Ex 36:1+2, "Now Bezalel and Oholiab, and every skillful person in whom the Lord has put skill and understanding to know how to perform all the work in the construction of the sanctuary, shall perform in accordance with all that the Lord has commanded." Then Moses called Bezalel and Oholiab and every skillful person in whom the Lord had put skill, everyone whose heart stirred him, to come to the work to perform it. 
    	We now come to a most important and wonderful truth of the Lord’s graciousness and awesome dealing with the humanity whom He created. It is part of the full measure of the fact that we have been made in the image of God. It needs to be understood that we are definitely not gods unto ourselves with any of the character and divine attributes of God as our own. The key is that God has endowed us with the ability to create with our hands and our minds. We are blessed with the gift of His graciousness in being able to imagine and to bring forth artistic and inventive works which no other created being on this earth can do. 
	There are several aspects that need to be addressed as we approach this consideration. The first is that this has often been misunderstood as to the purpose of this God-given talent that we possess. Mankind has used it to try to make himself as god, as indicated very early in the history of mankind with the Tower of Babel. Man wanted to be as God and used his imagination and talent of building in order to reach into the heavens, into the place that was not his to enter by his own methodology. There were dire consequences that accompanied the Lord’s shutting down of that self-elevation by man, resulting in the scattering of humanity across the entire globe. 
The gift of creation is for the purpose of bringing glory to the One by Whom that creative gift has been endowed. It is not for the sake of trying to usurp the place of God in our lives.
	Second, as we will deal with rather extensively, the gifts of God to those in His Church are for the sake of the Church and its up building. Too often, Christians try to take unto themselves the gifts of God in order to lay some claim upon them as a means of increasing their standing within the Church community. The emphasis so often is upon the individual and his or her use of the gift rather than the full reality that the gifts given are for the edification of the Church as a whole. Again, all the glory is for the Lord and not for any one person. This is so often abused and sullied in the terms of accumulating for ourselves treasures on earth rather than those treasures in heaven which will always glorify the Giver, the Lord God Almighty. 
	With this ground work set before us, let us now look at what God has accomplished for His glory in the manner in which He bestows His gracious and wonderful gifts upon such as ourselves. He is the One Who endows us with the abilities to bring forth skillfully manufactured items. As we discover that we have certain talents, it behooves us to practice and to increase those abilities with a view point that we do so in order to honor the Lord with the skills that we are given. The focal point is always to be turned to the Lord with gratitude in our hearts that we can so honor Him in ever increasing measure. 
	As we read about those who were so skillful in their abilities, please take to heart that they had to practice their crafts over and over and over again. It was not just that they possessed the gift outright, but that they were moved to make the most of that skill through perseverance and apprenticeship and toil and time and endurance and patience and repetition. 
In Ex 28:2, we read about the spirit of wisdom within these gifts of skill. That wisdom is to know how to make the most of what the Lord has supplied. Ex 28:2, And you shall speak to all the skillful persons whom I have endowed with the spirit of wisdom, that they make Aaron's garments to consecrate him, that he may minister as priest to Me. 
	The Lord made Moses aware of the craftsmen of this morning’s passage earlier in our readings back in Ex 31:2-6. Inherent in the calling of these men by the Lord was the fact that they were practiced in the manner in which their skills would be used to manufacture everything as designed and purposed by God.
Ex 31:2-6, "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 kinds of craftsmanship, to make artistic designs for work in gold, in silver, and in bronze, and in the cutting of stones for settings, and in the carving of wood, that he may work in all kinds of craftsmanship. And behold, I Myself have appointed with him Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan; and in the hearts of all who are skillful I have put skill, that they may make all that I have commanded you: 
	So often we think that God just makes us able to do His work and bidding without thinking of the fact that He prepares us to do that which He knows we are to accomplish. This may take years of practice and crafting by the Lord before we can do what He calls us to complete for His sake. These workmen had proven themselves able to use the gifts that the Lord had instilled within them because they had shown those skills through their years of artistic design and carving of wood, and sewing of materials, and bronze working, and stone setting under their slave masters in Egypt. Because they had been forced to practice and to develop their gifts of skills, they could build all the required elements of the tent of meeting with its furniture and the manufacture of the priestly utensils and garments. 
	After specifically naming these workmen, the call then went forth, as recorded in Ex 35:10, throughout the camp for any who had skill with their hands in the manufacture of the elements that were needed. They would be under the guidance of these two craftsmen who would oversee the work to make sure that everything was done as per the Lord’s instructions and design. Everyone who could do the work was given the opportunity to add his or her talent to the completion of the project to the glory of God. Ex 35:10, 'And let every skillful man among you come, and make all that the Lord has commanded: 
	As we will now again read together in verses 21-35 of this 35th Chapter, there was a tremendous response throughout the nation of Israel to add to the glory of God in the construction of all that He required. Whether it was the contribution of the materials or the skills needed to create that which was ordained, the outpouring among the nation was phenomenal. 
Ex 35:21-35, And everyone whose heart stirred him and everyone whose spirit moved him came and brought the Lord's contribution for the work of the tent of meeting and for all its service and for the holy garments. Then all whose hearts moved them, both men and women, came and brought brooches and earrings and signet rings and bracelets, all articles of gold; so did every man who presented an offering of gold to the Lord. And every man, who had in his possession blue and purple and scarlet material and fine linen and goats' hair and rams' skins dyed red and porpoise skins, brought them. Everyone who could make a contribution of silver and bronze brought the Lord's contribution; and every man, who had in his possession acacia wood for any work of the service, brought it. And all the skilled women spun with their hands, and brought what they had spun, in blue and purple and scarlet material and in fine linen. And all the women whose heart stirred with a skill spun the goats' hair. And the rulers brought the onyx stones and the stones for setting for the ephod and for the breastpiece; and the spice and the oil for the light and for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense. The Israelites, all the men and women, whose heart moved them to bring material for all the work, which the Lord had commanded through Moses to be done, brought a freewill offering to the Lord. Then Moses said to the sons of Israel, "See, the Lord has called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. And He has filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding and in knowledge and in all craftsmanship; to make designs for working in gold and in silver and in bronze, and in the cutting of stones for settings, and in the carving of wood, so as to perform in every inventive work. He also has put in his heart to teach, both he and Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan. He has filled them with skill to perform every work of an engraver and of a designer and of an embroiderer, in blue and in purple and in scarlet material, and in fine linen, and of a weaver, as performers of every work and makers of designs. 
    	Please notice how so many of the people became part of the entire process of giving unto the Lord that which would bring Him glory and honor and praise in the work of their hands. Those who could work with the material did so in order to create the garments for the priests and the fabric for the tent of meeting. Those who could work with wood did so in order to construct the poles and the furniture and the structural posts of the whole project. Those who could work with metals did what they could skillfully accomplish in order to build and to create the utensils and the altar and the mercy seat and the other elements required. And those who could but offer the Lord the materials that He specified did so with joy and with gladness and with abundance. They offered freely and willingly from all that they had in order to be certain that the Lord would be blessed in that what was needed was abundantly supplied. 
They gave and they gave and they gave again without reservation and without ceasing until the workers were overwhelmed with the amount of the materials so freely offered. As we read this morning in verses 3 through 7 of this 36th Chapter, they had to be told to quit giving. 
Ex 36:3-7, And they received from Moses all the contributions which the sons of Israel had brought to perform the work in the construction of the sanctuary. And they still continued bringing to him freewill offerings every morning. And all the skillful men who were performing all the work of the sanctuary came, each from the work which he was performing, and they said to Moses, "The people are bringing much more than enough for the construction work which the Lord commanded us to perform." So Moses issued a command, and a proclamation was circulated throughout the camp, saying, "Let neither man nor woman any longer perform work for the contributions of the sanctuary." Thus the people were restrained from bringing any more. For the material they had was sufficient and more than enough for all the work, to perform it. 
Notice that the people had to be restrained from bringing any more of their riches and wealth unto the Lord. These were not required offerings. These were not offerings for sin or for retribution of wrongs committed, nor were they tithe from the first fruits of their work. These were free will offerings to the Lord given because the people wanted to be part of what would bring honor and reverence and joy and blessing to the Lord God Almighty, because He deserved to be so honored and so blessed. In accordance with that heart, when they could not help with the manufacture of the Tent of Meeting and all its utensils and garments, they did the next best thing that was in their power; they gave and gave and gave and gave even more to make certain that God would have His place within their camp.  
    	All they were doing in the work and in the material donations showed that they valued the labor that needed to be done as unto the Lord. They were willing to give of themselves, without reservation and without being forced, in order to bring unto God hearts that showed that His work in their lives meant something more than all the riches and the wealth of Egypt which they had brought with them from their captivity. They gave it in super abundance back to the One Who had worked so miraculously to bring them into freedom from slavery. As such, whatever they had, in essence, whether skill or wealth, all belonged to the Lord and to His plan and His purposes as detailed in the elements of His dwelling place in their midst.
	The same can be traced through the building of the Temple by Solomon. We have read many of those passages before, which detailed the gathering of the materials, first by King David and then by the rest of the nation of Israel. What we want to consider is that God was working, not only in His people’s hearts, but in the building of the Temple, God used those from the realm of even the Gentile nations to add to the splendor of His glory. 
As recounted in 1 Kings 7:13+14, some of the intricate detail and workmanship was supplied by those who were not of the tribes of Israel, although they too were gifted by God in the matter of the skills required. 1 Kings 7:13+14, Now King Solomon sent and brought Hiram from Tyre. He was a widow's son from the tribe of Naphtali, and his father was a man of Tyre, a worker in bronze; and he was filled with wisdom and understanding and skill for doing any work in bronze. So he came to King Solomon and performed all his work. 
Hiram’s mother was from the nation of Israel, but his father was from the trading city of Tyre. Yet, within him, God had placed the skill that was required for the bronze detail necessary to complete the work within the Temple that Solomon was constructing for the Lord in the city of Jerusalem. 
God is not limited by nationality or by custom or ritual. He gives His gifts to those who will use them to bring honor to His name, even from those whom we may not consider to be of the people of God. He, Alone, knows the hearts and the motives and the responses that will come forth as He reveals Himself in truth and in life as the Bestower of the gifts and skills that will bring honor and glory to His name. So be it.
"Now Bezalel and Oholiab, and every skillful person in whom the Lord has put skill and understanding to know how to perform all the work in the construction of the sanctuary, shall perform in accordance with all that the Lord has commanded." Then Moses called Bezalel and Oholiab and every skillful person in whom the Lord had put skill, everyone whose heart stirred him, to come to the work to perform it. Amen. 

This morning’s benediction is 1 Cor 1:30+31. But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, that, just as it is written, "Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord." Amen.