As a non-DIY’er myself, I’m always in awe of people who can manufacture beauty out of nothing more than a pile of sticks. Just last week, I watched as a team of four guys tore down my old, decrepit fence and installed a new one in less than two days. If I had tried to move that fast, I guarantee I would’ve nailed my hand to a board at least twice.
Oholiab and Bezalel are two guys that were cut from that cloth. Not only were they master craftsmen in their own right, but when they were commissioned to create the Tabernacle, they were given “wisdom, understanding, knowledge,” and help in all kinds of craftsmanship. In short, God took what they had and made it better.
But their ability wasn’t to be used in service to themselves, but in order to create the Tabernacle itself and all the furnishings that would be used in everyday worship. Priests for generations would use the very items that Bezalel and Oholiab created, even though it’s doubtful all of them knew the names of those two men.
What does that say about our work today? I’ve been at Hillside for more than 15 years, and in that time, I have seen countless workers put in time doing all sorts of tasks that benefit the church now. Yet very few people that currently worship here remember all of that effort. That’s just the way things go.
Even though I don’t know these two men, I would argue the same type of spirit that existed in these two guys exists in every servant, which is typified by the desire to put your hand to work worth doing. It’s not about the fame; it’s about the value in what you create and who you help.
That’s the spirit that should be in every worker. In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul talks about people who chide themselves because they are “not a hand”—i.e. not the “most obviously valuable” member of a church. To those people who claim their value is insignificant, Paul argues, just take away your contribution and see who notices.
Elders, deacons, preachers, members—we can all become consumed with our own desire to be remembered, but that’s not what matters most. What matters is the understanding that we’re putting our hands to work that makes a difference—not only to us, but future generations.
That includes all the work in God’s Kingdom, whether that’s fashioning the drapes for the Tabernacle or prepping the communion trays in a dark church building on Saturday afternoon. God sees it all, and for us, that’s enough.
