A few years ago I was involved with leading a group of young adults here in the Middle East. On one particular day when we had gathered together there were between 10-12 young people who were all fairly new believers in Yeshua, ranging from one to three years in the faith.
As we were sitting and drinking tea together I asked a question that I wanted everyone to answer to promote discussion and to facilitate an opportunity for the group to get to know one another better. I posed the following question: “What spiritual gift or gifts do you believe that God has given you?” It was a simple question that invited each one to be vulnerable before the group and provide greater insight into each one’s unique gifting, however, I wasn’t prepared for their response.
The entire group of young people, outside of one young man who had recently moved to our city and joined our congregation, all responded in the same manner: “What are you talking about? What are spiritual gifts?” I was shocked at their response, especially from those who had been believers for 2-3 years. They were not just saying that they didn’t know what their individual spiritual gifts were but they were proclaiming that they had not yet even heard of this subject after attending this particular congregation for 1-3 years. Something was drastically wrong.
Our conversation for the remainder of that day took a different course than I had anticipated. Instead of a conversation about their spiritual gifts we had to begin with the foundation of the existence of spiritual gifts and the unique function that they have in the life of the believer.
The Function of the Holy Spirit
I learned a valuable lesson that day from the response of those young people. If believers don’t know the function of the Holy Spirit and the God-given abilities that are available to every believer through the gifts of the Spirit, than how can the corporate body of believers operate in its fulness? There is also the reality that if believers are not walking in the power of the Holy Spirit than they are only walking in their own power. This is not what God intended. We see a clear illustration of the filling and empowering by the Holy Spirit of the people of God in this week’s Torah Portion study.
The Building of the Tabernacle
The name of this week’s Torah Portion is called “ויקהל” – “Vayakhel,” and means “And he assembled:”
Then Moses assembled all the congregation of the sons of Israel, and said to them, “These are the things that the LORD has commanded you to do: – Ex. 35:1
Moses assembled the sons of Israel together to remind them of all that God had spoken to them, specifically regarding the building of the Tabernacle:
Let every skillful man among you come, and make all that the LORD has commanded: the tabernacle, its tent and its covering, … – Ex. 35:10-11
The phrase “every skillful man” in the Hebrew is “כל חכם לב” – “kol chacham lev” and literally means “every wise-hearted” person. Moses was calling together the Israelites who were prepared and equipped with the wisdom and skill needed to build the Tabernacle of the LORD. As we continue to look at this week’s study we will discover the source of this wisdom and skill.
The building of the Tabernacle was to be a community effort with everyone contributing as they were able. There were those who donated gold, silver, bronze, and other materials for the building of the Tabernacle (Ex. 35:20-29). There were also those who performed the physical labor of building the Tabernacle, who were led by a specific foreman and his helper:
Then Moses said to the sons of Israel, “See, the LORD has called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. And He has filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding and in knowledge and in all craftsmanship; to make designs for working in gold and in silver and in bronze, and in the cutting of stones for settings and in the carving of wood, so as to perform in every inventive work. He also has put in his heart to teach, both he and Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan. He has filled them with skill to perform every work of an engraver and of a designer and of an embroiderer, in blue and in purple and in scarlet material, and in fine linen, and of a weaver, as performers of every work and makers of designs. – Ex. 35:30-35
Both Bezalel and Oholiab were chosen by God to oversee the whole project of the building of the Tabernacle. All of the names mentioned in this section are rich with meaning. To read in more detail about the significance of the names, I recommend reading the following article: The Shadow of the Law
Being Filled with the Spirit of God
In order to perform the work of constructing the Tabernacle, the text tells us that Bezalel was filled “with the Spirit of God in wisdom, in understanding and in knowledge and in all craftsmanship” (Ex. 35:31). The above verses also tell us that God filled both Bezalel and Oholiab with skill and with the ability to teach others to perform all the work that was to be accomplished. In Exodus 35:35 the Hebrew text literally reads, “מלא אותם חכמת לב” – “mileh otam chakmat lev,” which is translated, “He filled them with a heart of wisdom.” These men were not just good workers who knew how to see a project through to the end but rather they were men who were filled with the Spirit of God and given the ability to accomplish the task assigned to them by the LORD.
Bezalel and Oholiab were set apart by God to build the Tabernacle of God through the ability that God gave them by His Spirit. Although they were set apart by God, they were not to accomplish this task alone. They were to teach others the skills and ability that they were given so that others could also perform the work.
The Wise of Heart
We read earlier that Moses had called for all of those who were skilled (“כל חכם לב” – “all the wise of heart”) to come and make the Tabernacle as the LORD had commanded (Ex. 35:10). God was not partial regarding those whom He filled with wisdom to perform the work which He commanded to be done. We read about the women who also took part in the construction of the Tabernacle:
All the skilled women spun with their hands, and brought what they had spun, in blue and purple and scarlet material and in fine linen. All the women whose heart stirred with a skill spun the goats’ hair. – Ex. 35:25-26
The phrase “All the skilled women” in Hebrew is the phrase “כל אשה חכמת לב” – “kol isha chamat lev,” which is literally translated, “every wise-hearted woman.” The LORD took particular individuals, both men and women, and filled them with wisdom and skill in order to perform the work which He called them to perform.
We read in Exodus 28 how the LORD had called for all of the “wise of heart” to make the garments of the priests:
You shall speak to all the skillful persons whom I have endowed with the spirit of wisdom, that they make Aaron’s garments to consecrate him, that he may minister as priest to Me. – Ex. 28:3
The phrase “skillful persons” used here is again the phrase “wise of heart” in the plural, “כל חכמי לב” – “kol chakmei lev.” We also read in this verse that it was God who “endowed” (literally “filled”) them with the “spirit of wisdom” to perform the task of making the garments. In Hebrew this phrase reads, “אשר מלאתיו רוח חכמה” – “asher miletiv ruach chakma” and literally means “those whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom.”
The Spirit of Wisdom
There is a consistent use of the phrase “wise of heart” to describe the people who worked on the Tabernacle from Bezalel, the chief project manager, to the women who spun the goat’s hair. The Scriptures specifically tell us that Bezalel was filled with the Spirit of God (Ex. 35:30) and also that God filled the “wise of heart” who were to make the garments of the priest with the “spirit of wisdom” (Ex. 28:3). There seems to be a connection between those who are “wise of heart” and the Spirit of God. Can we make the assumption that those who were considered “wise of heart” were all filled with the Spirit of God?
We know for sure that the LORD had given each person wisdom, knowledge, understanding, and skill to perform the task of building and constructing the Tabernacle:
Now Bezalel and Oholiab, and every skillful person in whom the LORD has put skill and understanding to know how to perform all the work in the construction of the sanctuary, shall perform in accordance with all that the LORD has commanded. – Ex. 36:1
The LORD Himself imparted wisdom and knowledge and everything that was needed to accomplish what He had ordered to be done. Bezalel, Oholiab, and every other skilled person could not boast of their abilities but they could only admit that they were filled with the “spirit of wisdom” (Ex. 28:3) by the living God. What does it mean to be filled with the “spirit of wisdom?
The Spirit of the LORD and the Spirit of Wisdom
In understanding the connection between the “spirit of wisdom” and the Holy Spirit I want to look at a well-known Messianic prophecy found in the book of Isaiah:
Then a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse,
And a branch from his roots will bear fruit.
The Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him,
The spirit of wisdom and understanding,
The spirit of counsel and strength,
The spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD. – Isaiah 11:1-2
These verses are clearly referring to the Messiah as the “branch” and the “stem of Jesse.” In describing the “Spirit of the LORD” which would rest on the Messiah we read that the “Spirit of the LORD” is characterized as, “the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and strength, the spirit of knowledge, and the fear of the LORD.” The “spirit of wisdom” is certainly a characteristic of the Holy Spirit of God.
We don’t know exactly what it meant for all of those who were involved in the building of the Tabernacle to be filled with the “spirit of wisdom” and to what extent they were filled with the Holy Spirit, however, we do know for certain that the LORD Himself enabled Bezalel and the others to build His Tabernacle with the wisdom, knowledge, and skill that He provided for them. We also know for sure that God’s Holy Spirit was intimately involved in this process and had filled specific people for a specific purpose (Ex. 28:3. 35:31).
In the end, God’s Tabernacle was built by His people through the guidance and empowerment of His Holy Spirit. Each person who was “wise of heart” and filled with the “spirit of wisdom” performed his or her God-given task for the sake of the glory of God. This is a perfect picture of how believers today are to use their spiritual gifts for the building of God’s kingdom on earth.
God’s New Testament Building Project
Before Yeshua left this world and ascended to the Father in heaven He commissioned His disciples with a project for them to complete:
All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. – Matt. 28:18-20
The original disciples, and all disciples of Yeshua today, are commissioned with this project of building the kingdom of God through making disciples and teaching others the commands of Yeshua. A lofty goal but how will this be accomplished?
Yeshua told His disciples that they would not be alone in this project but that He would continually be with them through the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit (John 14:16). Yeshua also instructed His disciples that they were not to leave Jerusalem but to wait for the Holy Spirit whom they would receive:
Gathering them together, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised, “Which,” He said, “you heard of from Me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now…”
“… you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.” – Acts 1:4-6, 8
The disciples were faced with an impossible task but they were not left to their own power. They were to wait for the Holy Spirit to fill and empower them in order to go forth in His strength and ability. The outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the disciples began in Acts 2.
Two thousand years have passed since the Holy Spirit filled the first believers for this New Covenant project. This project continues and it can only continue through the power of the Holy Spirit. Believers in Yeshua were never meant to build God’s kingdom and make disciples in their own power and ability. It is impossible! The Holy Spirit must be at the core of this project for making disciples of all nations, otherwise it is only a great human effort that is doomed to failure.
The Gifts of the Holy Spirit
The New Testament clearly instructs us that every believer in Yeshua is to receive the Holy Spirit of God and is given at least one spiritual gift from God:
Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord. There are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons. But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. – 1 Corinthians 12:4-7
We are empowered by the Holy Spirit and given the Holy Spirit for the common good of building up the body of believers.
The congregation of believers was never meant to be a stage for musicians and charismatic speakers. Every believer should be involved in exercising his or her gift for the glory of God. For those who would like to learn more about the New Testament teaching on spiritual gifts I encourage you to read the main Scriptures which focus on this subject: 1 Corinthians 12-14. Romans 12. Ephesians 4. & 1 Peter 4.
I want to end this week’s study with a challenge and some questions for each one to think about:
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Do you know Yeshua and have you received the Holy Spirit?
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If you can answer yes to the above question, do you know what your spiritual gifts are?
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If you do know your spiritual gift(s), are you using your spiritual gift(s) for the building up of God’s Kingdom by making disciples?
These questions are not meant to cause anyone to feel inadequate or guilty but rather to challenge each person to go forward in the faith of Yeshua and to walk in all the fulness that God has for each one of us in the power of His Holy Spirit.
The majority of our individual frustrations regarding spiritual things and the current situation of the body of believers today stems from our not understanding the role that the Holy Spirit plays in our individual lives and in the greater community of believers. Closely tied to this is our neglect of relying on the Holy Spirit of God and our failure to walk in His Power. The Holy Spirit must have preeminence in our lives if we are to see the fulfillment of Yeshua’s command to “go and make disciples of all nations” become a reality.
Great and timely word! Many assemblies here in the states are in need of a proper understanding of the Holy Spirit. I believe we desparately need a change from what we have been doing. To set our hearts on Him and His commission again and wait till He sends His Spirit upon us! Thanks
Thank you Jason!
Let us pray for the Holy Spirit’s anointing and expect God’s blessing as we walk in obedience.
Daniel