Doug Van Pelt

The Great Exodus.36

"So Bezalel, Oholiab and every skilled person to whom the Lord has given skill and ability to know how to carry out all the work of constructing the sanctuary are to do the work just as the Lord has commanded."

Wow, so if I had been blessed with boys, I could have named them Bezalel Van Pelt and Oholiab Van Pelt. Besides being craftsmen and artists, I can imagine Bezalel would have been a standout linebacker in high school football and Bezalel would be a pass-rushing defensive end, getting lots of sacks .

I wonder if these people had to deal with celebrity status? They were certainly pointed out in Scripture later, but I wonder if they were humble about their position and I wonder if people pointed them out while they were walking through the village or camp.

It says in verse 2: "Then Moses summoned Bezalel and Oholiab and every skilled person to whom the Lord had given ability and who was willing to come and do the work." I wonder if there were any skilled people that were not willing to do this work. I wonder if, by reading into the passage here, if we are meant to believe that there were some that didn't want to help out.

What happens next in the story, however, implies that this wasn't an issue even if it was the case:

"...And the people continued to bring freewill offerings morning after morning. So all the skilled craftsmen who were doing all the work on the sanctuary left their work and said to Moses, 'The people are bringing more than enough for doing the work the Lord commanded to be done.' Then Moses gave an order and they sent this word throughout the camp: 'No man or woman is to make anything else as an offering for the sanctuary.' And so the people were restrained from bringing more, because what they already had was more than enough to do all the work."

How cool is that? The people responded in such overwhelming numbers that there was a surplus. I tell ya, it's got to be a joy to work with people like that. People that are willing to give and generous. That kind of attitude is contagious.

When you're in an airplane that's just landed and all the people behind you in the aisle are pushing ahead to get off, not waiting for the people in each row to get up, it makes it harder to be generous and act in an opposite spirit. Their selfishness is contrary to the "others are more important" attitude and it makes it a little harder, sometimes to respond the best way. Sometimes, though, seeing someone act like an obvious idiot actually makes it easier to act better, because you laugh inside at the foolish manner in which they are acting and part of you inside says, 'Don't be like that!'

Posted by Doug Van Pelt at September 5, 2008 08:47 AM