WILLING ARTISANS SABBATH OBSERVANCE THE TABLET OF TESTIMONY EXODUS 31:1-18

www.biblestudyworkshop.org 1 WILLING ARTISANS SABBATH OBSERVANCE THE TABLET OF TESTIMONY EXODUS 31:1-18

www.biblestudyworkshop.org 2 Text: Exodus 31:1-18, WILLING ARTISANS SABBATH OBSERVANCE THE TABLET OF TESTIMONY 1. The Lord spoke to Moses: 2. See, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, 3. and I have filled him with the Spirit of God in skill, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all kinds of craftsmanship, 4. to make artistic designs for work with gold, with silver, and with bronze, 5. and with cutting and setting stone, and with cutting wood, to work in all kinds of craftsmanship. 6. Moreover, I have also given him Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, and I have given ability to all the specially skilled, that they may make everything I have commanded you: 7. the tent of meeting, the ark of the testimony, the atonement lid that is on it, all the furnishings of the tent, 8. the table with its utensils, the pure lampstand with all its utensils, the altar of incense, 9. the altar for the burnt offering with all its utensils, the large basin with its base,

www.biblestudyworkshop.org 3 10. the woven garments, the holy garments for Aaron the priest and the garments for his sons, to minister as priests, 11. the anointing oil, and sweet incense for the Holy Place. They will make all these things just as I have commanded you. 12. The Lord said to Moses, 13. Tell the Israelites, Surely you must keep my Sabbaths, for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am the Lord who sanctifies you. 14. So you must keep the Sabbath, for it is holy for you. Everyone who defiles it must surely be put to death; indeed, if anyone does any work on it, then that person will be cut off from among his people. 15. Six days work may be done, but on the seventh day is a Sabbath of complete rest, holy to the Lord; anyone who does work on the Sabbath day must surely be put to death. 16. The Israelites must keep the Sabbath by observing the Sabbath throughout their generations as a perpetual covenant. 17. It is a sign between me and the Israelites forever; for in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed. 18. He gave Moses two tablets of testimony when he had finished speaking with him on Mount Sinai, tablets of stone written by the finger of God. (NET) Introduction: I. Main points:...

www.biblestudyworkshop.org 4 A. Willing Artisans B. Sabbath observance C. The tablets of testimony. II. Key quote: Exodus 31:18, He gave Moses two tablets of testimony when he had finished speaking with him on Mount Sinai, tablets of stone written by the finger of God. (NET) Commentary: Willing Artisans I. (Exodus 31:1-11, The Lord spoke to Moses: See, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and I have filled him with the Spirit of God in skill, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all kinds of craftsmanship, to make artistic designs for work with gold, with silver, and with bronze, and with cutting and setting stone, and with cutting wood, to work in all kinds of craftsmanship. Moreover, I have also given him Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, and I have given ability to all the specially skilled, that they may make everything I have commanded you: the tent of meeting, the ark of the testimony, the atonement lid that is on it, all the furnishings of the tent, the table with its utensils, the pure lampstand with all its utensils, the altar of incense, the altar for the burnt offering with all its utensils, the large basin with its base, the woven

www.biblestudyworkshop.org 5 garments, the holy garments for Aaron the priest and the garments for his sons, to minister as priests, the anointing oil, and sweet incense for the Holy Place. They will make all these things just as I have commanded you. (NET) A. In verses 1 through 6 the Lord has chosen Bezalel and Oholiab as his personal craftsmen and gifted them through the Holy Spirit to carry out his work. 1. Bezalel was a craftsman with a wide range of talents, being skilled in metalsmithing in gold, silver and bronze. He was also accomplished in stone cutting and masonry work, along with wood working and carpentry. In addition to these talents, God granted him the gifts of skill, wisdom and knowledge to lead the other artisans in building the tabernacle of the Lord. a. Isaiah 11:2-3a, The Lord s spirit will rest on him a spirit that gives extraordinary wisdom, a spirit that provides the ability to execute plans, a spirit that produces absolute loyalty to the Lord. He will take delight in obeying the Lord. (NET) b. Isaiah 61:1a, The spirit of the sovereign Lord is upon me, (NET) c. 1 Corinthians 12:4, 7-8, Now there are different gifts, but the same Spirit. To each person the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the benefit of all. For one person is

www.biblestudyworkshop.org 6 given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, and another the message of knowledge according to the same Spirit, (NET) 2. Holman Bible Dictionary, pg. 200 Bezalel personal name meaning in the shadow of God. 3. He was of the tribe of Judah, a great grandson of Caleb. a. 1 Chronicles 2:19-20, When Azubah died, Caleb married Ephrath, who bore him Hur. Hur was the father of Uri, and Uri was the father of Bezalel. (NET) b. Caleb was one of the twelve spies Moses sent to investigate the land of Canaan before the Israelites entered into it. i. Numbers 13:2, 6, Send out men to investigate the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the Israelites. You are to send one man from each ancestral tribe, each one a leader among them. from the tribe of Judah, Caleb son of Jephunneh; (NET) 4. Bezalel s assistant was Oholiab, from the tribe of Dan.

www.biblestudyworkshop.org 7 a. Holman Bible Dictionary, pg. 1214, Oholiab, personal name meaning father s tent. Danite craftsman, designer, and embroiderer who assisted Bezalel in supervision of the construction of the tabernacle and its equipment. 5. God gifted additional artisans and craftsmen to assist in making the tabernacle and its furnishings. a. The indwelling of the Holy Spirit made them willing workers. 6. Verses 7 through 11 are an inventory listing of the tabernacle and its contents, all of the items to be built under the supervision on Bezalel and Oholiab. a. The tent of the tabernacle,... b. The ark of the testimony and the atonement lid,... c. The table and its utensils,... d. The lampstand and its utensils,... e. The altar of burnt incense,... f. The basin and stand,... g. The priestly garments, and... h. The anointing oil and incense.

www.biblestudyworkshop.org 8 7. All of the people involved, the craftsmen and craftswomen, were filled with the Holy Spirit to accomplish the work of the Lord. a. 1 Corinthians 12:11, It is one and the same Spirit, distributing as he decides to each person, who produces all these things. (NET) 8. God once again reminds Moses not to alter or change his instructions for building the tabernacle. The Sabbath Observance II. The Sabbath observance Exodus 31:12-17, The Lord said to Moses, Tell the Israelites, Surely you must keep my Sabbaths, for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am the Lord who sanctifies you. So you must keep the Sabbath, for it is holy for you. Everyone who defiles it must surely be put to death; indeed, if anyone does any work on it, then that person will be cut off from among his people. Six days work may be done, but on the seventh day is a Sabbath of complete rest, holy to the Lord; anyone who does work on the Sabbath day must surely be put to death. The Israelites must keep the Sabbath by observing the Sabbath throughout their generations as a perpetual covenant. It is a sign between me and the Israelites forever; for in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed. (NET)

www.biblestudyworkshop.org 9 A. God has now laid out his plan; He has chosen the master craftsmen that will oversee the building of His tabernacle. Then, He gave a strict warning that no work was to be done on the Sabbath day, not even on the tabernacle of the Lord. To break this commandment would defile His temple. B. No matter how important the project is, observing the law of the Sabbath was more important. C. To make certain that this law was understood and enforced, God charged Moses to once again remind the Israelites of the importance of obeying God s commandment. 1. To disobey the law would result in death. a. Exodus 31:14-15, So you must keep the Sabbath, for it is holy for you. Everyone who defiles it must surely be put to death; indeed, if anyone does any work on it, then that person will be cut off from among his people. Six days work may be done, but on the seventh day is a Sabbath of complete rest, holy to the Lord; anyone who does work on the Sabbath day must surely be put to death. (NET) b. Deuteronomy 5:12-14, Be careful to observe the Sabbath day just as the Lord your God has commanded you. You are to work and do all your tasks in six days, but

www.biblestudyworkshop.org 10 the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. On that day you must not do any work, you, your son, your daughter, your male slave, your female slave, your ox, your donkey, any other animal, or the foreigner who lives with you, so that your male and female slaves, like yourself, may have rest. (NET) D. God reminds them of the importance of the day of rest. 1. Genesis 2:1-3, The heavens and the earth were completed with everything that was in them. By the seventh day God finished the work that he had been doing, and he ceased on the seventh day all the work that he had been doing. God blessed the seventh day and made it holy because on it he ceased all the work that he had been doing in creation. (NET) E. The omnipotent God does not require rest as we do. His example reinforces the fact that we do require physical and mental rest: F. The Sabbath observance was unique to the Israelites; this was one more thing that set them apart from their pagan neighbors who did not acknowledge a Sabbath day or a day of rest.

www.biblestudyworkshop.org 11 The Tablets of the Testimony III. Exodus 31:18, He gave Moses two tablets of testimony when he had finished speaking with him on Mount Sinai, tablets of stone written by the finger of God. (NET) A. This is a short verse loaded with power. 1. This was rock-solid evidence that Moses was truly in the presence of the Lord. a. He descended the mountain with two stone tablets. B. The laws on the tablets were written by the finger of God. 1. As a spirit, goes God have a finger? Does He have a form like man? What is an anthropomorphism? a. We are created in the image of God. i. Genesis 1:27, God created humankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them, male and female he created them. (NET) b. As the creator of all that is, and was and ever will be, He is capable of writing on or engraving on stone anything he wishes. 2. This is the proof that Moses was not the author of the laws on the tablets, but it was indeed done by God.

www.biblestudyworkshop.org 12 a. Exodus 24:12, The Lord said to Moses, Come up to me on the mountain and remain there, and I will give you the stone tablets with the law and the commandments that I have written, so that you may teach them. (NET) b. Exodus 32:16, Now the tablets were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, engraved on the tablets. (NET) c. Exodus 34:1, The Lord said to Moses, Cut out two tablets of stone like the first, and I will write on the tablets the words that were on the first tablets, which you smashed. (NET) d. Deuteronomy 9:10, The Lord gave me the two stone tablets, written by the very finger of God, and on them was everything he said to you at the mountain from the midst of the fire at the time of that assembly. (NET) 3. Even the Egyptians acknowledged the existence and the power of the finger of God. a. Exodus 8:19, The magicians said to Pharaoh, It is the finger of God! But Pharaoh s heart remained hard, and he did

www.biblestudyworkshop.org 13 not listen to them, just as the Lord had predicted. (NET) C. The act of God in giving the tablets to Moses signified that Moses was entrusted with the responsibility of presenting them before the Israelites, teaching them to his people and preserving them in the ark of the testimony. Conclusion: I. God works through people to accomplish His goals on earth by filling them with His Holy Spirit. In this chapter of Exodus, His spirit filled people were Bezalel and Oholiab along with a crew of gifted crafts men and women and artisans. Their skills were a gift of God and their willingness to serve was a blessing of the Holy Spirit. A. God is always ready to accept spirit filled people to serve Him. If your motivation is love of God, He will use you. He will provide an area where you can utilize your skills. B. How has God blessed you and gifted you for service? A wise man of my church once said, It s a gift from God. Open it. So undo the ribbon, open the package and discover the gift from God. C. It is amazing that once you volunteer, other doors will open for you and new opportunities will be presented to serve the Lord. II. God intended the Sabbath to be honored and respected by the Israelites. This was a day that was holy for them. That is

www.biblestudyworkshop.org 14 stated in verse 14. The Sabbath was Holy meaning the Sabbath was special for the Israelites. It was a gift of God that was to be used for rest and worship. III. The talk stopped. God has been speaking to Moses, giving him detailed instructions for every aspect relating to the tabernacle since chapter 25. Now, Moses has to descend Mount Sinai with two stone tablets in hand. The time for action has come! A. We have moments like this in our lives. We have considered the facts pro and con, discussed our plan with trusted friends and asked our minister for advice. B. The time to make a decision and go forward is at hand. The time to talk is over, the time to act is now. How will you serve God? What are you going to do to glorify God? What gifts and talents has God blessed you with? C. Is there something you think you would like to do in service to God? Have you hesitated? The church has many areas that are always needing another willing worker that is sent by the Spirit. D. Don t be afraid to try something new. Give serious consideration to a request to do something for God that you had not thought of before. E. The most important person to consult is God. Earnestly pray to Him and He will guide you to the path He wants you to travel. He really does want to hear from you.

www.biblestudyworkshop.org 15 1. Jeremiah 29:12-14a, When you call out to me and come to me in prayer, I will hear your prayers. When you seek me in prayer and worship, you will find me available to you. If you seek me with all your heart and soul, I will make myself available to you, says the Lord. (NET)

www.biblestudyworkshop.org 16 Questions on Exodus 31:1-18 1. God selected and to supervise the construction of the tabernacles. 2. was skilled in many trades. List three of them. 3. Oholiab was a craftsmen skilled in and. 4. God gave all of the craftsmen and artisans two important things. They were: 5. Did God make an exception to the Sabbath law to allow work on the tabernacle on the Sabbath? Yes No 6. Violation of the Sabbath law was punishable by. 7. Moses was the author of the two stone tablets. True False

www.biblestudyworkshop.org 17 8. The tablets of the testimony were written by 9. Did Pharaoh s magicians acknowledge the existence of the finger of God? What is an anthropomorphism? 10. Moses was to place the two stone tablets in the.