Exo 35:1-35  Whosoever is of Willing Heart, let him Bring an Offering to the Lord

[Study Aired January 30, 2023]

Exo 35:1  And Moses gathered all the congregation of the children of Israel together, and said unto them, These are the words which the LORD hath commanded, that ye should do them.
Exo 35:2  Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day there shall be to you an holy day, a sabbath of rest to the LORD: whosoever doeth work therein shall be put to death.
Exo 35:3  Ye shall kindle no fire throughout your habitations upon the sabbath day.
Exo 35:4  And Moses spake unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying, This is the thing which the LORD commanded, saying,
Exo 35:5  Take ye from among you an offering unto the LORD: whosoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it, an offering of the LORD; gold, and silver, and brass,
Exo 35:6  And blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and goats’ hair,
Exo 35:7  And rams’ skins dyed red, and badgers’ skins, and shittim wood,
Exo 35:8  And oil for the light, and spices for anointing oil, and for the sweet incense,
Exo 35:9  And onyx stones, and stones to be set for the ephod, and for the breastplate.
Exo 35:10  And every wise hearted among you shall come, and make all that the LORD hath commanded; 
Exo 35:11  The tabernacle, his tent, and his covering, his taches, and his boards, his bars, his pillars, and his sockets, 
Exo 35:12  The ark, and the staves thereof, with the mercy seat, and the vail of the covering, 
Exo 35:13  The table, and his staves, and all his vessels, and the shewbread, 
Exo 35:14  The candlestick also for the light, and his furniture, and his lamps, with the oil for the light,
Exo 35:15  And the incense altar, and his staves, and the anointing oil, and the sweet incense, and the hanging for the door at the entering in of the tabernacle,
Exo 35:16  The altar of burnt offering, with his brasen grate, his staves, and all his vessels, the laver and his foot, 
Exo 35:17  The hangings of the court, his pillars, and their sockets, and the hanging for the door of the court, 
Exo 35:18  The pins of the tabernacle, and the pins of the court, and their cords, 
Exo 35:19  The cloths of service, to do service in the holy place, the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments of his sons, to minister in the priest’s office. 
Exo 35:20  And all the congregation of the children of Israel departed from the presence of Moses. 
Exo 35:21  And they came, every one whose heart stirred him up, and every one whom his spirit made willing, and they brought the LORD’S offering to the work of the tabernacle of the congregation, and for all his service, and for the holy garments. 
Exo 35:22  And they came, both men and women, as many as were willing hearted, and brought bracelets, and earrings, and rings, and tablets, all jewels of gold: and every man that offered offered an offering of gold unto the LORD.
Exo 35:23  And every man, with whom was found blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and goats’ hair, and red skins of rams, and badgers’ skins, brought them.
Exo 35:24  Every one that did offer an offering of silver and brass brought the LORD’S offering: and every man, with whom was found shittim wood for any work of the service, brought it.
Exo 35:25  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.
Exo 35:26  And all the women whose heart stirred them up in wisdom spun goats’ hair.
Exo 35:27  And the rulers brought onyx stones, and stones to be set, for the ephod, and for the breastplate;
Exo 35:28  And spice, and oil for the light, and for the anointing oil, and for the sweet incense. 
Exo 35:29  The children of Israel brought a willing offering unto the LORD, every man and woman, whose heart made them willing to bring for all manner of work, which the LORD had commanded to be made by the hand of Moses.
Exo 35:30  And Moses said unto the children of Israel, See, the LORD hath called by name Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah; 
Exo 35:31  And he hath filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship; 
Exo 35:32  And to devise curious works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass, 
Exo 35:33  And in the cutting of stones, to set them, and in carving of wood, to make any manner of cunning work.
Exo 35:34  And he hath put in his heart that he may teach, both he, and Aholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan. 
Exo 35:35  Them hath he filled with wisdom of heart, to work all manner of work, of the engraver, and of the cunning workman, and of the embroiderer, in blue, and in purple, in scarlet, and in fine linen, and of the weaver, even of them that do any work, and of those that devise cunning work.

Chapter 35 is about the sabbath rest and Moses’ admonition for the people of Israel to give willingly for the building of the tabernacle of the Lord. It also touches on Bezaleel whom the Lord had prepared for the work of building the Tabernacle. Today’s study focuses on the spiritual significance of the sabbath rest and what it means to offer willingly for the building of the temple of the Lord, which is our bodies.

Exo 35:1  And Moses gathered all the congregation of the children of Israel together, and said unto them, These are the words which the LORD hath commanded, that ye should do them.
Exo 35:2  Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day there shall be to you an holy day, a sabbath of rest to the LORD: whosoever doeth work therein shall be put to death. 
Exo 35:3  Ye shall kindle no fire throughout your habitations upon the sabbath day. 

Keeping the sabbath means entering into the Lord’s rest and therefore ceasing from our own strivings. In other words, we come to realize that we can of ourselves do nothing and therefore depend on the Lord wholly to do everything on our behalf. Knowing this is what will cause us to recognize that it is the Lord who sanctifies us.

Heb 4:9  There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. 
Heb 4:10  For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. 
Heb 4:11  Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.

In Exodus 31:14, we are warned that if we do not keep the sabbath, we shall be put to death or cut off from among the Lord’s people.

Exo 31:14  Ye shall keep the sabbath therefore; for it is holy unto you: every one that defileth it shall surely be put to death: for whosoever doeth any work therein, that soul shall be cut off from among his people. 

In Hebrews 4:6, we are given a reason why many will not be able to keep the sabbath – because of unbelief. The reason that many do not believe is that their hearts have been hardened by the idols of the heart which say that we are responsible for our own actions as a result of having our own will. Believing in this false doctrine prevents us from surrendering everything to the Lord.

Heb 4:6  Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief:

As we are aware, the number six is the number of mankind. The six days we must work spiritually refer to our works before the Lord here on earth.  The seventh day is when we become complete in Christ as we are caught up with the Lord and shall rest from our labor here on earth as the kingdoms of this world become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ. 

Col 1:29  Whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily. 

Rev 14:13  And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.

In verse 3, kindling no fire during our observation of the sabbath day means that during the period that we are resting from our own striving, we are not to facilitate the serving of another Jesus through the idols of the heart symbolized by the queen of heaven in the verse below:

Jer 7:18  The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead their dough, to make cakes to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto other gods, that they may provoke me to anger.

Exo 35:4  And Moses spake unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying, This is the thing which the LORD commanded, saying, 
Exo 35:5  Take ye from among you an offering unto the LORD: whosoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it, an offering of the LORD; gold, and silver, and brass, 
Exo 35:6  And blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and goats’ hair, 
Exo 35:7  And rams’ skins dyed red, and badgers’ skins, and shittim wood, 
Exo 35:8  And oil for the light, and spices for anointing oil, and for the sweet incense, 
Exo 35:9  And onyx stones, and stones to be set for the ephod, and for the breastplate.

What we need to understand in these verses is that we can only offer what the Lord has given to us. In Genesis, when Isaac asked Abraham about the lamb for the burnt offering, Abraham told him that God will provide for Himself a lamb. This is to affirm that whatever we offer to the Lord is because He has already given it to us. 

Gen 22:7  And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering? 
Gen 22:8  And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.

1Co 4:7  For who sees anything different in you? What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it? 

Therefore, these verses show us what the Lord has given to us we are to offer back to Him willingly. The gold and silver we are to offer refer to the wisdom and understanding that we have received from the Lord through His words. 

Eze 28:4  With thy wisdom and with thine understanding thou hast gotten thee riches, and hast gotten gold and silver into thy treasures:

Giving back to the Lord for the building of the tabernacle is the same as giving to our brothers and sisters. We are to give back to our brothers and sisters the wisdom the Lord has given us through His words. This must be done freely and willingly, for freely we have received and freely we must give.  As our Lord said, when we give to our brothers and sisters, we have given it or offered it to the Lord.

Mat 25:37  Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 
Mat 25:38  And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 
Mat 25:39  And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 
Mat 25:40  And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’

The brass we give as a freewill offering to the Lord is to remind us of our frail bodies of corruptible flesh and blood through which we are to offer ourselves as living sacrifices to the Lord. It is through this corruptible flesh and blood that our Lord Jesus offered Himself as an atonement for our sins and appeared before God. As He is, so are we in this life. It is through our corruptible flesh and blood, as we offer ourselves to the Lord, that He will save the world from their sins. 

Rom 12:1  I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
Rom 12:2  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

In addition to wisdom and understanding, we are told in verses 6 and 7 to offer fine linen, goat’s hair, rams’ skin dyed red, and badgers’ skin.  Fine linen represents the righteousness of the saints. As we walk in the Lord’s righteousness, it is like offering ourselves to the Lord as holy and acceptable sacrifice to the Lord.

Rev 19:8  And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.

In order to understand the meaning of the goat’s hair, rams’ skin dyed and badgers’ skin, we need to comprehend how they are used in the tabernacle. All these items are to be used in the outer covering of the tabernacle or the temple of God. These coverings are what outsiders see. It is our righteousness that people see. If we are to build the house of God, then we must possess the righteousness of Christ. These items therefore signify the righteousness of the saints in Christ.

The colors blue, purple and scarlet signify all those in whom the Lord’s spirit is working to transform them from the first Adam to the last Adam, who is Christ. In conclusion, what we are being told in verse 6 is that the offering of those whom the Lord’s spirit is transforming, from the first Adam to Christ, the last Adam, is our bodies which we must offer as living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God. As we are aware, this offering of our bodies as living sacrifices is the righteousness of the saints which comes through the Lord’s judgment of our old man.

Isa 26:8  Yea, in the way of thy judgments, O LORD, have we waited for thee; the desire of our soul is to thy name, and to the remembrance of thee. 
Isa 26:9  With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.

The oil for the light and the spices for anointing oil all refer to His spirit, which is His words. Our obedience to His words is our offering to the Lord which produces the sweet incense before Him.  All of these are required to build the house of God. We need to note that all of these items mentioned are available only to the priest who represents the elect. 

Num 4:16  And to the office of Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest pertaineth the oil for the light, and the sweet incense, and the daily meat offering, and the anointing oil, and the oversight of all the tabernacle, and of all that therein is, in the sanctuary, and in the vessels thereof.

2Ch 29:11  My sons, be not now negligent: for the LORD hath chosen you to stand before him, to serve him, and that ye should minister unto him, and burn incense.

The ephod mentioned in verse 9 is the sacred garment to be worn by the priests. Two onyx stones are to be mounted in gold and fastened on the ephod’s shoulder pieces. These stones are to be engraved with the names of the 12 tribes of Israel with six names on one and six on the other. These stones represent the elect and our works as we are fastened to the Lord’s shoulder. This means that we are carried on the shoulders of the Lord. Being carried on the shoulder means that it is the Lord who does the work – we are only resting on His shoulders as He does the walking (leads us).

Luk 15:4  What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? 
Luk 15:5  And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing.

Exo 35:10  And every wise hearted among you shall come, and make all that the LORD hath commanded; 
Exo 35:11  The tabernacle, his tent, and his covering, his taches, and his boards, his bars, his pillars, and his sockets,

In verse 10, we are commanded by the Lord for us who are wise-hearted, that is, the elect, to make these items used in the temple of the Lord. The tabernacle with its covering and other related items represent our bodies which is the temple of God. To make our bodies the temple of God, is the work of Christ who comes to us with His words to destroy the old man or the beast within us, to make it habitable for Himself.  This old man has taken residence in our temple and is destroyed by the spirit of our Lord’s mouth (His words) when He comes to us with His brightness.

2Th 2:7  For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. 
2Th 2:8  And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:

Exo 35:12  The ark, and the staves thereof, with the mercy seat, and the vail of the covering, 

The destruction of the old man paves the way for the ark and the mercy seat together with all the accessories related to the ark to be constructed and placed within the veil. The ark together with the mercy seat stands for the Lord coming to sit within our temple (hearts and mind) which is within the veil.

Exo 35:13  The table, and his staves, and all his vessels, and the shewbread,

The table and its accessories constitute where we eat. The showbread signifies the word of the Lord which is given to only the elect (the priest) to eat or to know.  It is within our hearts and mind that Christ comes with His brightness to cause our understanding to be enlightened to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven.

Mat 13:11  He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.

Exo 35:14  The candlestick also for the light, and his furniture, and his lamps, with the oil for the light,

The candlestick signifies the church which is the source of the light in this world. The lamp is the word of the Lord which guides our walk. The oil is the Holy Spirit which comes to us to show us the truth of the Lord’s words. As indicated, the building of the church with all these items is the work of the Lord.

Mat 16:18  And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 

Psa 119:105  NUN. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

Rev 1:20  The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.

Joh 16:13  Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.

Exo 35:15  And the incense altar, and his staves, and the anointing oil, and the sweet incense, and the hanging for the door at the entering in of the tabernacle,

Before the sweet incense is made, it must be crushed, broken or heated. We are the items that are used for the preparation of incense. As we are aware, incense represents the prayer of the saints. The making of the incense altar is through our fiery trials which causes our prayer to become a sweet aroma before the Lord. The anointing oil is made through a process which also speaks of our fiery trials and persecutions which causes us to bear a sweet odor of oil as we ready ourselves for our union with Christ. In other words, we become anointed of the Lord through a process which is alluded to in the following scriptures as beaten oil:

Exo 29:40  And with the one lamb a tenth deal of flour mingled with the fourth part of an hin of beaten oil; and the fourth part of an hin of wine for a drink offering.

Num 28:5  And a tenth part of an ephah of flour for a meat offering, mingled with the fourth part of an hin of beaten oil.

The anointing oil is the work of a perfumer who is our Lord Jesus Christ. It is through Him that we are judged to become anointed of the Lord.

Exo 35:16  The altar of burnt offering, with his brasen grate, his staves, and all his vessels, the laver and his foot, 
Exo 35:17  The hangings of the court, his pillars, and their sockets, and the hanging for the door of the court,
Exo 35:18  The pins of the tabernacle, and the pins of the court, and their cords, 

The building of the church is through the foundation laid by the Lord with His life as He was offered on the altar as a burnt offering for our sake. The altar of incense is a symbol of the realization of the redemptive work of Christ in dealing with sin in our lives. The hangings all represent us at various stages of our walk with the Lord. Being the hanging for the door of the court means it is through us that salvation will come to the world. 

Eph 1:7  In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;

Exo 35:19  The cloths of service, to do service in the holy place, the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments of his sons, to minister in the priest’s office.

The priestly garments to cloth us refer to putting on the righteousness of Christ, which is the work of the Lord. This is achieved by the fiery trials that the Lord takes us through to learn righteousness.

Isa 26:9  With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.

Exo 35:20  And all the congregation of the children of Israel departed from the presence of Moses. 
Exo 35:21  And they came, every one whose heart stirred him up, and every one whom his spirit made willing, and they brought the LORD’S offering to the work of the tabernacle of the congregation, and for all his service, and for the holy garments. 
Exo 35:22  And they came, both men and women, as many as were willing hearted, and brought bracelets, and earrings, and rings, and tablets, all jewels of gold: and every man that offered offered an offering of gold unto the LORD.

The Lord wants us to be willing and not obligated to serve Him. On our own, there is no way we can be willing to serve the Lord. However, the Lord strengthens us to be willing to serve Him. A sign that we are willing is our desire to present ourselves as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to the Lord.

Psa 110:3  Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth.

The ornaments and gold that we are offering willingly are the joy we experience when we go through all kinds of trials as we serve the Lord, knowing that it is through these trials that we become mature in Him.

Jas 1:2  My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; 
Jas 1:3  Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. 
Jas 1:4  But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

Exo 35:23  And every man, with whom was found blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and goats’ hair, and red skins of rams, and badgers’ skins, brought them.
Exo 35:24  Every one that did offer an offering of silver and brass brought the LORD’S offering: and every man, with whom was found shittim wood for any work of the service, brought it.
Exo 35:25  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.
Exo 35:26  And all the women whose heart stirred them up in wisdom spun goats’ hair.
Exo 35:27  And the rulers brought onyx stones, and stones to be set, for the ephod, and for the breastplate;
Exo 35:28  And spice, and oil for the light, and for the anointing oil, and for the sweet incense.
Exo 35:29  The children of Israel brought a willing offering unto the LORD, every man and woman, whose heart made them willing to bring for all manner of work, which the LORD had commanded to be made by the hand of Moses.

The church of the firstborn is where we all supply what is needed for the building of the temple of the Lord within everyone. Each one of us has something to offer!!

Rom 12:3  For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.
Rom 12:4  For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office:
Rom 12:5  So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.
Rom 12:6  Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith;
Rom 12:7  Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching; 
Rom 12:8  Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness. 

Eph 4:16  From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.

Exo 35:30  And Moses said unto the children of Israel, See, the LORD hath called by name Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah; 

According to Strong’s Dictionary, the name “Bezaleel” means “In the shadow of God.” As we indicated in a previous study, if we are called and chosen, then the Lord will prepare us under the shadow of His wings, which is the secret place of the Most High. In other words, the Lord prepares us in secret, away from the eyes of everyone. 

Psa 91:1  He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
Psa 91:2  I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. 

Psa 17:8  Keep me as the apple of the eye, hide me under the shadow of thy wings,

Exo 35:31  And he hath filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship; 

The Lord equips us for the work of the ministry by filling us with the spirit of wisdom and understanding in the knowledge of Him. This verse is the same as saying the following:

2Pe 1:3  According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: 
2Pe 1:4  Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

As He is, so are we. Our Lord Jesus was equipped with the spirit of wisdom and understanding in the knowledge of God. We, too, are being filled with the spirit of wisdom and understanding in the knowledge of Him, just as the Lord did to Bezaleel.

1Jn 4:17  Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.

Isa 11:1  And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: 
Isa 11:2  And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD;
Isa 11:3  And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears: 
Isa 11:4  But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked. 
Isa 11:5  And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins.

Here in Isaiah, we are given to know what happens to us when the spirit of wisdom and understanding in the knowledge of the Lord comes to us. Firstly, this spirit of wisdom causes us to fear the Lord. This is affirmed by the fact that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.  The fear of the Lord causes us to walk in righteousness as the sun of righteousness rises upon us with healing in its wings. In addition, the fear of the Lord grants us the power to trample on the wicked. The wicked here is our flesh or our old man. In other words, we overcome the flesh.

Mal 4:2  But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.
Mal 4:3  And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the LORD of hosts.

Isa 11:5  And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins.

Secondly, the spirit of wisdom comes with the judgment of our old man as the Lord will judge us (the poor) as He smites our old man with the rod of His mouth which is the word of the Lord. We are the earth in Isaiah 11:4 which the Lord shall smite with His words.

Isa 11:4  But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.

Jer 22:29  O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the LORD.

Exo 35:32  And to devise curious works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass, 
Exo 35:33  And in the cutting of stones, to set them, and in carving of wood, to make any manner of cunning work.

The spirit of wisdom and understanding in the knowledge of the Lord will cause us to do curious works in gold and silver and in brass. It will also help us in the cutting of stones and the carving of timber. If we can remember, our works, which please the Lord, are classified as gold, silver and precious stones as opposed to the works of the flesh, which include wood, hay and stubble. The work in gold, silver and stones therefore entails the fiery trials we go through to build upon the foundation the Lord has laid in our lives by building the temple of God within us. This means that the giving of the spirit of wisdom in our lives comes with its tribulation and persecution in our lives to refine us as we learn righteousness. The carving of wood in verse 33 refers to our works in wood or the works of the flesh which provide the opportunity for the Lord to come and destroy the old man with His fire (His words) to build a habitation for the Lord to dwell.

1Co 3:11  For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 
1Co 3:12  Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; 
1Co 3:13  Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is.

Pro 26:20  Where no wood is, there the fire goeth out: so where there is no talebearer, the strife ceaseth.

The work to be carried out in our temple includes brass or copper, which is to remind us of our carnal state in Christ. The work in brass is therefore to show us that we were in our carnal state when the Lord came to us to give us the spirit of wisdom. The cunning work in brass therefore is the Lord’s work within our temple (our hearts and mind) to transform us from our carnal state to become a habitation for the Lord to dwell (become mature). Remember that this involves our being judged to learn righteousness.

Exo 35:34  And he hath put in his heart that he may teach, both he, and Aholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan. 
Exo 35:35  Them hath he filled with wisdom of heart, to work all manner of work, of the engraver, and of the cunning workman, and of the embroiderer, in blue, and in purple, in scarlet, and in fine linen, and of the weaver, even of them that do any work, and of those that devise cunning work. 

The Lord had given Aholiab and the hearts of all that were wise-hearted to Bezaleel to help him with the work of the tabernacle. Aholiab means “Tent of his father.” Our bodies are the earthly tent of our Father, Jesus. Aholiab, therefore, represents the body of Christ or the Lord’s elect as we are given to work with the Lord (Bezaleel) in the building of the New Jerusalem for our Lord to dwell. This is affirmed by the fact that God has given Aholiab and all those who are wise-hearted to work with Bezaleel. Both Aholiab and the wise-hearted are the elect. 

2Co 5:1  Our bodies are like tents that we live in here on earth. But when these tents are destroyed, we know that God will give each of us a place to live. These homes will not be buildings that someone has made, but they are in heaven and will last forever. (CEV)

We are therefore co-workers with the Lord as we work together as a unit to achieve what God desires. That is, by building the church of God, which is the Lord’s body.  God has really honored us to be enlisted as co-workers in His great work of salvation. 

1Co 3:9  For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building.
1Co 3:10  According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.

Being co-workers with Jesus, we are required to not receive the grace the Lord has given us in vain. As Paul indicated, the spirit of wisdom and understanding of the knowledge of the Lord which comes to us to qualify us as co-workers with Christ is accompanied with judgment of our old man to ensure that we do not receive the Lord’s grace in vain.

2Co 6:1  We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain.

May the Lord be merciful to us so that we do not receive the grace of the Lord in vain. Amen!!