Let's give attention now to the reading of God's word from Exodus chapter 35 beginning with verse 20 and then down through verse 7 of chapter 36. And all the congregation of the children of Israel departed from the presence of Moses. Then everyone came whose heart was stirred and everyone whose spirit was willing and they brought the Lord's offering for the work of the tabernacle of meeting for all its service and for the holy garments. They came, both men and women, as many as had a willing heart, and brought earrings and nose rings, rings and necklaces, all jewelry of gold, that is, every man who made an offering of gold to the Lord. And every man with whom was found blue, purple, and scarlet thread, fine linen, and goat's hair, red skins of rams and badger skins, brought them. Everyone who offered an offering of silver or bronze brought the Lord's offering. And everyone with whom was found acacia wood for any work of the service brought it. All the women who were gifted artisans spun yarn with their hands and brought what they had spun of blue, purple, and scarlet, and fine linen. And all the women whose hearts stirred with wisdom spun yarn of goat's hair. The rulers brought onyx stones, and the stones to be set in the ephod, and in the breastplate, and spices, and oil for the light, for the anointing oil, and for the sweet incense. The children of Israel brought a freewill offering to the Lord, all the men and women whose hearts were willing to bring material for all kinds of work, which the Lord, by the hand of Moses, had commanded to be done. And Moses said to the children of Israel, see, the Lord has called by name Bezalel, the son of Uri, the son of Hur of the tribe of Judah, and he has filled him with the spirit of God and wisdom and understanding and knowledge and all manner of workmanship to design artistic works, to work in gold and silver and bronze, in cutting jewels for setting, in carving wood, and to work in all manner of artistic workmanship. And he has put in his heart the ability to teach in him and Aholiab, the son of Ahissamak, of the tribe of Dan. He has filled them with skill to do all manner of work of the engraver, and the designer, and the tapestry maker, in blue, purple, and scarlet thread, and fine linen, and of the weaver, those who do every work and those who design artistic works. And Bezalel, and Aholiab, and every gifted artisan in whom the Lord had put wisdom and understanding to know how to do all manner of work for the service of the sanctuary, shall do according to all that the Lord has commanded. Then Moses called Bezalel, and Aholiab, and every gifted artisan in whose heart the Lord had put wisdom, everyone whose heart was stirred to come and do the work. And they received from Moses all the offering which the children of Israel had brought for the work of the service of making the sanctuary. So they continued bringing to him freewill offerings every morning. Then all the craftsmen who were doing all the work of the sanctuary came, each from the work he was doing, and they spoke to Moses, saying, The people bring much more than enough for the service of the work which the Lord commanded us to do. So Moses gave a commandment, and they caused it to be proclaimed throughout the camp, saying, let neither man nor woman do any more work for the offering of the sanctuary. And the people were restrained from bringing, for the material they had was sufficient for all the work to be done. Indeed, too much. Amen. We'll end our reading there in Exodus 36, verse seven. Let's ask God's help in a brief word of prayer. Our gracious God and Heavenly Father, we pray that today, as we consider your word, you yourself would be our teacher. May we appreciate what the word communicates. May we appreciate what an impact that should have on our thinking and on our behavior. And so, oh Lord, may this time in your word build us up in our most holy faith and equip us to serve you faithfully in our generation. In Jesus' name we pray, amen. Obviously, in a sense, we're breaking in in the middle of a story when we start our reading in Exodus 35 and verse 20. So just to briefly recap what is happening here, you might remember that Moses had told the people what they would need to gather in order to build the tabernacle. And so verse 20 begins, all the congregation of the children of Israel departed from the presence of Moses. They've gotten their instructions, and now they're going out to sort through their belongings and collect the jewels, the gold, the silver, the bronze, the cloth. In some cases, of course, with the cloth, they were bringing not just unspun yarn, but they were also bringing woven pieces of fabric that were already prepared for use, or at least ready for embroidery to get started. upon them, and so they went out to gather everything that was needed. One of the things that sticks out in this passage because of the repetition is the emphasis on wisdom. There's a tremendous emphasis on how they were willing. There's an emphasis on what they had in their heart, what kind of a spirit they had. But one of the things, the theme that gets repeated again and again throughout is this idea of wisdom. And so that's how we're breaking apart the passage for consideration this morning, and we come first of all to think about this issue of willing wisdom. Now I said that wisdom is an element in this passage, but obviously willingness is jumping off the page as well. We're told that they were willing, and then we're also shown that they were willing to contribute to the work of the tabernacle. It speaks about how they had stirred hearts and willing spirits. Everyone came whose heart was stirred, verse 21, everyone whose spirit was willing, and they brought the Lord's offering for the work of the tabernacle. In other words, they weren't begrudging, they weren't looking at this as, oh, Moses is going to smite us, he's going to do more nasty things to us if we don't bring They were enthusiastic to go and gather and offer what they had for the work of the tabernacle, for its construction. And you also notice that this attitude was shared by men and women. They came, both men and women, in verse 22. And the rulers also contributed what they were more likely to have than other people. They contributed onyx stones and the other gemstones that were needed. In other words, this was men and women, this was rulers, as well as the bulk of the populace. There was a general spirit of willingness, a desire to contribute. Now, of course, not all of them brought some of everything that was needed. No doubt some had more in terms of gold, some had more in terms of silver, some had more in terms of oil or the other things that were needed. But as everyone brought what they had, as everyone contributed what they could, the whole variety of items that was needed came in. And that's why you have that list in verses 22 through 29. All of the different things that were needed were collected. And probably the greatest proof of their zeal for the Lord's work is that they actually brought more than enough. They had to be commanded to stop giving in chapter 36, verses four through seven. Just as an aside there, there is an element of wisdom in knowing when to quit, in knowing when to call a halt. This comes up a lot of times, for instance, in missionary contexts. Say missionaries have gone overseas, have been planting churches, building institutions of one kind or another there. When is it time for them to turn things over to the locals. When are there people on the ground who will be able to carry that work forward better than the visitors, so to speak, from overseas? Well, that's a matter of wisdom. It's not always easy to know. It's not always going to be at the same time in every place, but there does come a point when you say, Enough is enough. The missionary needs to move on or go home or change up their role in one way or another. There's wisdom in moderation, but that's by the way. This section in the sermon is titled Willing Wisdom, and it's very clear in the passage that wisdom and willingness are not exactly the same thing. It speaks of the Lord giving wisdom to some who were particularly skillful in one or other of the works of craftsmanship that were needed for the tabernacle, and then of course, Bezalel and Aholiab stand out because they were given skill in every one of these different things, in woodworking, and in metalworking, and in working with fabrics, and so forth. And so you can distinguish wisdom from willingness. And that ought to be encouraging to us, because it tells you that you don't have to have a particular skill in order to be useful in God's service. In other words, I can't look out at a congregation and say, well, you know, so-and-so really isn't gifted, say, for public speaking. Therefore, there's no role for them. They have no value. They bring nothing to the church. I would be a fool if I said that, if I thought that. Even though God has distributed different gifts to people, That doesn't mean that one gift has more value than another. We need what everyone can contribute. The whole congregation is pitching in and that ought to be a model, an example, an encouragement to us. You may look around at other people and think that they're gifted to give and to contribute in a way that you can't. That doesn't mean there's nothing for you to do. That doesn't mean that we don't need your support in this church as well. So wisdom and willingness can be distinguished. But we shouldn't separate them completely. For one thing, where there is a willing heart to serve, I believe the Lord will give ability and opportunity both. But for another thing, wisdom and willingness are connected. You see that, for instance, in verse 26 of chapter 35. Now, part of the reference of that wisdom is no doubt to the skill to spin the goat's hair. But was their willingness to engage in that work completely detached from their wisdom to get it done? I don't think so. Or then again, the gifted artisans in whose hearts God put wisdom also had their hearts stirred to do the work. Chapter 36 in verse two, Moses called Bezalel, a holy ebb, every gifted artisan in whose heart the Lord had put wisdom, everyone whose heart was stirred to come and do the work. In other words, there are other dimensions of wisdom. You can think about wisdom in terms of skill or ability or discernment, and those are all varieties of wisdom. But how wise could you be if you neglect the most important things? Are you really wise if you have skill and yet you're not willing to do the Lord's work, you're not zealous in that? How wise are we if we neglect the most important work in order to squander our abilities and resources on what's trivial, on what's temporary? So there is a connection between wisdom and willingness. We need both, but part of wisdom is being willing to engage in the Lord's work. And that kind of wisdom was generally diffused among the congregation of the children of Israel at this time. Some had skill that... stood out, some were more gifted in one area than another, but in terms of willingness, we can say that they'd all been given that wisdom to be willing to search through their things, to think about how they could contribute, and to bring what they could for the Lord's tabernacle. May God be pleased to give to us as well ongoing and increasing measures of that kind of wisdom. But then there's another emphasis on wisdom in this passage. When Bezalel and Aholium, particularly, are singled out, they had exceptional wisdom. We could maybe compare them to Leonardo da Vinci. They're polymaths. They can do a little bit, at least, of everything. And they're also given an extra measure of wisdom in order to train others, in order to teach them how to do what needs to be done, and in order to supervise their work. And in connection with this, we have the first mention in Scripture of somebody being filled with the Spirit. Chapter 35, verse 31, he has filled him, the reference is to Bezalel, with the Spirit of God in wisdom and understanding, in knowledge and all manner of workmanship. Now, when we think about being filled with the Spirit, of course, depending on our backgrounds, we may have more or less association with Pentecostal or Charismatic groups who tend to use that language a lot, but it is biblical language, and it's definitely a good thing. When we think about being filled with the Spirit, a lot of times we'll think about that in terms of holiness. As Paul will talk about that, for instance, in Ephesians chapter five, verse 18, not being drunk with wine, not being controlled by alcohol, but instead of that, being filled with the Spirit, living a life that is characterized by consecration to God, by holiness, not by overindulgence in worldly things, but by service to Christ. And that is certainly something that we would look to the Spirit to do in our lives. Or we might think about being filled with the Spirit in terms of being given boldness, being equipped to bear witness of Christ. When Peter, for instance, was arrested by the Sanhedrin for preaching, he was filled with the Spirit, we're told in Acts chapter four and verse eight, and then he boldly proclaimed Christ even to those who were most hostile to him. Both of those things are true. We need the Holy Spirit in order to lead lives of holiness. We need the Holy Spirit in order to bear witness to Christ, especially in situations where we're facing hostility or persecution. But what you find out here in the very first mention in Scripture of being filled with the Spirit is that there is a equipping for service that goes along with that. Bezalel was filled with the Spirit so that his skill in all of these various kinds of work in metallurgy and cutting jewels and carving wood and the rest, so that that would be maximized and consecrated to the Lord. So Bezalel and Aholiab were master craftsmen in many areas, and then over and above that, they were also given the gift of being able to teach. He has put in his heart the ability to teach, verse 34, in him and Aholiab, the son of Ahissamak of the tribe of Dan. He has filled them with skill to do all manner of work. of the engraver, the designer, the tapestry maker, in blue, purple, and scarlet thread, and fine linen, and of the weaver, and so forth. Well, there you see, on the one hand, how complicated the work of the tabernacle was. There were many different parts. They all had to be carried out with a high level of craftsmanship, and then put together and assembled, and so you did need somebody who could supervise, somebody who could see in his mind, how is all of this going to fit together? The work of design is involved there, as well as instruction, supervision, all of that. And that was given because Bezalel and Aholiab were filled with the Spirit. Well, there's many different applications that could be drawn out of that. Certainly, those who are going to teach and to train others need to be characterized as being filled with the Holy Spirit in order to engage in that work, You absolutely need the work of the Holy Spirit. We'll come to some of the other applications in a moment. But before we move on, these first men who are filled with the Spirit, of course, remind us, direct our hearts forward to the ultimate man of the Spirit. our Lord Jesus Christ. He received the Spirit without measure according to John 3, 34. He received such a fullness of grace and of gifts that he is able to supply us with all that we need for our service in the Lord's tabernacle. So in John chapter 20, for instance, he breathes on the apostles and says, receive the Holy Spirit. How is it that they or that any of us have the Holy Spirit? Well, he's given to us Through Christ, we're not going to be filled with the Holy Spirit apart from the work of Christ on our behalf. Ephesians chapter four lays great emphasis on how Christ gave gifts to men. He ascended up on high and he distributed a variety of gifts to his church. They all came from him. He gave some apostles, some prophets, some teachers, and the rest. Well, he was all of those wrapped up in one. the distribution of gifts and graces that we have, it's all coming out of this majestic, this tremendous fullness in the Lord Jesus Christ. And so in the work of the church, as was true in the construction of the tabernacle, raw materials and skillful labor flow in from many different directions. But you could compare it to the cycle of precipitation. Water falls from the sky and in creeks and rivers it flows together and returns to the ocean. In the same way, the work of the church goes forward as many different people contribute. But what are they contributing? They're contributing the drops of grace and gift that have fallen on them from Christ. And all of those things are flowing back together into the ocean of God's fulfilled purpose in the building of his church. Bezalel and Aholiab filled with the Spirit point our minds to Christ. You ask yourself, how can I be filled with the Spirit for service? Well, look to Christ. He's the one who distributes gifts and graces for the building of the church. And then that brings us to our final point, working wisdom. We've seen willing wisdom and teaching wisdom. Now we see working wisdom. And this, in a sense, is an emphasis throughout the passage. There's wisdom in spinning goat hair. There's wisdom in design. There's wisdom in craftsmanship. Whatever calls for skill, whatever calls for insight can be considered a variety of wisdom. The Bible does not despise these gifts. The Bible rather teaches us to honor them. Now these gifts are certainly not limited to the church. There have been unbelievers who are greatly gifted in terms of craftsmanship, in terms of artistic ability, in terms of imaginative insight, in terms of being able to accomplish tremendous things that greatly enrich human life. We recognize those as coming from the Spirit of God. God has given gifts very liberally, very abundantly, very widely. And so we should never despise them. Is somebody good at some unusual out-of-the-way skill that we don't necessarily see much purpose in. Great, God gave them that. We shouldn't despise that gift. We should enjoy it to the degree that we can. God has given gifts widely. Now, of course, he's also given gifts to the church. He's given some of the same gifts. He's also given the gift of us consecrating our talents and abilities to his service. So there was a great deal of wisdom in the work that they were engaging in. There was also wisdom in the way they engaged in that work. Chapter 36 in verse one. Bezalel, Aholiab, every gifted artisan in whom the Lord has put wisdom and understanding to know how to do all manner of work for the service of the sanctuary, shall do according to all that the Lord has commanded. And here you begin to see a significant difference between the wisdom that the Lord distributes generally, commonly, to all sorts of people, and the wisdom that is restricted to the boundaries of his kingdom, because there is tremendous wisdom in doing as God has commanded. Those who were given wisdom for the work carried it out in keeping with the Lord's instructions, and there was tremendous wisdom in that as well. And of course, that applies to us also. Has the Lord given us abilities? Has the Lord given us time? Has the Lord given us opportunity for service? It will be a significant part of our wisdom to take all of that and use it for the Lord, to dedicate it to his service and to use whatever gifts and talents we have as he has commanded. Obviously, this relates to our worship as well. The tabernacle was being built as the physical center of Israel's worship, and so it had to be regulated, governed according to the Word of God. When we come to worship God together, we're not free to do whatever crosses our minds, whatever seems to us like it might be a good thing to do. We are to be governed by the rules of the Word, which tell us how God desires to be worshipped. There's wisdom in working for God, in working according to the pattern that God has given us. And here again, of course, the supreme example, the supreme instance of this is the Lord Jesus Christ. When he came, and remember, in him are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. How was that wisdom expressed? Well, that wisdom was expressed in that he came to do his father's will. In the Gospel of John, again and again, he refers himself to the will of his father. He's bound by that will. He's determined to pursue it. And so he stuck to the plan through all difficulties and obstacles. Again, in the Gospel of John, you hear so often that his hour had not yet come, and then his hour had come, and he went through with it. He drank the cup his father gave him. In the Lord Jesus Christ, you see in its perfection that wisdom that is involved in doing as the Lord has commanded, in following the pattern that God has set down for us. And so in our own lives, as well as in the work of the church, diligent effort that uses the gifts God has given us, that aims at the goals God has set for us, that follows God's instructions, that depends on the help of the Spirit. This is a significant part of our wisdom. We want to look at all of those things. We want to look at what has God equipped us to do, but we also want to look at what goals has God given us. As a church, we're supposed to be engaged in worship, We're supposed to be engaged in witness. We're supposed to be preaching the gospel to those who don't know it yet. And we're supposed to be working on building up, on edifying those who already believe. Those are our goals. Those are the targets we need to hit. If we're not doing those things, it doesn't matter how much hustle and bustle there is. We've departed from divine wisdom. And we're supposed to follow his instructions. In other words, we're supposed to use God's methods to accomplish God's purposes. We're supposed to use the means that he has given us in order to pursue the task that we've been assigned. And we're not supposed to do any of this relying on ourselves. We're supposed to do all of this depending on the power of the Holy Spirit, not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit. said the Lord through the prophet Zechariah. That is the true path of wisdom. You know, it's very easy for us to feel inadequate for the work that we've been called to do, whether as individuals or together as a congregation. And there's good reason for that because by ourselves we are inadequate to do that work. But we should not be discouraged by that. You remember what happened in this passage. Because God's grace was at work among them, the people brought enough for the tabernacle, and they even brought more than enough. We can think about the situation we heard about in the Philippines. We can look at what we're going through, and we can think, we're never gonna get through this. We're not gonna survive. The church is going to fail and flop. Remember what happened here. They brought more than enough. We're not enough. But God's spirit is at work among us. God's purposes will be accomplished. The tabernacle will be built. Brothers and sisters, God will supply all that is needed, even if he is using us to do it. Amen.