187. STIRRING UP THE GIFT – GETTING GOD’S WORK DONE

(The Information & Edification Series – Batch 4)

When we are doing God’s work and submitted to his will and he is pleased with what we are doing, he does not remain in the shadows or sit on a backburner. No. He is central and involved in that work, directing what he wants done, what resources and materials he requires, how exactly he wants the work done and it is he who has stirred up our hearts to willingly come and give to his work and to do His work.

There is a good example of this in Exodus 25-39, where God desired that his children the Israelites would do a particular work for him and it was done.

In this Article, I propose that we study this more closely, so as to gain a better understanding of how God operates when it comes to his work and the lessons that we can derive by application, if any.

Let us begin.

GOD MAKES HIS WILL KNOWN AS TO THE WORK HE WANTS DONE AND OUTLINES THE MATERIAL THAT IS TO BE OFFERED VOLUNTARILY BY THE PEOPLE, TO BE USED FOR THE WORK

In Exodus 25, the Lord spake unto Moses and told him to instruct the children of Israel to bring an offering and that it should be received of every man that gave it willingly from his heart (vs. 1-2)

God instructed Moses that what the people were to bring was gold silver, brass, blue, purple, scarlet, fine linen, goats hair, rams’ skins dyed red, badgers’ skins, shittim wood, oil for the light, spices for anointing oil and for sweet incense, onyx stones, stones to be set in the ephod and in the breastplate (vs. 3-7)

These items were to be used to make, among others, a sanctuary for the Lord to dwell among them, an ark, a mercy seat, cherubims, a table, dishes, spoons, bowls, a candlestick, lamps and holy garments for Aaron to minister unto him in the priest’s office.

GOD GIVES DETAILED INSTRUCTIONS OF HOW THE WORK IS TO BE DONE

Similar to what the Lord did with Noah many year earlier when he instructed him to build an ark, God gave Moses very detailed instructions spanning chapters 25 to 28, as to how these items were to be built.

In verses 9 of Exodus 25, he told Moses: “According to all that I show thee, after the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall ye make it.”

In Exodus 25:40, he again told Moses “And look that thou make them after their pattern, which was shown thee in the mount.”

To see the details given by God to Moses, you may read chapters 25 to 28.

GOD PROVIDES MEN AND WOMEN WHO HE FILLED WITH HIS SPIRIT OF WISDOM, TO DO THE WORK

Having given the instructions of the work he wanted done, what material was to be contributed towards it, how the material was to be collected and exactly how what was to be made was to be done, God also made provision by filling certain of the Israelites with the spirit of wisdom to get the job done.

In chapter 28:2-3, for example, God told Moses:

“And thou shalt make holy garments for Aaron thy brother for glory and for beauty. And thou shalt speak unto all that are wise-hearted, whom I HAVE FILLED with the spirit of wisdom, that they may make Aaron’s garments to consecrate him, that he may minister unto me in the priest’s office.”

In chapter 31:2-11, he further told Moses that he had called and equipped a particular man who he had filled with his spirit, wisdom, understanding, knowledge and workmanship, to cut and carve and to work in all manner of workmanship with the very types of material he had instructed the children of Israel to bring as an offering. He also informed Moses that he had provided an assistant to help him, along with other men in whose heart he had also put his wisdom.

He told Moses:

“See, I HAVE CALLED by name Bezaleel 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, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship, to devise cunning works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass, And in cutting stones, to set them, and in carving of timber, to work in all manner of workmanship.

And I, behold, I HAVE GIVEN with him Aholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan: and in the hearts of all that are wisehearted I HAVE PUT wisdom, that they make all that I have commanded thee; The tabernacle of the congregation, and the ark of the testimony, and the mercy seat that is thereupon, and all the furniture of the tabernacle, And the table and his furniture, and the pure candlestick with all his furniture, and the altar of the incense, And the altar of burnt offering with all his furniture, and the laver and his foot, And the cloths of service, and the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments of his sons, to minister in the priest’s office, And the anointing oil, and sweet incense for the holy place: according to all that I have commanded thee shall they do.”

GOD CAUSES (1) THE HEARTS OF THE PEOPLE WHOM HIS SPIRIT MADE WILLING, TO BE STIRRED UP TO VOLUNTARILY BRING AN OFFERING FOR THE WORK AND (2) THE HEARTS OF THOSE IN WHOM HE FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT OF WISDOM, TO BE STIRRED UP TO COME AND WILLINGLY USE THEIR TALENTS, SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE AND ABILITIES, TO DO THE WORK.

In chapter 35, Moses conveyed what God had told him to the people, inviting whoever was willing, to bring an offering of what the Lord had commanded to be used as material, for the work.

Moses had not a clue whose hearts God had been working on or who would be willing to contribute. He simply conveyed God’s command to the people and left it up to the people to voluntarily give unto the Lord’s work if they felt so inclined. He told them “Take ye from among you an offering unto the Lord: whosoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it, an offering of the Lord…” (vs. 5)

In verses 21-35, it reads:

“And they came, every one whose heart stirred him up, and every one whom HIS SPIRIT MADE WILLING, and they brought the Lord’s offering to the work of the tabernacle of the congregation, and for all his service, and for the holy garments. And they came, both men and women, as many as were willing hearted, and brought bracelets, and earrings, and rings, and tablets, all jewels of gold: and every man that offered offered an offering of gold unto the Lord. And every man, with whom was found blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and goats’ hair, and red skins of rams, and badgers’ skins, brought them. Every one that did offer an offering of silver and brass brought the Lord’s offering: and every man, with whom was found shittim wood for any work of the service, brought it.

And all the women that were wise hearted did spin with their hands, and brought that which they had spun, both of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet, and of fine linen. And all the women whose heart stirred them up in wisdom spun goats’ hair.

And the rulers brought onyx stones, and stones to be set, for the ephod, and for the breastplate; And spice, and oil for the light, and for the anointing oil, and for the sweet incense. The children of Israel brought a willing offering unto the Lord, every man and woman, whose heart made them willing to bring for all manner of work, which the Lord had commanded to be made by the hand of Moses.

And Moses said unto the children of Israel, See, THE LORD HATH CALLED by name Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah; And HE HATH FILLED HIM with the spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship; And to devise curious works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass, And in the cutting of stones, to set them, and in carving of wood, to make any manner of cunning work. And HE HATH PUT IN HIS HEART that he may teach, both he, and Aholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan. Them hath HE FILLED with wisdom of heart, to work all manner of work, of the engraver, and of the cunning workman, and of the embroiderer, in blue, and in purple, in scarlet, and in fine linen, and of the weaver, even of them that do any work, and of those that devise cunning work.”

In Chapter 36:1-3, it reads:

“Then wrought Bezaleel and Aholiab, and every wise hearted man, in whom THE LORD PUT WISDOM and understanding to know how to work all manner of work for the service of the sanctuary, according to all that the Lord had commanded. And Moses called Bezaleel and Aholiab, and every wise hearted man, in whose heart the Lord had put wisdom, even every one whose heart stirred him up to come unto the work to do it: And they received of Moses all the offering, which the children of Israel had brought for the work of the service of the sanctuary, to make it withal. And they brought yet unto him free offerings every morning.”

LESSONS LEARNED

When it comes to God’s work, it is never left to chance. He provides the resources and material that will be needed through people that he has enabled to be in a position to bring those offerings and in whose hearts he stirs up to be willing to give to his work.

He also gives detailed instructions as to what he wants done, how it is to be done and then, having laid out the patterns, design and vision, he calls men and women from his household of faith to do the work. These men and women he as afore equipped (whether they realized it or not) with all that they will need to get the work done and to do it excellently. For, he is a God of excellence.

Having set out the work to be done, how he wants it done and equipped his children with the talents, wisdom and abilities to perform it, he then causes their hearts to be stirred up within to come to do the work that he appointed for them to do.

They don’t fight against this because perhaps unknown to those around them, they feel a stirring within and God has caused their hearts to be so stirred up, that they want to do the work. They have come to the realization, not just that they have the wisdom, knowledge and skill to do this work but that they were perhaps created for such a time as this.

They therefore enter the work yard and they don’t come grudgingly, slothfully or half-hazardly. Instead, they are attentive, eager, diligent, determined to do their very best, excited, humbled and honoured, to have been called to do it. They understand that it is not about them or them promoting their own agenda or being revered because of the wisdom that God has placed in them. They understand that this is God’s work, that he is the one that has placed inside of them that wisdom and that their role is that of humble servants.

What about you? If you are a Christian, God has given a mandate. He has work to do and he has called all hands to be on deck. In Luke 10:2, Jesus commented, “The harvest truly is great but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest.”

God wants you to bring as a voluntary offering, from the resources and materials that he has provided you, to contribute to his work. Furthermore, if you are a part of his Church, he has equipped every one of his children (the church) with a diversity of gifts and talents, not for the glorification or exaltation of themselves but for them to do HIS work.

If you are his child, he may have caused your heart to be stirred up within you for a particular work that he wants YOU to do or provide for. Have you been obedient? Have you answered the call? Have you been doing it?

When the work was done, in Exodus 39:43, it states: “And Moses did look upon all the work, and, behold, they had done it, as the Lord had commanded, even so had they done it: and Moses blessed them.”

May the Lord look upon all our work and see that we have done it and as he commanded and may he bless us.

As Paul wrote to Timothy in 2 Timothy 1:6-9:

“Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou STIR UP THE GIFT OF GOD, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands. For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God; Who hath saved us, and CALLED US with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was GIVEN US in Christ Jesus before the world began…”

(Written on 02^nd June, 2021)

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