READING: Exodus 29:1-31:18
God provides what we need to accomplish His will. That truth is obvious in today’s reading in Exodus 31:1-4. Even as God gave instructions for building the tabernacle, He provided the people to get the work done. Particularly, He gifted Bezalel and Oholiab to oversee the work. He gave them and the “skilled workers” (Exo 31:4) the knowledge and ability to do exactly what God them to do. In fact, one writer put it this way: “The craftsmen were not to attempt to be innovative; they were simply to carry out the instructions of the Lord.”* Simple obedience was what mattered most.
These texts are a needed reminder that God is the source of any of our abilities. Even if we have been educated and trained to do what we do (and, as you might expect, I believe in education and training), still it is God who made it all possible. We might be the best at what we do, but we have no room for ego; we are who we are because of who God is. We are to use our talents and gifts for His glory, and doing so starts with the recognition that our abilities are not about us. Our responsibility is simply to use what God has given us to do whatever He requires.
PERSONAL REFLECTION: How has God gifted you?
TODAY’S PRAYER: “God, thank You for the abilities You have given us for Your work.”
TOMORROW’S READING: Exodus 32:1-34:35
* Smith, J. E. (1993). The Pentateuch (2nd ed., p. 317). College Press Pub. Co.
