April 21st, 2026
Woodworking
Exodus 31:1-6 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.
As many of you know, I have spent much of my free time this past week sanding and refinishing some book shelves for my office. I’m pretty happy with how the final product is looking, but I am reminded that I am not a professional woodworker or furniture remodeler. This fact reminded me of two Israelites that many of you probably have never heard of or have forgotten if you have heard of them: Bezalel and Oholiab.
These men were the craftsmen responsible for building and decorating the Tabernacle — the dwelling place of God in the Israelite’s midst. God did not simply call them to their roles, but God equipped them for what He placed before them. Not only that, but God the Father filled these men with the Holy Spirit to equip them for the work.
We don’t often think about the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament, but our Triune God is eternally three persons, and each person reveals Himself throughout Scripture. That’s great news for us today, because this life is hard. There are constantly tasks ahead of us that are well-beyond our skillsets and knowledge, but God has given us His Spirit to fill us with abilities and intelligence to fulfill His will for His Church.
It isn’t about us, and that should reassure us. God’s Church is far more valuable that bookshelves, and we can have confidence in the God who calls to equip whomever He calls. So, let’s continue to faithfully trust in God for this next chapter of His will for Christ Presbyterian Church and lay our lives before Him as a humble offering to serve as He leads us to serve.
The Holy Spirit may not be in my refinishing of the bookshelves, but we can have confidence that He is in our midst every time we gather to worship our holy God and grew in fellowship with one another as the body of Christ.
Rev. Joshua Fried
Pastor
Exodus 31:1-6 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.
As many of you know, I have spent much of my free time this past week sanding and refinishing some book shelves for my office. I’m pretty happy with how the final product is looking, but I am reminded that I am not a professional woodworker or furniture remodeler. This fact reminded me of two Israelites that many of you probably have never heard of or have forgotten if you have heard of them: Bezalel and Oholiab.
These men were the craftsmen responsible for building and decorating the Tabernacle — the dwelling place of God in the Israelite’s midst. God did not simply call them to their roles, but God equipped them for what He placed before them. Not only that, but God the Father filled these men with the Holy Spirit to equip them for the work.
We don’t often think about the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament, but our Triune God is eternally three persons, and each person reveals Himself throughout Scripture. That’s great news for us today, because this life is hard. There are constantly tasks ahead of us that are well-beyond our skillsets and knowledge, but God has given us His Spirit to fill us with abilities and intelligence to fulfill His will for His Church.
It isn’t about us, and that should reassure us. God’s Church is far more valuable that bookshelves, and we can have confidence in the God who calls to equip whomever He calls. So, let’s continue to faithfully trust in God for this next chapter of His will for Christ Presbyterian Church and lay our lives before Him as a humble offering to serve as He leads us to serve.
The Holy Spirit may not be in my refinishing of the bookshelves, but we can have confidence that He is in our midst every time we gather to worship our holy God and grew in fellowship with one another as the body of Christ.
Rev. Joshua Fried
Pastor
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