Holy Spirit 8

The aim of this devotional study is to reflect on God’s intent of infilling with the Holy Spirit.

Scripture

Exodus 31:1-11

1  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.”

Observations

Note: the context of this instruction of the Lord happened when Moses was called to the top of the mountain, just after the Exodus, to receive the Law of God by which God covenanted with the nation of Israel.

1. When you think of someone being filled with the Holy Spirit, what comes to mind?
2. Why did God choose Bazalel and fill him with His Spirit?
3. When did God fill him with the Spirit? (What is the context of this person being filled – what do we know of him/ these people?)
4. Why was it necessary for God to fill Bazalel with his Spirit to do these tasks? (Think of what this man did until that point in time…).  And what was the (intended) result of the Spirit’s infilling with in his life?
5. If you were to give one descriptive word for the “supernatural ability” that came through the infilling of the Spirit of God to this man – what would that attribute be? [hint: v4]
6. After God filled Bazalel with his Spirit to be able to do the things, who did the work?

Reflection

1. Do you think it foreign/ strange that God would fill someone with his Holy Spirit to do woodwork and metalwork and mix oils etc? Why/ why not?
2. What other character(s) can you think of in the Bible who were filled with the Holy Spirit to do things outside of preaching and ministry?
3. We are used to think that God empowers people to work in “church life”. Why would God want to fill someone with his Spirit for something beyond preaching and ministry?
4. Do you think God would want to empower you through his Spirit to do “everyday” work for his glory? Why/ why not?

Application and prayer

Spend some time to pray to God to empower you for your everyday life that he may be glorified and that the world may be blessed by God through your exceptional service.  And pray to God for the gift of creativity – to access his thoughts through to solve problems in a way we could not think of through the enablement of his Spirit!  Lastly, ask God for help with specific things you ought to do – through his Holy Spirit!