Bezalel

"Then Moses said to the people of Israel, 'See, the LORD has called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah; and he has filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, with intelligence, with knowledge, and with all crafsmanship, to devise artistic designs, to work in gold and silver and bronze, in cutting stones for setting, and in carving wood, for work in every skilled craft."
Exodus 35:30-34

"And Moses called Bezalel and Oholiab and every craftsman in whom the Lord had put skill, everyone whose heart stirred him up to come to do the work. And they received from Moses all the contribution that the people fo Israel had brought for doing the work on the sanctuary. They still kept bring him freewill offerings every morning, so that all the craftsmen who were doing every sort of task on the sanctuary came, each from the task that he was doing, and said to Moses, 'The people bring much more than enough for doing the work that the Lord has commanded us to do.'"
Exodus 36:2-7

Bezalel gets atleast two chapters full of attention and yet I had never really heard of this man. Really it is the work that Bezalel did for the Lord and for Israel that got over two chapters of attention. There's something about this that I love and that resonates with me. I love how the Lord not only gives a command to Moses and the people but then the Lord takes initiative in stirring up the hearts of specific people and their gifts. And even people who didn't have artistic gifts gave freely of their gold and silver and wood and the craftsmen had more than enough to choose from and work with. I get such a sense of joy from this whole entreprise as the people of Israel are all stirred up by the Lord to give of their possessions, to give of themselves, to give of their gifts for the work and glory of the Lord.
It stirs up my own heart and I think, "What has the Lord called me to do? What is He stirring my heart to do? How can I give to others so that they can have more than an abundance with which to excercise their own gifts?" This reminds me of my prayers recently which have been along these lines. And what happened? The Lord answered my prayers. He said, "Patrick, make me your treasure in all things." Sure there were more questions at that point but I just have to walk forward with what He placed in my heart. And as I walk forward, I can see He is already opening doors for me to use my gifts and encourage others in using theirs.

I think it would be very easy to read all these chapters at the end of Exodus and get bored with all the intricate details of building and decorating the tabernacle. I think it helps to remember though that the people making all this stuff were stirred up by the Lord to use their gifts for Him and there is always such great joy in that. I think of how when I give gifts to family and friends. It is my love for them that stirs me to put time and money into their gift. I'm willing to make countless details fit together in order to communicate my love to them. It seems to be the same for the all these beautiful details in building the tabernacle all focused in one direction, the glory and beauty of the Lord! It's quite exciting when you actually think about it and imagine yourself in the midst of all the work being done.

Lord, show me how and stir my heart to be used for your glory. Use my gifts and let them be unclouded by my own pride and sin. Help me to to encourage others to use their gifts for your glory.