Bezalel and Oholiab and every craftsman in whom the Lord has put skill and intelligence to know how to do any work in the construction of the sanctuary shall work in accordance with all that the Lord has commanded.
Exodus 36:1

These two men were engineers, skilled craftsmen and artisans who were chosen and gifted by God to build the Tabernacle, the portable Temple that would be carried with the Israelites during their years of wandering through the desert on the way to the land that God had promised them. They were given full artistic freedom to design and build it however they saw fit and beautiful, but everything they did was to be done according to what God had commanded.

The plan that God had given to Moses was very specific, because God was communicating something to His people through the pattern that He gave. On the mountain He had showed Moses the heavenly reality, of which the Tabernacle was to be an earthly copy.

So it is with our lives and the work that God gives us to do. We have complete freedom to create, build, practice, execute and enjoy our work, but we are commended to keep it all in accordance with the pattern revealed for us in God’s Word.

Total freedom within righteous parameters; that pretty well describes what God has called us to do. Whether it’s our work, our marriage, the way we raise our kids, or our politics, this is the pattern to follow: do it God’s way.

Lord, thank You for the freedom You have given me to create, build and express myself. Thank You for all that You have given me to be able to make it happen. Thank You for Your forgiveness and correction when I’ve failed to follow Your pattern. Give me now understanding of Your plan, Your will, and Your purpose, so that I can build it all the way that pleases You.
Amen.

Pastor Dan Giles