and intelligence, with knowledge and all craftsmanship, to devise artistic designs, to work in gold, silver, and bronze, in cutting stones for setting, and in carving wood, to work in every craft. And behold, I have appointed with him Oholiab, the son fo Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan. And I have given to all able men ability that they may make all that I have commanded you: the tent of meeting, and the ark of the testimony, and the mercy seat that is on it, and all the furnishings of the tent, the table and its utensils, and the pure lampstand with all its utensils, and the altar of incense, and the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils, and the basin and its stand, and all the finely worked garments, the holy garments for Aaron the priest and the garments of his sons, for their service as priests, and the anointing oil and the fragrant incense for the Holy Place. According to all that I have commanded you, they shall do.” Exodus 31:1-11
Bringing Down the Mountain
God has been telling Moses about His plans for the tabernacle. He’s given the law of the Mosaic covenant in chapter 20, confirmed the covenant through a meal of peace up on Mt. Sinai in chapter 24, and laid out instructions for each piece of the tabernacle. But who would make it happen once Moses brought the instructions down the mountain? God has specially called and qualified Bezalel (“In the shadow of El”) and Oholiab (“My father (is) my tent”) for the work of the foreman. In fact, Bezalel is filled “with the Spirit of God” for this work, making him the first Spirit-filled individual in the Bible!
Bringing Down the Mountain
What is the purpose of the Tabernacle? We note that the order of Bezalel and Oholiab’s work starts from inside and works out. Furthermore, we know from Exodus 25:9, 40 that the Tabernacle is a picture of Mt. Sinai, so Bezalel and Oholiab’s work is also a work of top to bottom. We should of course find similarities between the presence of God on the mountain (Ex. 19:9, 16, 18; 24:15-18), the presence of God in the Tabernacle (Ex. 40:34-38), and the coming of the Spirit at Pentecost (Acts 2:2-3). In God’s work of building His Tabernacle, His Temple, and His Church, the work flows through Spirit-endowed people, bringing the image of the heavenly tabernacle (Heb. 9) down to the mountain, and bringing the mountain down to the world.
-The building up of the Church is the work of the Spirit
-The Spirit gives gifts for the building of the Church
-The Spirit builds up the Church for worship
-The Spirit builds the Church to go back out to the world