Craftsman Building God’s House

Who was the first person in the bible said to be filled with the Holy Spirit? 

That’s a good bit of Bible trivia to know.  It would be understandable to think Adam, or Abraham, or Moses or one of the “big names” of the Old Testament.  But, the answer is certainly not the “Sunday School” answer you would expect.

Exodus 31:1-3- Then the Lord said to Moses, “See, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skills

The first person in scripture described as being “filled” with the Spirit of God is the artisan Bezalel.  Ever heard of him before? Probably not!

In Exodus, Bezalel is a craftsman called by God to lead the fabrication of the Tabernacle tent and all the items used in Israel’s worship.  The Tabernacle was the portable worship space that Israel carried all over after they left Egypt, and the items for worship were things like an altar, lamp stands, and the Ark of the Covenant (think, Indiana Jones and Raiders of the Lost Ark). 

Since this is the first biblical instance of being “filled” with God’s Spirit, it helps us understand how the Lord uses this feature of His relationship with us. Bezalel was filled with the Spirit to complete a task set before him by the LORD.  In the same way, a primary purpose of being filled with the Holy Spirit upon our salvation in Christ is to accomplish God’s works, especially building up His Church.

I think God is still doing that uniquely with artists and craftsmen in the church today, and I see it often within our worship ministry. God commissions the work, and then empowers His people to DO the work. 

On the surface our worship teams play songs, plan services, run sound, advance slides, run cameras hoping our church joins us in worship.  But beneath, in the spiritual realm, God is using this work to build up a house made of His Spirit-filled people, whose worship is acceptable to Him because of Jesus. 

- John Day, Worship Pastor