Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Prayer Meeting Lesson Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/pm/pm20070912.htm

EXODUS: FUNCTIONING WELL IN A HOPELESS GROUP ASSIGNMENT
Part II: God's Sustainment Of Israel In The Wilderness Wanderings Amid Humanly Hopeless Trials
T. Gaining God's Blessing By Obeying His Work Assignment
(Exodus 36:8-39:43)
  1. Introduction
    1. God has gifted each believer as He alone has willed (1 Corinthians 12:11), and assigned him to the place and task He wants him to perform rather than leaving those choices to the believer himself (Acts 16:6-10).
    2. We may be tempted to be discontented with such choices, or feel they are too demeaning or too hard for us to accomplish, or wonder how to work well with others assigned to us as did Moses in Exodus 4:1-12.
    3. However, heeding God's lead and doing His assignment brings His blessing as Exodus 36:8-39:43 shows:
  2. Gaining God's Blessing By Obeying His Work Assignment, Exodus 36:8-39:43.
    1. God had arranged for Bezaleel of the tribe of Judah with his assistant, Aholiab of the tribe of Dan to direct all the other gifted craftsmen in the construction of the various parts of the tabernacle, Exodus 35:30-36:1.
    2. With no complaints in the process, we understand from the extensive passage detailing the articles that were made in Exodus 36:8-39:31 that the work proceeded just God had arranged for it to be done:
      1. With no complaint from those who were to help make the rough goat hair curtains instead of the fine linen ones with the embroidered cherubim, all who helped with the curtains did the work, Ex. 36:8-19.
      2. With no complaint from the carpenters who helped make the frames for the curtains rather than getting to help with the holy tabernacle furnishings, they worked on the frames as assigned, Exodus 36:20-34.
      3. With no complaint from those who help make the outer tabernacle veil versus working on the veil that separated the holiest of holies from the holy place, the men involved did their assigned tasks, 36:35-38.
      4. With no complaint from the other craftsmen, Bezaleel and the men he assigned to help him do so built the ark of the covenant where God's presence would dwell, Exodus 37:1-9.
      5. With no complaint from the craftsmen who were not assigned to work on the ark of the covenant, but who were to help build the table of shewbread, they performed their assigned tasks, Exodus 37:10-16.
      6. With no complaint from the others who had to work with the acacia wood instead of pure gold, some of the craftsmen assigned to help make the lampstand of pure gold did that task, Exodus 37:17-24.
      7. With no complaint from those assigned to help build the altar of incense instead of the ark, the men assigned to the altar worked on it in accord to the instructions given to them, Exodus 37:25-29.
      8. With no complaint from the men assigned to help work with the brass versus the more valuable gold, they made the bronze altar after God's assigned instructions, Exodus 38:1-7.
      9. With no complaint of having to help melt down the bronze mirrors of lowly women (in their patristic culture) to do so, the workmen assigned to help make the laver did so as assigned, Exodus 38:8.
      10. With no complaint from the craftsmen assigned to help produce the courtyard hardware instead of the tabernacle furnishings that would be close to God's presence, they did their assigned work, 38:9-20.
      11. With no complaint from their overseers, some of the craftsmen assigned to do so spent time merely counting the materials instead of actually making the assigned items, Exodus 38:21-31.
      12. With no complaint from the others, the craftsmen assigned to help make the holy garments worn by the high priest as he communed with God functioned in accord with that assignment, Exodus 39:1-31.
    3. Finally, when all these articles had been made, they were brought to Moses for his inspection, 39:32-41.
    4. Moses saw that all had been made as God directed, so he blessed all of the workmen involved, 39:42-43!
Lesson: When each man did the work assigned to him under God's direction through Moses, and from him down through Bezaleel and then his assistant, Aholiab, God BLESSED him for his workmanship!

Application: (1) May we be CONTENT with our PERSONAL gifting and task GIVEN us by GOD in the ORGANIZATION of God's people that we might be blessed of God, 1 Cor. 3:6-15. (2) May we view OUR PERSONAL TASK, though DIFFERENT from that of OTHERS, to be an IMPORTANT part of God's WHOLE work, and SO be CONTENT to STICK to that task as the very BEST function WE can DO for the LORD! (3) Since it took each craftsman working well UNDER and WITH Bezaleel and Aholiab to produce the final product, may WE also work WELL with EACH OTHER in God's work!