Exodus 37

In this chapter, Bezalel makes:

• The Ark of the Covenant from wood and overlays it with gold inside and out;
• The cover for the Ark from pure gold;
• Poles for the Ark and overlays them with gold;
• A table of acacia wood overlaid with gold and with a gold moulding around the edge;
• Cast 4 gold rings and attached them to the table;
• Special containers (bowls, pans, jars and pitchers) to be used in the pouring out of liquid offerings;
• A lampstand from pure hammered gold and all its decorations;
• 7 lamps for the lampstand;
• Lamp snuffers (pure gold);
• Trays (pure gold);
• Incense altar from acacia wood overlaid with gold and with a gold moulding around the entire altar;
• 2 gold rings and attached them to the altar to hold the carrying poles;
• Poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold;
• Sacred anointing oil and fragrant incense.

So Bezalel here is working with wood, gold, and raw materials for the incense and oil. HE has a lot of work to do and he has the skills to enable him to do the best possible job. He is a skilled craftsman and carpenter, since he carves out the wood and overlays everything with gold; he is also a perfumer since he can create the sacred anointing oil and incense. He is a man of many talents, and he has been gifted by God with the skills to enable him to do the tasks for which he ahs been called.

In the same way, God has gifted each one of us with the skills we need to carry out the tasks He has called us for. We may think we have not been called to do anything, after all, we are just ordinary people, just trying to make a living, pay the bills, feed and care for the family. We're nothing special, nothing out of the ordinary. But God has called each one of us. We are hand picked by God, even though we may feel left out on the rubbish pile half the time, used, abused and taken advantage of. We are children of the King, co-heirs with Christ and we have each got certain jobs to do for God. We may refuse to do them, we may not know what they are, we may relish every moment or dread each morning.

But no matter who we are, what we have done, what our normal everyday life is like, you can be certain that just like Bezalel, we have been called by God and given the necessary skills for the job. We may only have been called to put the chairs out on Sunday morning before the church service, but we will have been given the necessary chair putting out skills! We may have the gift of hospitality, being able to make people feel welcome, because we have been called to help the lost, the hurting, the insure and the uncertain come to know God. We may be great orators and have been called to preach, teach and so on. We may be called to lead Sunday school, and have a gift for getting on with children.

Whatever our calling, we can rest assured that God will provide all that we need, even when we are convinced that we are not up to the task.