Exodus 31

God was the Designer of the Tabernacle. He showed Moses what it should look like on top of the mountain. He commanded him to build it, but it would not be Moses who would do all of the skilled work necessary to accomplish this great project. God would bring gifted men to serve with Moses.

God knew these men. He knew their names. He knew where they were from. He knew their heritage. He knew their gifts. The Lord is the Giver of every good gift, including the ability to follow His instructions in any area of worship or life. Everything we have has come to us from God's kind provision.

God spoke the world into being by His own powerful Word. He ordered the days of creation for His purposes. He has complete command over the new heavens and new earth that will one day be revealed. Though He has this full sovereignty over all these marvelous works from beginning to end, He chooses to work out His great plans by using people.

Bezalel, Oholiab, and others who would serve in various ways, were all part of God's plan. The Lord could have built the Tabernacle instantaneously, but He chose to do it through instructing Moses, and through raising up these craftsmen. By His Spirit He brings forth beauty and glory through the hands of men made in His image. He gives them ability and intelligence. They had knowledge and craftsmanship in order to accomplish their duties. Even though the Lord Himself was the Designer, Bezalel would be called on to “devise artistic designs.” The general instructions would leave room for creative insight under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

The men would use the material gifts of God; gold, silver, bronze, and precious stones. They would take these raw materials in their hands and they would create a place of worship. What a task!Their hands would form the tent of meeting, the ark of the testimony, the mercy seat, all the objects used in this system of divine worship. They would build the table for the holy bread, the golden lampstand, the altar of incense, the altar of burnt offering, and the basin for ceremonial washing. They would make the holy garments for the High Priest and the garments for his sons who would serve with him.

Many decisions were necessary in order to do this work. They were tasked with the building of a great reproduction that they had not seen. Moses saw the original on top of the mountain. His mind would contain that image, but their hands had to do the work of building. For this to be done right, it was necessary that God would be with them in a special way. They needed to make these sacred objects with accuracy so that Moses could affirm that the job had been rightly accomplished. To attain to the correct result would require great skill and insight.

The construction of the tabernacle is a useful parable for us concerning the building up of the Lord's kingdom today. Our resurrected Mediator, Jesus Christ, sends forth His Spirit, and uses His servants. God could just speak his church into being in a moment, but He chooses to use all His beloved redeemed children in heaven and on earth to accomplish this great task. Jesus is the Master Builder, filled with all the fullness of the Holy Spirit. He Himself is the Cornerstone of the new creation. There is no moving away from the foundation that we have in Him. He has gone ahead of us to prepare a place for us above. Even now the final tabernacle for the worship of the Lord is being constructed. Our efforts on earth are part of this work. If not, then why are we surrounded by a great cloud of heavenly witnesses? Any movement from death to life by faith and repentance causes heavenly beings to rejoice in the presence of angels. Can we doubt that all our growth in grace and knowledge causes sincere cheers before the presence of God on high?

Those who have gone before us have entered into the Sabbath rest where Jesus lives. He is working, doing His perfect building of the final tabernacle of persons. Yet He is not weary. He does not fall asleep in the stern of a boat anymore. He does not come down from a mountain and walk into situations that bring forth holy expressions of exasperation. He has run the race for us here below. He has taken His place of ruling rest at the right hand of the Father.

We celebrate a day of rest in this and in earlier generations as a testimony to the fact that we too will soon enter that place of rest. Even here below, where we have a cross to bear in following our King, the one who works best is the one who rests most fully in Jesus; in His blood, His righteousness, and His heavenly attainments.

Our weekly rest is a sign between God and us, a sign that we know that the Lord is the One who sanctifies us. The Lord who did His great creation work in six days has entered the realm of the seventh day. Jesus did His work on earth, and has risen from the dead as the Man of a new day. We work by His Spirit as people of that new day. Soon we will be with Him above. Let us work today as the residents of heaven work, walking in the Spirit by the power of the perfect day of Jesus Christ.

God gave Moses two tablets with the testimony of the Law for the Old Testament Tabernacle. Jesus is our testimony, the testimony of the final Tabernacle. All that we have flows to us from the grace that He has won for us through His death and resurrection. His Spirit is the finger of God at work in our lives even now. He is using us to build up a holy dwelling place for God. Who is sufficient for these things?