Contemplative Bible Reading

Exodus 35:34-36:1 (New Living Translation)

³⁴ And the Lord has given both him and Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, the ability to teach their skills to others. ³⁵ The Lord has given them special skills as engravers, designers, embroiderers in blue, purple, and scarlet thread on fine linen cloth, and weavers. They excel as craftsmen and as designers.

36 “The Lord has gifted Bezalel, Oholiab, and the other skilled craftsmen with wisdom and ability to perform any task involved in building the sanctuary. Let them construct and furnish the Tabernacle, just as the Lord has commanded.”

God’s chosen people built a magnificent Tabernacle—a portable, tent temple of worship. They did this while all million of them wandered the desert wastelands.

Let’s try to understand this situation a bit. There are at least a million men, women, and children. They are homeless and wandering in circles in a desert. Surviving in this situation is a magnificent accomplishment. It is something that could not be done without divine intervention.

They didn’t just survive; somehow (divine intervention again) they thrived. And they managed to build a portable temple of worship.

How did they do it? Again, divine intervention. God gave the necessary abilities to enough people. The verses shown above indicate which people and which abilities. God, knowing human frailties, also gave them the ability to teach younger people how to do what they were doing so that there would be no skill shortage in the future, no degradation into a dark age of skill and knowledge.

Divine intervention. I believe it is still with us if we will just take the effort to notice it.