The Liturgy of the Workbench Text: Exodus 35:30-35
Introduction: The Gnostic Wrench
We live in an age that has been thoroughly infected with a very old heresy. It is a spiritual disease that has seeped into the church, and it teaches us to sort our lives into two piles. In one pile, we put the "sacred" things: prayer meetings, Bible study, Sunday worship, and evangelism. In the other pile, we put the "secular" things: changing the oil, drafting a blueprint, writing code, balancing a budget, and fixing a leaky faucet. This is the ancient heresy of Gnosticism, dressed up in modern overalls. It is the lie that God is intensely interested in your soul but profoundly bored by your hands. It teaches that the spiritual realm is what matters, and the material world is, at best, a necessary distraction and, at worst, a dirty prison for the soul.
This sacred/secular divide is a lie from the pit. It is intellectual and spiritual poison. It allows a man to sing praises with gusto on Sunday morning and then do shoddy, dishonest work on Monday, feeling no contradiction. It allows the artist to believe his work is less spiritual than the pastor's. It neuters the Christian faith, confining it to a small, private corner of life, while leaving the vast majority of our waking hours to be governed by godless, pragmatic principles.
The passage before us today is the divine corrective. It is God's sledgehammer against this flimsy, dividing wall. Here in the wilderness, as God gives the blueprints for His own dwelling place, He does not just give commands. He calls and equips the craftsmen. And in doing so, He reveals His plan for all of life. He shows us that the work of our hands is not separate from the worship of our hearts. He demonstrates that the Holy Spirit is just as involved with the engraver's tool as He is with the prophet's tongue. This passage teaches us that our work, when done in faith, is worship. It is liturgy performed at the workbench.
The Text
Then Moses said to the sons of Israel, "See, Yahweh has called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. And He has filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, in discernment, and in knowledge, and in all craftsmanship; to devise designs for working in gold and in silver and in bronze, and in the cutting of stones for settings and in the carving of wood, so as to do well in every work of thoughtful design. He also has put in his heart to teach, both he and Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan. He has filled them with wisdom in their heart to do every work of an engraver and of a designer and of an embroiderer, in blue and in purple and in scarlet material and in fine linen, and of a weaver, as those who do every work and make designs."
(Exodus 35:30-35 LSB)
Sovereign Vocation (v. 30)
We begin with the divine summons.
"See, Yahweh has called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah." (Exodus 35:30)
Notice the first and most foundational thing. Bezalel's work begins not with his resume, but with God's call. "Yahweh has called by name." This is not a man finding his passion, or following his dream, or responding to a job posting on the camp bulletin board. This is a sovereign draft. The God who calls worlds into being is the same God who calls a craftsman to his work. This is the doctrine of vocation.
Your work, if you are a believer, is not an accident. It is not a placeholder until you can get into "full-time ministry." Your station in life, your set of skills, your place of employment, this is a divine assignment. God does not just call pastors and missionaries by name. He calls plumbers and programmers and mothers and mechanics by name. The authority for your work comes from the throne of heaven. This reality transforms the mundane into the majestic. You are not just flipping burgers; you are serving God. You are not just writing a report; you are stewarding a gift given to you by the Almighty. When you understand that you have been "called by name," it eradicates the false distinction between the sacred and the secular. All of your life is sacred because all of your life is lived before the face of the God who called you.
The Anointing of the Artisan (v. 31-33)
Next, we see the divine equipment for this calling.
"And He has filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, in discernment, and in knowledge, and in all craftsmanship; to devise designs for working in gold and in silver and in bronze, and in the cutting of stones for settings and in the carving of wood, so as to do well in every work of thoughtful design." (Exodus 35:31-33 LSB)
This verse ought to revolutionize how we think about the Holy Spirit. We often limit the Spirit's work to the miraculous gifts, or to internal feelings of piety. But here, the Spirit of God fills a man so that he can be a master craftsman. The same Spirit that parted the Red Sea and fell at Pentecost is the Spirit who enables a man to cut a straight line in a piece of acacia wood.
Look at the portfolio of the Spirit's work. He gives wisdom, which is the skill of godly living applied to a task. He gives discernment, or understanding, the ability to see how things fit together. He gives knowledge, the raw data and technical information required. And He gives craftsmanship, the actual, practical, hands-on ability to get the job done. This is a holistic, Spirit-empowered competence. God is not interested in pious incompetence. He is not glorified by well-intentioned but shoddy work. He fills Bezalel so that he can do "every work of thoughtful design." This is intelligent, creative, excellent work.
This means that when a Christian mechanic diagnoses a complex engine problem, he can and should be relying on the Holy Spirit. When a Christian mother wisely structures her household, she is operating in the wisdom of the Spirit. When a Christian architect devises a beautiful and functional design, it is the Spirit who is at work. God is the ultimate master craftsman, and He delights to empower His people to reflect His creativity and excellence in the material world.
Covenantal Pedagogy (v. 34)
God's gifts are never given to be hoarded. They are given to be shared.
"He also has put in his heart to teach, both he and Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan." (Exodus 35:34 LSB)
This is a critical part of the divine plan. Bezalel is not just a master craftsman; he is a master teacher. God puts the desire and the ability to teach into his heart. Skill without succession is a dead end. God's kingdom is a covenantal kingdom, which means it is concerned with generations. The skills needed to build God's house must be passed down. This is the biblical model of apprenticeship and mentorship.
This is a direct rebuke to our modern, industrialized education system, which often divorces knowledge from practice and character. Here, the master teaches the apprentice in the context of real work. Wisdom is passed down not just through lectures, but through imitation, correction, and shared labor. And notice, it is a team effort. Oholiab is right there with him. God raises up a community of craftsmen. This is a picture of the church, where the older men are to teach the younger men, and the older women are to teach the younger women (Titus 2). We are to be a community where skills, both "spiritual" and "practical," are passed from one generation to the next for the glory of God.
The Heart of the Craftsman (v. 35)
Finally, the passage summarizes the source and scope of this Spirit-filled work.
"He has filled them with wisdom in their heart to do every work of an engraver and of a designer and of an embroiderer... as those who do every work and make designs." (Exodus 35:35 LSB)
The text says God filled them with "wisdom in their heart." The Hebrew is literally "wisdom of heart." This is profound. True skill is not just a matter of clever hands or a sharp mind. It is a matter of the heart. The heart, in biblical terms, is the center of the person, the seat of his commitments, his character, and his worship. A wise heart produces good work. A foolish heart produces shoddy work. This means that integrity, diligence, and a love for God are essential tools in any craftsman's toolbox.
The scope is also breathtaking. It includes engraving, designing, embroidery in blue, purple, and scarlet, and weaving. It covers the heavy work in metal and stone, and the fine, detailed work in textiles. God is interested in all of it. He cares about the structural integrity of the Tabernacle's frame, and He cares about the color of the thread in the priest's ephod. There is no task too great or too small for the attention of the Holy Spirit. These men are both doers and designers. They can both conceive of the work and execute the work. This is the integration of head and hands, of theory and practice, that comes from a heart made wise by God.
Conclusion: Building the New Temple
The Tabernacle was a shadow. It was a picture of the true dwelling place of God that was to come. First, it pointed to Jesus Christ, who "tabernacled among us" (John 1:14). And now, it points to the Church. We are the temple of the living God, a spiritual house being built up together (1 Peter 2:5).
This passage, therefore, is not just a historical account of how a tent was built in the desert. It is a timeless mandate for the people of God. We are all called, like Bezalel and Oholiab, to the task of building. We are building our families, our churches, our communities, our businesses. And we are to do it all with Spirit-filled excellence.
God has called you by name to your specific task. He has given you His Spirit to equip you with wisdom, discernment, knowledge, and craftsmanship. He has placed you in a community where you are to learn from those who are ahead of you and teach those who come after you. And He demands that your work flow from a heart of wisdom, a heart that beats in love for Him.
So, let us demolish the Gnostic lie that separates our work from our worship. Your keyboard can be an altar. Your hammer can be an instrument of praise. Your kitchen can be a sanctuary. When you do your work with all your heart, as unto the Lord, you are not just making a living. You are making a statement. You are demonstrating the goodness and creativity of our God. You are building His temple. You are performing the liturgy of the workbench.