Exodus 31: Spirit. Sign. Stone.

​The Lord said to Moses, 2 “See, I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, 3 and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with ability and intelligence, with knowledge and all craftsmanship, 4 to devise artistic designs, to work in gold, silver, and bronze, 5 in cutting stones for setting, and in carving wood, to work in every craft. 6 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: 7 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,8 the table and its utensils, and the pure lampstand with all its utensils, and the altar of incense, 9 and the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils, and the basin and its stand, 10 and the finely worked garments, the holy garments for Aaron the priest and the garments of his sons, for their service as priests, 11 and the anointing oil and the fragrant incense for the Holy Place. According to all that I have commanded you, they shall do.”

The Sabbath
12 And the Lord said to Moses, 13 “You are to speak to the people of Israel and say, ‘Above all you shall keep my Sabbaths, for this is a sign between me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I, the Lord, sanctify you. 14 You shall keep the Sabbath, because it is holy for you. Everyone who profanes it shall be put to death. Whoever does any work on it, that soul shall be cut off from among his people. 15 Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, holy to the Lord. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day shall be put to death. 16 Therefore the people of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, observing the Sabbath throughout their generations, as a covenant forever. 17 It is a sign forever between me and the people of Israel that in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed.’”

18 And he gave to Moses, when he had finished speaking with him on Mount Sinai, the two tablets of the testimony, tablets of stone, written with the finger of God.

​Meditation
God is passionate to restore His covenant presence with His people, providing a holy place for Himself to dwell, a holy day for His people to enjoy Him, and the record of covenant agreement written in stone.
 
The first people said to be “filled with the Spirit of God” in Scripture are Bezalel and his craftsman crew, set apart to build a holy place for God to dwell (1-11). God’s Spirit filled these men to design, cut, carve, and work to follow the Divine direction in creating a space where God Himself would dwell.
 
God offers a sign of His faithfulness through Sabbath (12-17). The day of rest is good news for former slaves and a headline for the world to know God’s people belong to God alone- Productivity, profit, popularity, and cultural priorities are not gods at all. Sabbath is a covenant sign of intimate relationship between God and His people, a day set apart to enjoy the Holy One- trusting He will provide all we need.
 
Moses leaves the mountain with tablets of stone on which were recorded the covenant obligations- written by the finger of God. (18) These tablets would be kept in the ark of the covenant (Exodus 25:10-12), hinting at the amazing reality that God’s presence will ultimately be fully restored when He Himself keeps all of the covenant obligations as our representative. 
 
Jesus is the fullness of God’s presence and His Spirit seals our status as His children, intimate relationship where believers respond to God’s grace by loving and enjoying Him forever. 
 
Richly Dwelling
-What stands out to you from today’s reading, especially the lengths God goes to empower covenant relationship with His people?
 
-Do you worship God alone, enjoying the Holy One through resting in Him alone- or would the world see you worshipping profit, productivity, popularity, or cultural priorities?
 
-The covenant love of God sealed through the person and work of Jesus is stronger than stone- unbreakable. How does the fact of God’s faithfulness through Jesus fuel your faith to trust Him with all your heart, mind, and soul? Where (specifically) do you need to apply this reality? 
 
Key Verse
13 “You are to speak to the people of Israel and say, ‘Above all you shall keep my Sabbaths, for this is a sign between me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I, the Lord, sanctify you.