Artisans Called by God

 Artisans Called by God

February 3, 2026

Exodus 35:30-35 (NKJV) 

30 And Moses said to the children of Israel, “See, the LORD has called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah; 31 “and He has filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom and understanding, in knowledge and all manner of workmanship, 32 “to design artistic works, to work in gold and silver and bronze, 33 “in cutting jewels for setting, in carving wood, and to work in all manner of artistic workmanship. 34 “And He has put in his heart the ability to teach, [in] him and Aholiab the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan. 35 “He has filled them with skill to do all manner of work of the engraver and the designer and the tapestry maker, in blue, purple, and scarlet [thread,] and fine linen, and of the weaver--those who do every work and those who design artistic works.

Exodus 36:1 (NKJV) 

“And Bezalel and Aholiab, and every gifted artisan in whom the LORD has put wisdom and understanding, to know how to do all manner of work for the service of the sanctuary, shall do according to all that the LORD has commanded.”

This morning, a dear old friend of mine put out a blog on the importance of teaching our children to work with their hands. My generation tended to work with our brains. I made my living as a scientist and engineer, but my father did teach me how to build things, and in my retirement years I have done some woodwork and home remodelling. But we have de-emphasized the importance of working with our hands. Our society is in trouble if we don’t have a new generation of skilled carpenters, plumbers and electricians.

The Lord honors those who have skill to work with their hands and who dedicate their skill to the work of the Lord. In Exodus we see where the Lord paid special praise on two artisans who were not only able to work with wood, metal and jewels, but who were able to teach others. They were tasked with building the tabernacle and all of the beautiful utensils and fixtures in it. Their trade enabled them to build things to the glory of God, and their names are memorialized in the scriptures as a result. So we need skilled craftsmen, and we need to give them honor. Building the kingdom of God is not all spiritual. We also need the workers who are skilled in building to make the things that we need in order to preach the kingdom of God. Buildings, sound systems and musical instruments don’t just fall down from heaven, they need someone with skilled hands to make them.