Exodus 31
Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: “See, I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. And I have filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship, to design artistic works, to work in gold, in silver, in bronze, in cutting jewels for setting, in carving wood, and to work in all manner of workmanship. And I, indeed I, have appointed with him Aholiab the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan; and I have put wisdom in the hearts of all the gifted artisans, that they may make all that I have commanded you: the tabernacle of meeting, the ark of the Testimony and the mercy seat that is on it, and all the furniture of the tabernacle— the table and its utensils, the pure gold lampstand with all its utensils, the altar of incense, the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils, and the laver and its base— the garments of ministry, the holy garments for Aaron the priest and the garments of his sons, to minister as priests, and the anointing oil and sweet incense for the holy place. According to all that I have commanded you they shall do.” Exodus 31:1-11 NKJV
Bezalel was “filled with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skills” (Exodus 31:3). Bezalel was gifted to make artistic designs. Other Israelites were gifted as skilled workers to make the different parts of the tabernacle, the accessories in the tabernacle, and the priestly garments. God has always endowed people with certain gifts and abilities, and He has done that for each of us today. The most important of these are the spiritual gifts (see 1 Corinthians 12). Some of us are leaders, teachers, or evangelists. Some of us are gifted with more faith, the ability to speak words of wisdom, a heart to serve, the capability to encourage others, or a willingness to give. Regardless of which gifts you have or don’t have, God made you that way for a reason and He has a specific purpose for you in this life. We are all members of the body of Christ, the body of believers. God gave us our strengths and weaknesses to complement one another. The apostle Paul said it best, when comparing members of the body of Christ to members of the physical body: “there are many parts, but one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I don’t need you!’ And the head cannot say to the feet, ‘I don’t need you!’” (1 Corinthians 12:20-21) Now we must remember that “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.” 1 Peter 4:10 NIV
And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak also to the children of Israel, saying: ‘Surely My Sabbaths you shall keep, for it is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am the Lord who sanctifies you. You shall keep the Sabbath, therefore, for it is holy to you. Everyone who profanes it shall surely be put to death; for whoever does any work on it, that person shall be cut off from among his people. Work shall be done for six days, but the seventh is the Sabbath of rest, holy to the Lord. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death. Therefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations as a perpetual covenant. It is a sign between Me and the children of Israel forever; for in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day He rested and was refreshed.’” Exodus 31:12-17 NKJV
We all need regular Sabbaths in our lives: times of rest, relaxation, refreshing, and renewal. Do you incorporate such times of refreshing in your life? If so, keep it up! If not, what changes can you make in your schedule so that you can have regular times of rest and renewal? It is not only good for us mentally, physically and spiritually, but it is also commanded that we observe it as part of our covenant relationship with God.