18 Nov Peter M. Bezalel
I know a man, a very gifted, artistic man, named Peter.
Let’s call him Peter Mbithi.
I came across him about two years ago, as I was seeking a graphic designer for a new venture.
Now, unfortunately for Peter, I happened to be studying the book of Exodus at the time, and was highly impressed by the story of Bezalel, a very talented designer and artisan in the service of the Lord.
So, having seen Peter’s impressive designs, I promptly named him Peter Bezalel.
And Peter Bezalel he has remained to this day – at least in the address book of my trusty Android..
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We are told, dear reader, that the Lord our God has always known the end from the beginning.
He knew that the children of Israel would one day leave their homes and be enslaved in a foreign land.
He knew that in the course of several hundred years of hard labour – sheer, mind-numbing tedium – they would eventually lose some of their valued identity and traditions.
Perhaps even their very faith.
But He also knew that He would one day rescue them from their oppressors, yea by a mighty hand.
And He knew that the time would come when He would need to re-introduce Himself to His people, and cause them to go back to walking with Him, as their forefathers had done.
And He knew that at that time, the people would need a sanctuary, a holy and sanctified place where His Presence could rest among them.
And at that time, they would need someone to build this place, somewhere out there in the wilderness on the way to the Promised Land.
They would need neither a priest, nor a man of God to supervise this work of artistic splendor.
They would need an artisan.
A highly gifted one.
A man like Bezalel, the son of Uri, the son of Hur.
And so, we are told, the Lord had filled Bezalel with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship.
And when the time came, God hand-picked him to lead the construction of His dwelling place, instructing Moses to appoint him Manager over all other craftsmen who were to work on this great project.
And thus the Tabernacle of the Lord was built, together with the Ark of the Covenant and all the gold, silver and bronze articles that were to be used by the Israelites in the service of the Lord.
And Bezalel, son of Uri, was the Chief Artisan, head of all those who were appointed to work on this most holy of ventures.
This, I daresay, may have been Bezalel’s very life purpose – to build a worthy dwelling place for the Most Holy Presence of the Lord our God.
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And this, I would imagine, is how God works with each of us.
He knows us by name even before we are formed in our mother’s womb.
He places in us His specific purpose for our lives.
He nurtures us and grooms us for this purpose, whether we are aware of it or not.
But most importantly, I believe, he places in us the gifts and talents that will be required for this, our life’s very purpose.
Such is the love and sheer favour that the Lord has reserved for us, His beloved children!
So if you’re reading this, Peter Mbithi, I invite you to take a moment to complete this puzzle.
Peter was filled with the Spirit of God in wisdom, understanding and knowledge in … (insert your gift)… to … (insert your God-given purpose).
And I will take some time to fill in my own puzzle too, in a minute.
Watch the video: “Bezalel”
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See, I have called by name Bezalel 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, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship, to design artistic works, to work in gold, in silver, in bronze, in cutting jewels for setting, in carving wood, and to work in all manner of workmanship.
Exodus 31: 1-3
Image Copyright: Cook Communications Ministries
Judy Khanyola
Posted at 17:36h, 18 NovemberDear Paulie, one thing that struck me about your “Peter M. Bezalel” is that it says he was filled with the ” …Spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge…” and that this came FIRST before all his other very many workmanship talents. Dare I suggest that that is the right order: God, wisdom, understanding, knowledge THEN the talents? I am still to answer your puzzle as I don’t know my purpose and the talents related to that….
On a lighter note…I love your blog because of its sheer grammatical correctness…for me who has a slight touch of OCD…i just groove on the fact that there are no spelling mistakes,, no grammatical errors…ahhhhh heaven!!!
Keep it up my sister!
Martin Njihia
Posted at 19:39h, 18 NovemberAnd Peter Bezalel he has remained to this day – at least in the address book of my trusty Android.. 🙂 Great humor and “heavy” substance here about purpose and the Holy Spirit’s role in helping us be what we were created to be. Thanks for the reminder on whom we need to look up to for the next level!
Tina Nzuki
Posted at 22:19h, 18 NovemberThis one resonated with me.. Like you I am filling in the gaps soon. Good read!
(Get that book going already)☺️
Caroline Odongo
Posted at 23:08h, 15 JanuaryPaulie your writing amazes and inspires me every time. I will endeavor to fill in the gaps as I know He has a purpose for me. I know my talents/gifts but I am still struggling with my purpose.