WISDOM IN OUR HEARTS (8)

“And I have filled Him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship” – Exodus 31:3

The records of Bezaleel and company epitomize the worth of WISDOM in OUR HEARTS: “See, I have called by name Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah: and I have filled Him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship” (vv.2-3). God deposited His Wisdom in the hearts of Bezaleel and those that worked on the tabernacle, to construct, fabricate, and assemble according to pattern, all He commanded. God puts Wisdom in the hearts of His people, not only for obviously spiritual tasks, but for secular creative endeavours like arts, crafts, science, technology, and architecture. Wisdom in the heart is not limited to spiritual illumination; it is the basis for creative inventions and innovations.

The Bible presents severally this dimension of Heart-based Wisdom:

• “So you shall speak to all who are gifted artisans, whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom, that they may make Aaron’s garments, to consecrate him, that he may minister to Me as priest” (Exo.28:3). The King James Version translates the term “gifted artisans” as “wise hearted.” God put wisdom in the hearts of the makers of ministry garment for His priests!

• “And I, indeed I, have appointed with him Aholiab the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan; and I have put WISDOM in the HEARTS of all the gifted artisans, that they may make all that I have commanded you” (Exo. 31:6). In this case, God put Wisdom in the heats of artisans for diverse artistic and architectural designs and details: “to design artistic work, to work in gold, in silver, in bronze, in cutting jewels for setting, in carving wood, and to work in all manner of workmanship” (vv.4-5).

• “And all the women that were WISE HEARTED did spin with their hands, and brought that which they had spun, both of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet, and of fine linen. And all the women whose heart stirred them up in WISDOM spun goats’ hair” (Exo. 35:25-26, KJV). God’s Wisdom in the wise-hearted women enabled them to spin variety of colourful fabrics and textiles.

• “Then wrought Bezaleel and Aholiab, and every WISE HEARTED man, in whom the LORD put WISDOM and understanding to know how to work all manner of work for the service of the sanctuary, according to all that the LORD had commanded. And Moses called Bezaleel and Aholiab, and every WISE HEARTED man, in whose HEART the LORD had put WISDOM, even every one whose heart stirred him up to come unto the work to do it” (Exo.36: 1-2, KJV). God, through Moses, anointed, appointed, and employed only the wise hearted to produce diverse equipment in “the service of the sanctuary”!

• “He also made the lampstand of pure gold; of hammered work he made the lampstand. Its shaft, its branches, its bowls, its ornamental knobs, and its flowers were of the same piece” (Exo.37:17). Bezaleel showed such dexterity and skill that he was able to transform one piece of gold into an ornamental lampstand or candlestick with branches, bowls, flowers, and more.

Most strikingly, there was sufficient wisdom in Bezaleel’s heart to know how to accomplish the assignment of building the tabernacle (Exo. 35:30-35). Bezaleel was not limited by his age, skill level, or experience because God put wisdom in his heart: “He has filled them with KILL to DO all manner of work of the engraver and the designer and the tapestry maker, in blue, purple, and scarlet thread, and fine linen, and of the weaver – those who do every work and those who design artistic works” (v.35).

We can infer that it’s this same Wisdom that God has put in human hearts that’s manifesting in contemporary arts, crafts, scientific inventions, technological innovations, and digital revolution such as the Internet, 3D printing, artificial intelligence, augmented reality, capsule endoscopy, nanotechnology, robot heart, retinal implant, block-chain, driverless vehicles, and autonomous flying vehicles. These are products of God-glorifying Wisdom, not the devil’s corrupted intelligence!