Bezalel and Aaron

The Use and Misuse of God's Gifts

 2  “See, I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah,   3  and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with ability and intelligence, with knowledge and all craftsmanship,   4  to devise artistic designs, to work in gold, silver, and bronze,   5  in cutting stones for setting, and in carving wood, to work in every craft.  - Exodus 31:2-5 ESV

 2  So Aaron said to them, “Take off the rings of gold that are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.”   3  So all the people took off the rings of gold that were in their ears and brought them to Aaron.   4   And he received the gold from their hand and fashioned it with a graving tool and made a golden calf. And they said, “These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!” - Exodus 32:2-4 ESV

Exodus 31 and 32 are in the context of God’s instructions for the construction of the tabernacle as a place of worship. In the preceding chapters, God gave detailed instructions to Moses on how he was to build the tabernacle, and its furnishings. He taught him His purpose for the priestly garments, utensils, furniture, tapestries, oil, and incense.

I can imagine what Moses felt like in those days listening to the word of the Lord and the very precise plans He had for the tabernacle and its worship. I can imagine that he must have felt overwhelmed with all the details God was giving him, and wondered how he was ever going to accomplish what His Creator had called him to do. 

I have become more and more aware, as years go by, that the work of ministry takes more skill than I have in my natural self. I can’t save a soul. I can’t change people. I can’t stop the pain. I can’t, by all my preaching, teaching, and prayers, draw anyone closer to the Lord. I do not have the power to meet all the needs around me.These tasks are not possible in my flesh. I can only imagine what Moses felt when God completed the list of details He required for the construction of the tabernacle that day. 

It is in this context that we read Exodus 31:1-5:

 1  The LORD said to Moses,   2  “See, I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah,  3  and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with ability and intelligence, with knowledge and all craftsmanship, 4  to devise artistic designs, to work in gold, silver, and bronze,  5  in cutting stones for setting, and in carving wood, to work in every craft. - Exodus 31:1-5 ESV

God did not intend Moses to accomplish this immense task on his own. He provided a man by the name of Bezalel to help him. Observe what Exodus 31 tells us about Bezalel. 

First, he was from the tribe of Judah. He was a fellow Israelite like Moses, whose heart was for the Lord God of Israel.

Second, verse 2 tells us that God called Bezalel by name. That is to say, God had a particular purpose for him. He called him to support Moses in the construction of the tabernacle and its articles for worship. This was not something Bezalel volunteered to do himself. It was something God commissioned him personally to do. 

Third, verse 3 tells us that God filled Bezalel with His Spirit. The idea is that the power and ability behind his effort were not his own. He was enabled by the Spirit of God to accomplish the tasks given to him.

Fourth, note what the Spirit of God gave to Bezalel. He filled him with ability, intelligence, and the knowledge of all craftsmanship (verse 3). Through this knowledge and skill given by the Holy Spirit, Bezalel would devise artistic designs, work in gold, silver and bronze, cut stones, and carve wood. He was gifted by the Spirit to be an artisan.

It is all too easy to limit the gifts of God to what takes place on Sunday morning at church. God’s gifts, however, are more diverse than we give Him credit for. We separate the spiritual and secular. God, however, does not make this distinction. Everything we do is for Him. Whether you serve as a carpenter, electrician or labourer of any kind, you are to do so for Him. The Spirit of God gives us gifts in these practical skills as well. Bezalel is an example of this.

Observe from verse 6 that Bezalel was not to work alone. God provided a helper for him by the name of Oholiab, from the tribe of Dan. Verse 6 tells us that God also enabled “all able men” with the ability to make what was required for the service of God. God’s gifts were not limited to a select few. There was a gift and calling for every able-bodied man in those days. The task could never have been accomplished by Moses, Bezalel and Oholiab alone. Each person had a role to play. For every person that wanted to play a role, the enabling power of God’s Spirit was made available to them. 

Have you ever looked at someone else’s gifts and felt small in comparison. The fact of the matter is that every gift is essential. Skills of all kinds were required for the completion of the tabernacle. Tent makers, carpenters, furniture makers, embroiderers, tailors, perfume makers all had their role to play. The gifts of God differed from one person to another, but every one of them was important if the overall purpose of God was to be accomplished. 

There is something else we need to understand about the gifts God gave to Bezalel, Oholiab and  the able-bodied men. These gifts were not to be exercised in any way they wanted. God had requirements for their use. 

IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE COMMAND OF THE LORD

First, consider the words of Exodus 36:1:

 1  “Bezalel and Oholiab and every craftsman in whom the LORD has put skill and intelligence to know how to do any work in the construction of the sanctuary shall work in accordance with all that the LORD has commanded.”  - Exodus 36:1 ESV

Note that Bezalel who had been gifted by God with skill and intelligence, was to do the work in accordance with all that the Lord had commanded. If there is one way to devalue the gift of God, it is to use it in a way God never intended. King Saul was chosen and gifted by God to serve as king of Israel, but when he disobeyed the purpose of God consistently, God removed him from his position and gave it to David, a man after his own heart. 

The gifts of God do not give you the right to ignore God’s Word. Those who are gifted of the Spirit, must be careful to use those gifts in accordance with the teaching of the Scriptures. They must themselves walk in obedience to God and His purpose lest they dishonour God and the gifts He has provided. Exodus 36:1 tells us that Bezalel was to use the gifts God had given him in “accordance with all that the Lord had commanded.” 

FROM A HEART STIRRED BY GOD

Second Exodus 36:2 tells us:

 2  And Moses called Bezalel and Oholiab and every craftsman in whose mind the LORD had put skill, everyone whose heart stirred him up to come to do the work.  - Exodus 36:2 ESV

Observe that those who were gifted were also to have a “heart stirred up” to do the work. There are two points we need to make here. 

The first is that a stirred up heart is a heart that is right with God and desirous of doing His will. Consider what the apostle Paul had to say about this in his letter to the Corinthians:

 7  Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. - 2 Corinthians 9:7 ESV

God is not looking for reluctant and complaining workers who feel obligated, but for those whose hearts delight in Him and in doing His will. Those who use the gifts in this way, use them for His glory. 

The second point we need to make about a heart stirred up is that it is a heart that is led by the Spirit. Listen to the words of the prophet Haggai about those who came to work on the temple of his day:

 14  And the LORD stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people. And they came and worked on the house of the LORD of hosts, their God  - Haggai 1:14 ESV

The stirred heart is a heart that is being moved and prompted by the Spirit of God. It was not enough to have the gifts and ability. We also need to have their hearts stirred by the Spirit of God and led by Him in the use of those gifts. David had a heart that wanted desperately to build a temple for the Lord but this was not the leading of the Spirit of God, but his own passion. He had a good heart but not the leading of the Spirit. 

ENABLED BY THE BODY

The third requirement of the Lord in the use of the gifts He gave is found in Exodus 36:3 which reads:

 3  And they received from Moses all the contribution that the people of Israel had brought for doing the work on the sanctuary. They still kept bringing him freewill offerings every morning,  - Exodus 36:3 ESV

Those whom God gifted were to be supported by the people of God. The call and gifts of God are not sufficient. Bezalel could not exercise his gifts without the supplies necessary. The people of God needed to recognize God’s call to be able to stand behind him. This required both the discernment and provision of God’s people. Israel needed to stand behind those God gifted and called by providing them with the tools and supplies required for the work. For every called, and gifted servant there must be a team of suppliers. The construction of the tabernacle could only be a success if the people of God provided these artisans with the supplies necessary to do the work. It was a team effort. 

As we move through the next chapters of Exodus, we have a record of Bezalel, Oholiab and the able-bodied men building the tabernacle and its furnishings, according to the command and specification of God. By Exodus 40 all the individual parts of the tabernacle have been put together and the tent erected. Then in Exodus 40:34 we read:

 34  Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.   35  And Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud settled on it, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. - Exodus 40:34-35 ESV

The glory of God fell on the completed work of those He had called, and gifted. He blessed, with His presence, the work of those who performed their task in obedience to His command, and the leading of His Spirit. God’s work done in God’s way received His blessing and approval. His glory filled the house they built for Him that day. 

It is not by coincidence that we read, in the next chapter, the story of another servant of God called by His Spirit to the work of the tabernacle. Exodus 32 recounts the story of Aaron.

The people of God have come to the foot of Mount Sinai. God called Moses into His presence to teach him His requirements for Israel and their worship. Moses was on the mountain for so long the people began to think that something had happened to him. Unsure that they wanted a God of such power, the people approached Aaron and asked for another god.

 1  When the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people gathered themselves together to Aaron and said to him, “Up, make us gods who shall go before us. As for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.”  - Exodus 32:1 ESV

That day, Aaron called for the contributions of God’s people to make another god. Israel stripped off their gold rings and brought them to Aaron, their priest. We read in Exodus 32:4:

 4   And he received the gold from their hand and fashioned it with a graving tool and made a golden calf. And they said, “These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!”  - Exodus 32:4 ESV

Observe several details here. 

First, like Bezalel, Aaron was supplied by the people of God for the work he had to do. They supplied him with the gold he needed for the task.

Second, note the phrase, “He received the gold from their hand and fashioned it with a graving tool.”  Aaron became a craftsman, and like Bezalel, took up a graving tool to make a religious article for God’s people. 

While there were certain similarities between Bezalel and Aaron, there were also some significant differences. 

First, Bezalel was called to be a craftsman and gifted by God for this purpose. Aaron was called to be a priest. By setting his hands to the graving tool, Aaron was functioning outside of his calling. God had not asked him to make religious articles from gold. He had called him to the ministry of the tabernacle and its sacrificial system. There are men and women today trying to serve God in positions they were never called by God to serve. Aaron wanted to please the people, and so engaged in a work outside of his calling. There are many reasons why people find themselves in roles they were never called to today. The expectations of people, and the desire for personal gain are among the many reasons why we find ourselves doing what God has never asked us to do. 

Second, Exodus 36:1 tells us that Bezalel exercised his gifts and calling, according to all that God had commanded. In other words, Bezalel was careful to walk in obedience to everything God ordered. This was not the case for Aaron. He became a craftsman and created an idol that was contrary to the purpose of God and His desire for His people. Aaron ignored the command of God for personal gain, and a desire to please the people. 

Third, it was those whose heart stirred them who built the tabernacle and its furnishings (Exodus 36:2). In other words it was those who were empowered and led by the Spirit who fashioned the articles for the tabernacle. This was not the case for Aaron. It was not the Spirit of God who stirred his heart to fashion this golden calf. He was stirred by other motivations altogether. 

The glory of God fell on the tabernacle when Bezalel, Oholiab, and the able men served in the leading of the Spirit and according to the command of God. What happened when Aaron misused his calling and gifts? Notice four details in Exodus 32 and 33:

First, in Exodus 32:7-10 we read:

 7  And the LORD said to Moses, “Go down, for your people, whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves.   8  They have turned aside quickly out of the way that I commanded them. They have made for themselves a golden calf and have worshiped it and sacrificed to it and said, ‘These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!’”   9  And the LORD said to Moses, “I have seen this people, and behold, it is a stiff-necked people.   10  Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them, in order that I may make a great nation of you.” - Exodus 32:7-10 ESV

When Aaron misused the gifts of God, God’s wrath burned hot against him and the people who sided with him. There are pastors today who preach another gospel. There are shepherds misleading the people of God. There are teachers who minister for their own glory and enrichment. The anger of God rises up against those who misuse the calling and gifts He has given. This is a dangerous place to be.

Second, Exodus 32:19 tells us what happened when Moses returned from his time on the mountain with the tablets of God in hand:

 19  And as soon as he came near the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, Moses’ anger burned hot, and he threw the tablets out of his hands and broke them at the foot of the mountain. - Exodus 32:19 ESV

Moses was so angry with what he saw that day, that he took the tablets given to him by God and broke them at the foot of the mountain. Those tablets contained the Word of God for His people. They were given to Moses so Israel would know the will and purpose of God for their lives and experience His full blessing. That revelation now lay shattered on the ground. Aaron, the priest of God hindered this revelation by His actions. God’s people were left in the dark. The true revelation of God was hidden from the people because Aaron misused his calling and gifts. 

Third, Exodus 32:27,28, 35 shows us how the people of God were harmed by Aaron’s actions. 

 25  And when Moses saw that the people had broken loose (for Aaron had let them break loose, to the derision of their enemies),   26  then Moses stood in the gate of the camp and said, “Who is on the LORD’s side? Come to me.” And all the sons of Levi gathered around him.   27  And he said to them, “Thus says the LORD God of Israel, ‘Put your sword on your side each of you, and go to and fro from gate to gate throughout the camp, and each of you kill his brother and his companion and his neighbor.’”   28  And the sons of Levi did according to the word of Moses. And that day about three thousand men of the people fell. - Exodus 32:25-28 ESV

Seeing the evil in his midst, Moses called those who stood for truth to take their sword and slaughter those who had turned from God to worship the golden calf. Three thousand people died as a result. Beyond this we see that God also sent a plague upon the people:

 35  Then the LORD sent a plague on the people, because they made the calf, the one that Aaron made. - Exodus 32:35 ESV

The Israelites were divided by Aaron’s careless misuse of his position and calling. Many lost their lives as a result. How many people are deceived or fall away because of those who ignore the command of God and the leading of His Spirit and use what God had given for their own purpose? Even in our day, many are being misled into error and confusion because of those who misuse their gifts and calling for purposes other than the glory of God. The faith of many is being destroyed by such people. 

Finally, note in Exodus 33:1-3 what the Lord said to Moses after this event:

 1  The LORD said to Moses, “Depart; go up from here, you and the people whom you have brought up out of the land of Egypt, to the land of which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, ‘To your offspring I will give it.’   2  I will send an angel before you, and I will drive out the Canaanites, the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites.   3   Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey; but I will not go up among you, lest I consume you on the way, for you are a stiff-necked people.” - Exodus 33:1-3 ESV

Aaron, through the misuse of his calling and gifting, drove the presence of God from his people. “I will not be among you,” God told Moses. He who should have been the instrument to bring God to his people, becomes the reason for God’s presence leaving them. 

God gifts us in many ways. He calls us to many different ministries. What we learn from these verses, however, is that those gifts must be carefully used according to the command of God. Being gifted increases our need to seek the purpose of God in His Word. The misuse of our gifts can be disastrous for the body of Christ. Understand also that our gifts and calling also increases our obligation to seek the will and purpose of the Spirit and His leading and stirring of our hearts. There is great danger in exercising the gifts and calling of God outside of His Word and the leading of His Spirit. A right word spoken at the wrong time can have disastrous consequences. We who have been called and gifted, must submit all we have been given to the Word of God and the leading of His Spirit. We must devote ourselves to only walking within these parameters, never stepping to the right or left. Never walking behind or running ahead, but always in tune with Him. If you make this your priority, God will give you the ability and wisdom you need.