We broke ground on the property our small congregation of about a hundred people had purchased with a loan and fundraisers.  We were renting a building for church and were anxious to avoid rental costs in the future with owning our own building dedicated to God for His glory and for our outreach to a community closer to where most of us lived.  I remember my grandpa, elder and worship leader, gathering shovels for the pastor and other elders to ceremoniously turn over the soil on our new property, dedicating it to God.  We rejoiced as we gathered in a large circle while imagining what God would do next to provide a building for us in the near future.  I was in junior high at the time.  This moment in time was impressive to me.  It will always be a vivid memory of the dedication of ordinary people, willingly used of God to do extraordinary, miraculous God-sized projects.

We prayed for just right place and God guided us to this property in a place near crossroads heavily traveled.  Many more gatherings at the altar, seeking God’s guidance and provision would occur over the next few years as we dreamed of God’s building.  My grandpa, a competent carpenter by trade, was chosen to oversee the structure from the inside out and outside in.  He donated all his time and labor to this project. I watched him work and saw the joy he had in perfecting each task.  Grandpa knew people in construction and was able to keep costs down by seeking skillful people who would donate some of their labor for this new church.  In the meantime, the congregation did want they could to raise the money needed for a down payment that would secure a loan for the rest of the building. 

It just so happened that my timid, widowed grandma, my dad’s mom, worked for a wealthy woman as her household manager.  This oil baroness loved Grandma but avoided talk of her faith as she was not a believer.  The wealthy woman’s lawyer visited often and was also impressed with Grandma’s faith and work ethic.  One day, Grandma felt led by God to tell them what her church was doing.  “What do you need?”  was their response!  Grandma was anxiously surprised by their asking and told them about God’s building plan with the need.  The lawyer worked out a loan that was more than generous as well as timely!  God provided the funds needed to build!   

There is a lot more to this story, but you get the picture and I enjoyed telling you a portion of the story of God’s provision that occurred from 1965-1969.  The completed building appraised later (in that time) for about $100,000 but it was built for about $25,000!  It still stands today and is used for God’s purpose—worship of God, learning about God, while serving the people of the community.

God guided; God provided.  God leads Moses to His choice of craftsmen, gifted by Him to do all that He has commanded His people to do.  Let’s listen in…

Exodus 31

Bezalel and Oholiab

Then the Lord said to Moses, ² “See, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, ³ and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skills— ⁴ to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, ⁵ to cut and set stones, to work in wood, and to engage in all kinds of crafts. ⁶ Moreover, I have appointed Oholiab son of Ahisamak, of the tribe of Dan, to help him. Also I have given ability to all the skilled workers to make everything I have commanded you: ⁷ the tent of meeting, the ark of the covenant law with the atonement cover on it, and all the other furnishings of the tent— ⁸ the table and its articles, the pure gold lampstand and all its accessories, the altar of incense, ⁹ the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, the basin with its stand— ¹⁰ and also the woven garments, both the sacred garments for Aaron the priest and the garments for his sons when they serve as priests, ¹¹ and the anointing oil and fragrant incense for the Holy Place. They are to make them just as I commanded you.”

The Sabbath

¹² Then the Lord said to Moses, ¹³ “Say to the Israelites, ‘You must observe my Sabbaths. This will be a sign between me and you for the generations to come, so you may know that I am the Lord, who makes you holy.

¹⁴ “‘Observe the Sabbath, because it is holy to you. Anyone who desecrates it is to be put to death; those who do any work on that day must be cut off from their people. ¹⁵ For six days work is to be done, but the seventh day is a day of sabbath rest, holy to the Lord. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day is to be put to death. ¹⁶ The Israelites are to observe the Sabbath, celebrating it for the generations to come as a lasting covenant. ¹⁷ It will be a sign between me and the Israelites forever, for in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed.’”

¹⁸ When the Lord finished speaking to Moses on Mount Sinai, he gave him the two tablets of the covenant law, the tablets of stone inscribed by the finger of God.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

God enjoys gifting people with all they need to accomplish His Plan and purpose for each one of our lives. God provides all for our good and His glory. The sooner we understand how God works, the sooner we can see the benefits while enjoying His work in and through us!  God gives us purpose! There is no one like our God!

The prophet Jeremiah proclaims this truth later as God’s People are exiled while suffering from another bondage.  In Jeremiah’s God-led letter to the exiles we learn why it is written;

“This is the text of the letter that the prophet Jeremiah sent from Jerusalem to the surviving elders among the exiles and to the priests, the prophets and all the other people Nebuchadnezzar had carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon.(This was after King Jehoiachin and the queen mother, the court officials and the leaders of Judah and Jerusalem, the skilled workers and the artisans had gone into exile from Jerusalem.)” Jeremiah 29:1-2

This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: ⁵ “Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. ⁶ Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease. ⁷ Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” Jeremiah 29:4-7

In other words, God is in control and His plan will prevail. God is relentless in accomplishing His Plan—just look at Jesus!  God’s compassions for His People do not fail.  His love for all who believe never fails!  Truth.

Within this next text of Jeremiah, of which we often only quote the popular portion, gives us a look at the bigger picture;

“This is what the Lord says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.” Jeremiah 29:10-14

Jeremiah offered hope in a seemingly hopeless situation.  One of the first steps in turning tragedy and trials into triumph is to accept the situation courageously and put ourselves into the hands of a loving God, who makes no mistakes.  The Jews, God’s Chosen People since before Moses easily could have waged constant warfare against their idolatrous Gentile captors, but Jeremiah instructed them to strive to get along with the Babylonians. The exiles were to be peacemakers, not troublemakers, and they were to pray sincerely for their enemies; the same message that God spoke through Jesus and his disciples! (Matt. 5:43–48; 1 Tim. 2:1–3; Titus 3:1-2). It was possible to be good Jews even in a pagan land.  Mm, food for thought, right?  Is it possible to be good believers in Jesus in the pagan world around us?  Yes, absolutely!

Jesus is our Hope of eternal life with God.  Jesus, God Son, was sent to earth centuries later to speak on a mountain top to thousands who would gather to hear the same message of hope—the outcome of God’s love, mercy, and grace.  Here are some portions of His teachings;

• “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.  Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” Matthew 5:8-12
• “Pray then like this: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” Matthew 6:9-10
• “Therefore, do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles (unbelievers) seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” Matthew 6:31-33
• “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.” Matthew 7:7-8

In every situation, God’s people have the responsibility to seek the Lord, pray, and ask Him to fulfill His promises, for the Word and prayer go together (Acts 6:4). And we are responsible for observing the Sabbath and keeping it holy for God is holy. This is another commanding provision for our good and His glory! 

Whether it’s for building the tabernacle in the Old Testament, building the church in the New Testament, or building our lives and ministries today, the Holy Spirit of God must equip us and enable us to do the work!

“Honor the Sabbath and keep it holy”—

It’s so unfortunate that the scribes and Pharisees added thirty-nine forbidden acts to this commandment so that observing the Sabbath became a burden instead of a blessing (Mark 2:23—3:5).  Jesus rebuked the rules, not the Sabbath.  The practices of the Pharisees’ interpretation of the Sabbath revealed their hard hearts of unholy in view of a perfectly Holy God.  Distasteful to the heart of God!  The Sabbath was meant for the good of mankind, made in God’s own image, to rest after six days of labor for the purpose of being refreshed while praising and thanking God for all He has done.  It’s pretty simple when you think about it.  We must protect this time with God for it is in these moments that God reveals Himself to us.  Psalm 46

God Guides—God Provides.  Seek God and He will be found—His promise!

Lord,

Thank you for all you have done to bring us to a greater understanding of who you are with all you have provided since the beginning!  We were created to love and worship you because of your great love for us.  Your greatest desire is for us to love You back with sincere heart.  I do love and believe what you say to be true.  I will spend the rest of my life telling of your great love for us. 

In Jesus Name, for Your glory, Amen