“See, I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with ability and intelligence, with knowledge and all craftsmanship, to devise artistic designs, to work in gold, silver, and bronze, in cutting stones for setting, and in carving wood, to work in every craft. And behold, I have appointed with him Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan. And I have given to all able men ability, that they may make all that I have commanded you: the tent of meeting, and the ark of the testimony, and the mercy seat that is on it, and all the furnishings of the tent, the table and its utensils, and the pure lampstand with all its utensils, and the altar of incense, and the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils, and the basin and its stand, and the finely worked garments, the holy garments for Aaron the priest and the garments of his sons, for their service as priests, and the anointing oil and the fragrant incense for the Holy Place. According to all that I have commanded you, they shall do.” Exodus 31
Who? Read on, the story of Bezalel is a gem that you probably have not read in a while.
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Bezalel was in actual fact a normal bloke who was a craftsman doing some normal stuff in his lifetime. But something radical happened that didn’t change his usefulness or job spec.; it just refocused what he was making and what for. This sort of man is right in front of us and must be seen, encouraged and valued.
Idea 1: The Spirit As I have looked through my Bible something stands out that is a common factor not only in the men in the Bible but in the lives of blokes I know too. There is a time, situation or season where the Holy Spirit moves in great power and force in their lives. I say a season or a time because in the Bible and in my own experience this is how it seems to be. Moments. Not to say the Spirit isn’t working powerfully in other ways and in other aspects during our lifetime, but I am talking about specific moments. Have you experienced this? Do you know that period in your life or have you seen it in others? What’s it all about? What happened?
Idea 2: The Focus The times in which I have seen this happen are the times when something is happening that requires such a ‘taking hold’ of us by the Holy Spirit. In the Bible verse I started with from Acts, it had a specific moment and motion, a movement and purpose. You see it too in the Bible, in particular with the prophets and the disciples. The Spirit is about and doing stuff but then he just gets hold of a life and bam! Big stuff kicks off. I see this as a focusing, a zooming in on something significant, key, relevant and when the Holy Spirit moves into that moment and life it has heaven’s agenda all over it and stuff happens. Have you seen this focus before?
Idea 3: The Impact What’s the impact? What’s the point of this stuff? Well I think that it is in these times, when men of God are seeking the Holy Spirit, pushing doors, bold in their expectations that a focus and power come through the Holy Spirit. In our families, homes, work place, friendships, church, community and perhaps even the start of a revival! I don’t think we can force God’s hand as it were, to usher this stuff in on our timescale and in our way. It is done through his Lordship or on his terms in other words. But the point is, we seek it, pray for it, ask for it, pursue it and hunger for it.
Action
What does this look like for you, today? Apply it to your life tomorrow and your daily walk and life. What does it look like to be asking the Holy Spirit to impact the life of your family, home and workplace?