ON THE VANGUARD

BEZALEL AND OHOLIAB
“Bezalel and Oholiab, along with all the craftsmen whom God has endowed with the wisdom and skill necessary to carry out the work needed for the sanctuary, are to do exactly according to everything God has ordered.”
Exodus 36:1
“Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, made everything that God ordered Moses to make. Assisting him was Otoliab, the son of Achismakh, of the tribe of Dan, who was an engraver, a designer and a weaver in colors – in blue, purple and scarlet yarn and in fine linen.”
Exodus 38:22-23

Today I fear as though I may sound like a broken record, but there is a passage I read in the Torah recently that has had me thinking off and on this week. It comes down to obedience. Sometimes I wonder just how off track I get as it seems as though God brings this word to my attention often. And the simplicity of obedience is that when we do what He has commanded we find life. In basic math, 2+2=4. In God’s math, sin equals death of body and/or spirit while obedience equals life and/or blessing. With that said, I encourage you to look at these two passages from Exodus with me.
In looking at Exodus 36:1, we first read of two specific men in the camp of Israel. Of them it is written that, “…Adonai has endowed [them] with the wisdom and skill necessary to carry out the work needed…” In reading the verse in full we see that two men specifically were endowed with the wisdom and skill needed for a specific piece of the sanctuary. Bezalel was endowed in every kind of artisanry while Oholiab was endowed with abilities in artisanry and embroidery. With these two men putting their talents in the hands of God, one would have to agree that their work would be spot on. As a side note to this thought, I want to encourage you that God has also endowed you with talents. We do not all sing, or all bend metal, or all write, or all run the sprint, yet each one of us is endowed by God for a specific task. These two men were endowed as skilled workers in the craftsmanship needed to aid in the sanctuary
In Exodus 38:22-23, these two names come up once more. In reading this account, however, the portion or phrase that sticks out the most to me states, “…[they] made everything that God ordered Moses to make.” While the credit given in this passage is for their talent, I think the greater credit goes to their obedience. Starting in October 2011, I began looking verses by verse in Genesis and am just now finishing Exodus. One thing has remained constant in all my readings, however. God is looking for people who will obey Him. He longed for Adam to obey and not eat the fruit. He was pleased with Noah for obeying and building the ark. He tested Abraham in obedience by asking him to sacrifice his only promised son. He was pleased in Joseph’s obedience in Egypt and promoted him to second in command. He blessed Moses with the exodus for his obedience to keep pressing Pharaoh. And now, He found that Bezalel and Oholiab had obeyed every command concerning the tabernacle. God could not help but be pleased, for His people had obeyed His commands.
This idea challenges me yet again. I question what I have been called to and have failed to do. I question if I have been obedient. Yes I have had good intentions, but have I obeyed? God honestly does not care about my good intentions, but is joyful when His commands are obeyed. Barring this in mind, I give myself a challenge for this next week coming. I challenge myself to obey Him. Despite how crazy or mundane, I want to obey Him. I want it to be said of me as it was of these two, that I too made and did everything God had ordered.