Message 170
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Scripture Reading: Exo. 31:1-11; 35:10-19, 30—35; 36:1-2
In this message we shall begin to consider the workers of the tabernacle, the furniture, and the priestly garments, as described in 31:1-11; 35:10-19, 30-36:2. I appreciate these portions of the Word. After studying them, I realize that not even in the New Testament do we have such a detailed picture showing us how to build up God’s dwelling place.
Today God’s dwelling place is the church. The building up of the church is truly a great matter and a very important subject in the Bible. Over a long period of time, I have often spoken with the leading brothers in Anaheim concerning the building up of the church. This is a heavy burden on our heart. But we are not able to say much with clarity regarding how to build up the church in a locality. Even though I have studied the book of Exodus a number of times, I did not have a clear understanding from this book about the way to build the dwelling place of God on earth. For this reason, I appreciate the record in Exodus that speaks of the workers of the tabernacle. This is the unique record in the entire Bible showing us the detailed way for God’s people to build up His dwelling place on earth in this age. Therefore, we should treasure this record.
The record of the building up of God’s dwelling place in Exodus is in three sections: the first, 31:1-11; the second, 35:10-19; and the third, 35:30—36:2. In this message and in the message following, we shall cover a number of points from these sections related to the workers of the tabernacle, the furniture, and the priestly garments.
Exodus 31:2-5 speaks of the master builder of the tabernacle. Paul uses the term master builder in 1 Corinthians 3:10: “According to the grace of God given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid a foundation....” A master builder is a leader in God’s building.
Exodus 31:2 says, “See, I have called by name Bezalel, the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah.” Bezalel is a type in the Old Testament of the master builder. The name Bezalel means “in the shadow of God.” This indicates that as a master builder, Bezalel was altogether under God’s shadowing. He was a man under the shadow of God’s grace. This corresponds to Paul’s word in 1 Corinthians 3:10, where he says that it was by God’s grace that he was made a wise master builder.
All of us, whether we are leaders in God’s building or common builders, need God’s grace. We need to be under the shadow of His grace. If we are not under the shadow of God’s grace, many things may come to disturb us. But the shadow of God will keep these things away from us and cause us to remain in a peaceful situation and condition to do the building work.
Regarding the building up of God’s dwelling place, there is a real conflict, a severe fighting between God and His enemy. The enemy does not like to see the building of God’s dwelling place going on in a good way. Therefore, he will do everything he can to interrupt, interfere, frustrate, attack, and destroy. The leading brothers in the churches know that it is a troublesome matter to take care of a local church because the enemy often causes disturbances and frustrations. Certain things we know have been sent by the enemy purposely to damage the work of building. There is no logical reason for such things to happen. Nevertheless, they happen because they were caused by the enemy.
Especially the elders must realize that in order to build up a local church we need to be under the shadow of our God. For the building of God’s dwelling place, we all should be named Bezalel. We all should be those under the shadow of God.
The name of Bezalel’s father was Uri, which means “light of Jehovah.” This name indicates that all the builders of God’s dwelling place should be not only under God’s shadow, but also full of the Lord’s light.
The name of Bezalel’s grandfather was Hur. Hur means free, noble, white. Not only should we be under God’s shadow and full of light, but we should be free and noble. Those who build God’s dwelling place are not low people. On the contrary, they are noble people doing a noble work. No other work is as noble as the building of God’s dwelling place. Furthermore, the builders of God’s dwelling place are “white,” that is, they are clean and pure. When we put together the meaning of the names Bezalel, Uri, and Hur, we can see what kind of person the builders of God’s dwelling place, especially the elders, must be.
Concerning Bezalel, 31:3 says, “And I have filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all workmanship.” If we would build God’s dwelling place, we must be a people filled with the Spirit of God. By our natural life and ability and in our natural man, we are not able to do this work. Nothing natural is capable of building God’s dwelling place. Only the Spirit of God can build His own dwelling place through us. We are the instruments, the means. The actual ability, capacity, strength, and power must be God Himself as the Spirit to us.
According to verse 3, this filling up with the Spirit of God involves four matters: wisdom, understanding, knowledge, and workmanship. It is difficult to explain the difference between wisdom, understanding, and knowledge. The Hebrew word rendered workmanship also means craftsmanship. For the building of God’s dwelling place, we need craftsmanship. It takes skill to be able to build even a small table. This skill, this workmanship, involves knowledge. But it is not sufficient to have only knowledge; we also need understanding and wisdom.
It is possible for us to have knowledge without understanding. For example, the sisters may have some knowledge of how to measure materials used in making clothing and how to cut these materials. But it takes understanding to know how to put the materials together to make an article of clothing. I know something about the suits I wear, but I do not have any understanding at all concerning how they are actually made. I may know the length of my sleeves and the kind of material used in making my suits, but I do not understand how a tailor goes about making them. I use this as an illustration of the difference between knowledge and understanding and of the fact that we may have knowledge but still be lacking in understanding.
We may also take the matter of listening to messages as an illustration of the difference between knowledge and understanding. You may know all the verses used in a particular message. Nevertheless, although you know these verses and may even be able to recite many of them, if you put all the verses together, you may not have any understanding of them. For the understanding of the verses, you need to listen to the ministry of the Word. Then you will begin to have understanding as well as knowledge.
In listening to a message we first may have the knowledge of the verses and then an understanding of what the verses mean. However, we may have both knowledge and understanding of verses, but still not have any revelation concerning them. Someone may say, “I know these verses, and I also understand them. But as far as I am concerned, there is nothing here for me to see.” But as a minister of the Word continues to open the Word to you, you eventually begin to see what is revealed in the verses being considered. This is a matter of wisdom.
When Moses was with the Lord on the mountain, God showed him the design of the tabernacle and all the furniture and utensils. Moses learned the dimensions of the ark, the showbread table, the incense altar, and the bronze altar. He also learned what materials were to be used in making these things. But suppose Moses had said to certain ones of the children of Israel, “Here is a description of the design, dimensions, and material of the tabernacle and its furniture. Please go and make the tabernacle and all the furniture.” No one could carry out this work without knowledge, understanding, and wisdom.
Certain students in a history class may have a thorough knowledge of the material they are required to learn. They may spend hours reviewing the chapters in their history book, studying them very closely. They may become so familiar with much of the material that they can almost recite it word for word. If a history examination is based on the material in the textbook, these students will receive an excellent grade because they have knowledge. But should the professor ask them other kinds of questions, questions that go beyond the textbook, these students may not know how to answer. Although their knowledge is adequate, they are lacking in understanding. They may know the material in the textbook, but they do not understand how to put all this material together to present a certain view. For instance, they may not know how to summarize all the material related to a particular subject. Students with knowledge may do well on a test that calls for information. But they may not do well on an essay examination that requires reasoning and interpretation. A student without understanding may be able to recite a lot of material, but he will not be able to pass an examination that requires reasoning and interpretation. This is another illustration of the fact that knowledge alone is not sufficient; we also need understanding.
As we have already pointed out, knowledge and understanding are not adequate. We also need wisdom. Suppose an instructor in a history class asks the students to write how they would handle a particular matter if they were the minister of foreign affairs of a certain country. In order to answer such a question, not even understanding would be sufficient; it would be necessary to have wisdom. Perhaps through these illustrations you can get some idea of the difference between knowledge, understanding, and wisdom.
Beginning in Exodus 25, we have a description of the tabernacle and all its furnishings and utensils. First we have a knowledge of the design, the dimensions, and the materials involved with all these matters. But if we do not have understanding, we shall not be able to put our knowledge together to make a conclusion. Understanding is the ability to make conclusions based on knowledge. But even if we have both knowledge and understanding, we still need wisdom in order to construct the tabernacle. It takes wisdom to realize what part should be made first. If those who made the tabernacle did not have wisdom, they would have wasted a great deal of time before they found the right way.
Actually, the way of doing something is equal to the wisdom required for doing it. The Lord Jesus once said that He is the way (John 14:6), and Paul says that Christ is our wisdom (1 Cor. 1:30). By putting these verses together, we see that wisdom and the way are one. For example, there may be several ways to drive a car from one city to another. But if a driver is wise, he will have the wisdom to take the best way. Every good driver has wisdom. A foolish person may know how to drive a car, but he will not have the wisdom concerning the way he should take to get from one place to another. When he comes to a crossroad, especially a crossroad where three highways come together, he may be confused and not know which way to go. Although he has knowledge, that is not sufficient. The driver of a car needs understanding and also wisdom. This is another simple illustration pointing out the differences between knowledge, understanding, and wisdom.
From my experience and observation in the church life, I have come to realize that elders in the churches may be short of knowledge. When some hear this, they may wonder how it is possible for elders in the Lord’s recovery to be lacking in knowledge. Knowledge is a vast field. Who can claim to know everything related to the building up of the church? It is impossible for anyone to have such a complete knowledge. For example, 31:4 and 5 say, “To devise skillful works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in bronze, and in cutting of stones for setting, and in carving of wood, to work in all workmanship.” Do you understand the significance of working in gold, silver, and bronze? Do you know how to cut stones for setting? Do you know how to carve wood? Do you know what it means in 35:35 to work in blue, in purple, in scarlet, and in fine linen? The significance of all these matters has much to do with the building up of the church today. Elders, do you really know what sanctification is? Do you know what is the “wood” used in the building of God today? You may realize that wood signifies humanity, but do you know how to “carve” humanity? Many elders have never thought about these things. Therefore, they do not have the knowledge of them.
Most elders, however, do have an amount of knowledge, but they may not have understanding. Suppose a brother and sister in the church are having a difficult time in their married life. They are constantly fighting with each other. Do you as elders really understand their problem? You may know much about them, but do you truly understand their case? Perhaps you only know how they are behaving outwardly. You may not understand the reasons for the situation and the inner causes. You may not have any understanding of the influence of their background. This indicates that you may know what is happening between them, but you do not actually understand their case.
Perhaps some elders would be able to understand the problem of this married couple. However, they may still be lacking in wisdom. They may not have the wisdom to help this couple grow in life and gain more of Christ.
In order to build up the church, the elders need knowledge, understanding, and wisdom. If all the elders in all the churches had knowledge, understanding, and wisdom, after not too long a time the condition of all the churches would be glorious. In every church there would be a rich foretaste of the New Jerusalem.
In this message I am not relying on dictionary definitions of knowledge, understanding, and wisdom. My realization of the difference between knowledge, understanding and wisdom as all these are related to the building up of the church comes from years of experience and observation.
We may use family life as a further illustration of the difference between knowledge, understanding, and wisdom. Taking care of children is a great burden, a serious responsibility. The parents, especially the mother, first need a knowledge of their children’s condition and situation. Then the parents need an understanding of their children’s motive, desire, disposition, character, and environment. The mother and father need to consider all the factors, including the influence of the relatives and the family background, that will affect the raising of the children. Then they need to look to the Lord and pray to Him for wisdom. They may pray, “Lord, we know the things concerning our children. Also we have some understanding of their disposition, character, and environment. Lord, give us the wisdom to know how to care for them and to raise them.” In order to raise our children properly, we need knowledge, understanding, and wisdom. The principle is the same with the building up of the church. If we would be used of the Lord to build the church, we need knowledge, understanding, and wisdom.
No human writings can compare with the Bible. The Bible is a book filled with divine wisdom. According to the Bible, the most noble task is the work of building up God’s dwelling place with all the furniture portraying Christ and our Christian experience. For the carrying out of the noble work of building up the church, God’s dwelling place on earth today, we need to be filled with “the Spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all workmanship” (31:3). Only when we have the proper knowledge, understanding, wisdom, and craftsmanship shall we be able to carry out the noble work of building God’s dwelling place.
This message is not only for elders; it is for all the saints of all ages, including the young sisters. We are not an organization, and we do not have either laymen or clergy. We all are simply God’s people. Therefore, all of us may be like Bezalel, Oholiab, and the wise-hearted ones to whom God has given wisdom (v. 6). We all may be wise-hearted and have a part in building the most noble structure in the entire universe — God’s dwelling place.
This message is neither a sermon nor an ordinary Bible teaching. My burden is to show you from these verses what is on God’s heart and what He wants us to do. The Lord desires a dwelling place on earth, and He wants His people to build it for Him by being filled with the Spirit in knowledge, understanding, wisdom, and craftsmanship.
I can testify that I expect the Lord to do much with the saints in the Lord’s recovery, especially with the young ones. Young sisters, do not say, “Oh, this matter of building the church doesn’t have anything to do with us. We are young sisters, still in high school. This is a job for the elders or for the older saints.” Instead of viewing the matter in this way, we all need to realize that the noble work of building up the church is for every one of us.
We all need to treasure the Lord’s speaking concerning the building up of His dwelling place, the church. I hope that you will not take this message in a light way. May we all see what is on God’s heart concerning the noble work of building His dwelling place. May we also see our need to be filled with the Spirit of God in knowledge, understanding, wisdom, and workmanship so that we may do the noble work of building.
