Ex. 31: Hire These Artisans; Testimony Tablets

As Moses is downloading all this information and instruction from God, I am sure that he began to feel pretty overwhelmed by what God was telling him. Who was going to actually build and forge these things? Who would embroider and design all this stuff? Moses was a shepherd, that's not exactly right-brain territory.

Also, all this stuff shows me that God is a God of creativity, and someone who gifts people with creativity and expects this creativity to be used to honor Him. This is the case with Bezalel from Judah. God gave him all kinds of skills with design in metal and stones. Craftsmanship. These weren't a bunch of cave-painting Neanderthals. They were clever and creative and skilled. Another man God pointed out to Moses was Oholiab from Dan. These two men were apparently indwelt with all the necessary skill and ability to do whatever God commanded to be done. Why would God ask for something from us that we simply are not able to do?

God then reiterates to Moses the importance of the Sabbath. He wants this to always be a sign to His people that He is the LORD, who makes them holy. Desecrating the Sabbath was punishable by death. This is how important this rest was to God. Its a celebration of deliverance and of completing the six days of work and resting on the seventh, as God did originally. Exodus 31:18 is in direct reference to Genesis 2:2.

When the LORD finished speaking to Moses, he gave him the two tablets of the testimony, which God carved in stone with his own finger. I bet the penmanship was impeccable. Now Moses can bring this testimony down to the people, and they will be all set to follow God.