I was reading Exodus on a recent trip to Eurasia. Not too sure why, but two or three things really stood out to me. The first thing was that God commanded Moses to tell the Israelites to ask the Egyptians for silver and gold. God granted favor to the Israelites in the eyes of the Egyptians, and they gave them gold and silver – so much, that the Israelites plundered Egypt. Hmm…Why did God want the Israelis to plunder Egypt, surely not to reward Israel and punish Egypt? Hold that thought.
The second thing was pointed out to me by Frank, an Irish missionary. It is found in Exodus 31:1-5. God called Bezalel by name and “filled him with the Spirit of God, with ability and intelligence, with knowledge and all craftsmanship to devise artistic designs, to work in gold, silver and bronze, in cutting stones for setting, and in carving wood, to work in every craft.” This was said to Moses concerning the tabernacle. Just after this passage, Moses goes down from Mount Sinai to confront the people of Israel with the whole golden calf thing.
Skip a few chapters over to Exodus 35. Moses tells the Israelites, “Whoever is of a generous heart, let him bring the Lord’s contribution: gold, silver, bronze…” Then we find over in chapter 36: “And Moses called Bezalel and Oholiab and every craftsman in whose mind the Lord had put skill, everyone whose heart stirred him up to come to do the work.” It just never occurred to me how the tabernacle and contents were built and from what – Israel was wondering in the desert, just brought out of slavery from Egypt. That is how they got the stuff, and that is how they built it.
What really stuck me was the willingness. Those who were of a willing heart and whose heart was stirred – they are the ones who responded. How often does my heart stir and I am not willing to respond?
Honestly, I believe that God has given me skill and knowledge, kind of like Bezalel. My heart is stirred to work for the Kingdom. Nevertheless, I love using the skills and gifts that God has given me to make money. To earn my income, pay my debts, keep a roof over my head and to do short term mission trips. I spend a week to three weeks here and there using my skills as a carpenter. I do not go to plant churches, evangelize, or to teach. I go to enable the church planters, evangelizers and teachers through carpentry. It is only after my heart is stirred that I can go. For Armenia, I got the email for an urgent request to carpenters for a sensitive trip. I said no, at first – way too short of notice, cannot take that much time off work, and do not have the money. After a week, my heart stirred so that I had to go. In three days, I got the time off work and secured funding.
I am really big on this theme – seek, hear and obey. I am sure you probably have heard or read something I spoke or wrote about it. While at OneDay ’03, either Heather Mercer or Dayna Curry got up on stage and gave a brief talk. Her message was simple – she was not called to missions, was not called to Afghanistan. She was simply just willing to go. I had a hard time swallowing that at the time, but it stuck with me. Now, after five years, I understand what she meant. I think. It is not so much about your calling, but your willingness to go once you are called. Seek God, hear his voice, and then obey.
Here is what I want to convey – Deuteronomy 4:29. Preceding this, Moses tells Israel not create any idols nor bow down to any idols. But at some point, he tells them that their descendents will do just that. When they do bow down to these gods of wood and stone, then God will punish them by exile, etc. In verse 28, Moses tells them that even then, in these foreign lands they will still worship idols: “And there you will serve gods of wood and stone, the work of human hands, that neither see, nor hear, nor eat, nor smell.” Now that there is a little bit of context, here is Deuteronomy 4:29 – “But from there you will seek the Lord your God and you will find him, if you search for Him with all of heart and all of your soul.”
Again, while in Armenia I began to read a book called Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan. There is a part where the main character, Christian, who at this particular point in the book is clothed with the full armour of God, fights the devil in form of dragon. Ultimately, his armour held out and when despair was most apparent he stabbed the dragon with his sword. Shortly after, Christian journeys through the Valley of the Shadow of Death. Well into this valley, a daemon sneaks up behind him and whispers into his ear. Christian has become so weak and fatigued from traveling through the arduous valley; he can no longer make distinction between his voice and another. So he believes what he hears is his very own voice. This was very profound to me because it made me realize that we must take captive our thoughts and when that voice inside my head becomes sinful, it is time to rebuke it. The apostle Peter tells us that if we resist the devil, then he will flee from us. (Obviously, this does not deal with demonic possession and such). In II Corinthians 10:5, Paul tells us to ‘take captive every thought to obey Christ…’
Here it all goes back to the willingness. After I realized I could rebuke my thoughts, I did not always want to. My heart was not always willing. When Christ was in the Garden praying before the crucifixion, he said to Peter, “The spirit is indeed willing, but the flesh is weak.” Oh how true! And it is not just my thoughts. What has God gifted me with – silver, gold, bronze, or some other material possessions? What about my ‘spiritual gifts?’ Am I one of the people who will be selfish and greedy? Even though what I have been given, I do not deserve. Even though what is given me was meant to be given back?