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 of 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 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 31:2-11)
The place of His presence mattered, so not only did He outline specifications for its construction, He ensured the best people were available to oversee the job. What particularly made them the best people for the job was that He poured His Spirit in them to make them the ideal specialists for the role.
Follow the thinking. God wants to dwell with His people as they remain on the move towards the land He’s promised them. He wants His presence to be clearly with the people, not just ahead and above them, as is evident in the cloud by day and pillar of fire by night. These people are His, and He belongs to these people. He carried them out by His mighty hand and pledged Himself to them as they likewise are to commit themselves to Him. From that place of belonging emerges those He has equipped specifically for the task of setting up the physical construct that indicates that His presence is with them.
This is incredible. The Creator of the universe pledges Himself to His people and equips them to construct a magnificent tent that ensures people know He’s with them and will go with them wherever they go. It’s another marker that these people are distinct from their neighbours. They are set apart from other people because of this wonderful tent that highlights to others that the great God of the universe – no mere wooden, stone or golden idol – is with them. And there are gifted craftsmen who can follow instructions to put this marvellous tent together in such a way that reflects the splendour and majesty of the One who is with them and yet is mobile enough to detach and move as the people move. It’s not a monument for a location, it’s a dynamic expression of the presence.
God’s presence also ensures that the people remember who they belong to. The instructions He gives for how people should live are at the heart of His presence. As people note the presence of His wonderful tent, so they recognise that their allegiance and belonging are marked by His instructions shaping their lives individually and collectively. This is etched in the reality that gifted people have helped to construct this and indicate the sort of gifted people required for its construction and maintenance. As it is moved from one location to the other, the tender care to keep it going and organised in line with the instructions works also to remind observers that the construction that makes this tent so amazing is also how its presence in their lives as a people makes them distinct and a blessing in contributing to their environment.
These aspects are things to consider carefully when considering what God is doing with the Body of Christ. He clearly wants his presence felt among them individually and collectively. He achieves this by gifting individuals to assist with the construction, yet they are also part of the construct. For this construct is of living stones. Mobile living stones whose arrangements in different localities declare to that area that God’s presence is there to redeem, restore, renew, and recover in a way that blesses that environment.
That realisation should inform and instruct both who we are as followers of Christ and what we do as we gather, and beyond that. It shows who God is among us and directs us to how we express that beyond us. It deepens the bonds between us and our heavenly Father, and it spurs us to express the Lord Jesus Christ by the power of His Holy Spirit for others to have the opportunity to witness God in action and invite them into this marvellous Kingdom of Light. All this because the marvellous tent He wants to dwell in now is constructed of something of far greater worth than the majestic tapestry and items of the Tabernacle.
Do we recognise ourselves as the gifted contributors to and vital components of the place of His presence?
For His Name’s Sake
C. L. J. Dryden
Shalom
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