Humbly Possessed and Diligently Applied

09.14.09
J.A. Matteson

"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.'" Exodus 35:30

Are you functioning as the Lord intends within the covenant community, or has confusion enveloped your path, hindering progress in grace endowed fruitfulness as you subtly pursue self-exaltation? Arriving at an accurate understanding of your role within the body of Christ is paramount to one day receiving commendation from the Lord, “Well done good and faithful slave….” (Matt. 25:21). And it is worth noting, dear pilgrim, that the Lord chose “slave” in describing your relationship to Him; “servant” can suggest a voluntary arrangement while slave accurately portrays the spiritual reality of your blessed redemption through the atoning blood of Christ, “For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body” (1 Cor. 6:20).

Suggesting to a fellow pilgrim that he can and ought to perform whatever he chooses is folly and an insult to the King of Glory; beloved, silly notions of this variety find no support from Holy Writ. As the Lords bond-slave what constitutes pleasing service to Him? Is it not a pliable disposition, one which submits to divine directives, those which are always in accordance to the pilgrims intended function within the covenant community as crafted by the Lord?

Bezalel serves as a type whereby the pilgrim observes in him a tender heart which hears and responds to the divine call and directive of the Lord, where the consummation of his obedience if found to be integral—along with all the saints—to the final eschatological glorification of the name of the Lord, “All nations whom You have made shall come and worship before You, O Lord, And they shall glorify Your name” (Ps. 86:9).

The wisdom and characteristics implanted within the pilgrim in the form of natural abilities bring glory to the Lord when humbly possessed and diligently applied. The naïvely immature pilgrim seeks to accomplish great exploits for the Lord, sinisterly indicative of the sinful Adamic nature—exploits manifested from inner pride—those not directed by Him and to which he is not suited, those outside of his divine call and gifting, and the resultant outcome is failure, frustration, and divine chastisement.

King Uzziah served the Lord faithfully for decades, but ended his reign in disgrace, succumbing to pride by insisting on fulfilling the role of priest, a function to which he was neither called nor equipped, and he experienced the chastisement of the Lord of Hosts, “…It is not for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the LORD, but for the priests, the sons of Aaron who are consecrated to burn incense. Get out of the sanctuary, for you have been unfaithful and will have no honor from the LORD God. But Uzziah, with a censer in his hand for burning incense, was enraged; and while he was enraged with the priests, the leprosy broke out on his forehead before the priests in the house of the LORD, beside the altar of incense” (2 Chr. 26:18-19).

To the unregenerate mind the gifting of the Lord appears as merely a natural endowment and he is inclined to conclude that so-and-so simply possesses an uncanny ability—a lucky endowment—to perform specific tasks well. Scripture, however, reveals a very different picture of personal giftedness, testifying that it is the result of divine grace, the Lord bestowing upon individuals particular abilities according to His good pleasure and for His purposes. When the Lord purposes to bring His design to pass He stirs the hearts of His people a desire to release that which has been implanted within them. Bezalel was gifted and called by the Lord as an artisan, his giftedness being confirmed through the excellence of that which he created, being affirmed by the Lord and the covenant community, both taking delight in his work.

Beloved, consider in what way the Lord has gifted and called you to function within the body of Christ, then enter into that work with diligence and excellence for the glory of His name.

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