How can Exodus 35:35 inspire us to value diverse skills within our community? The Setting: A Tabernacle Built Together “ ‘He has filled them with skill to do all kinds of work as engravers, designers, embroiderers in blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and fine linen, and as weavers—all of them skilled workers and designers.’ ” (Exodus 35:35) Diverse Skills Ordained by God • God Himself “filled” Bezalel, Oholiab, and others with artistic abilities. • The variety—engraving, weaving, designing—shows that no single craft was enough to complete the Tabernacle. • Because Scripture records these details, every legitimate skill is affirmed as valuable and purposeful under God’s design. Celebrating Variety Within the Body of Christ • 1 Corinthians 12:4-6, 18 reminds us that “there are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit” and that God “arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as He desired.” • Romans 12:6-8 urges believers to exercise differing gifts—from teaching to serving—with diligence and joy. • Exodus 35:35 grounds this New Testament teaching in Israel’s history: God values both visible and behind-the-scenes abilities. Practical Steps to Honor Every Gift • Notice and name the skills you see in others—whether administrative, artistic, technical, or relational. • Create opportunities for varied gifts to serve the church: ministry teams, maintenance projects, mercy ministries, worship arts. • Provide training and mentorship so emerging talents are sharpened, just as apprentices likely learned under Bezalel and Oholiab. • Celebrate accomplishments publicly, giving glory to God for the finished product and the craftsmen alike. • Guard against ranking gifts; the Tabernacle needed weavers as much as goldsmiths, and the church needs every member’s contribution. Encouragement from Other Scriptures • Exodus 31:3—God “filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, understanding, and ability in all kinds of craftsmanship.” • Proverbs 22:29—“Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will stand before kings.” Skill is honorable. • Colossians 3:23—“Whatever you do, work at it with your whole being, for the Lord and not for men.” Every task becomes worship when offered to God. |
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