Call of duty: we build togetherPastor Clement AkranHealingsprings fellowship

Ex. 31: 1-1131 The LORD spoke to Moses: 2 See, I have called by name Bezalel son of Uri son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah: 3 and I have filled him with divine spirit, with ability, intelligence, and knowledge in every kind of craft, 4 to devise artistic designs, to work in gold, silver, and bronze, 5 in cutting stones for setting, and in carving wood, in every kind of craft. 6 Moreover, I have appointed with him Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan; and I have given skill to all the skillful, so that they may make all that I have commanded you: 7 the tent of meeting, and the ark of the covenant, and the mercy seat that is on it, and all the furnishings of the tent, 8 the table and its utensils, and the pure lampstand with all its utensils, and the altar of incense, 9 and the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils, and the basin with its stand, 10 and the finely worked vestments, the holy vestments for the priest Aaron and the vestments of his sons, for their service as priests, 11 and the anointing oil and the fragrant incense for the holy place. They shall do just as I have commanded you

The pattern• Moses was given the blue print/vision/mission by God• Each worker assigned to him was gifted with unique skills for the

accomplishment of the project

What is wisdom?1. The quality of having experience, knowledge, and good judgement; the quality of being wise. For example, listen to his words of wisdom

2. The fact of being based on sensible or wise thinking. For example, some questioned the wisdom of building the dam so close to an active volcano

3. The body of knowledge and experience that develops within a specified society or period. For example, Eastern wisdom, African proverbs, native American wisdom etc

Difference between wisdom and knowledge• For instance:

• Knowledge tells me through information that the B14 can take me from Bexley to St Mary Cray’s station;

• But Wisdom makes me understand that the B14 is the probably the most unreliable bus on earth!

• knowledge tells/informs - it is theoretical• wisdom makes - it is experimental or experiential

• Hence Jesus said to his disciples: ‘follow me, and I will make you…’; • Hence Jesus told the parable of the prodigal son

3 major sources of wisdom:1. First hand: trying things out first hand. Our experiences: good and

bad2. Second hand: experience through someone else’s experience. E.g.,

Mentoring: Mentor (Odysseus’ friend) and Telemachus (Odysseus’ son); coaching, training, books, video's, association.

3. Supernatural source: insight through supernatural encounters – visions, dreams, word of knowledge. E.g., Daniel, Joseph, John, Ezekiel…

Wisdom can be divided into two broad headers• Practical wisdom: this can be limited to geography, culture, era etc.• Transcending wisdom: universal principles. E.g., ’If one does not

know to which port one is sailing, no wind is favourable’ - Seneca

Let us compare the difference between: wisdom, knowledge and understanding using Ex. 31:3

And I have filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship

Wisdom: Hhakham (Strong's #2451)• The verbal root for this word is (hhakham) which means to separate

between good and bad, right and wrong, left and right, up and down, etc. • This is often used in the context of a skilled workman as in Exodus 28:3,

"And thou shalt speak unto all that are wise (hhakham) hearted, whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom, that they may make Aaron's garments to consecrate him, that he may minister unto me in the priest's office."

• These workmen are filled with the spirit of "wisdom" which is in the Hebrewחכמה(hhakhmah), the noun form of the verb חכם (hhakham). Therefore, a person with wisdom is one who has the ability to separate between good and bad, right and wrong, left and right, up and down, etc.

Understanding: Tavun (Strong's #8394)• The Hebrew word for understanding is תבון (tavun) comes from the

verbal root בין(biyn) meaning to "understand" but the more deeper meaning of this word can be found in a related verbal root ".which means to "build (banah) בנה -

• In order to build or construct something one must have the ability to plan and understand the processes needed.

• This is the idea behind the verb בין (biyn) and its derivative nounתבון (tavun), to be able to discern the processes of construction.

Knowledge: Daat (Strong's #1847)• The Hebrew word for knowledge is דעת (da'at), a noun derived from

the verbידעodi (yada) meaning "to know." • The idea of "knowing" in Ancient Hebrew thought is similar to our

understanding of knowing but is more personal and intimate. • We may say that we "know" someone but simply mean we "know" of

his or her existence but, in Hebrew thought one can only "know" someone if they have a personal and intimate relationship.

• In Genesis 18:19 God says about Abraham "I know him" meaning he has a very close relationship with Abraham. In Genesis 4:1 it says that Adam "knew Eve his wife" implying a very intimate sexual relationship. Knowledge is the intimate ability to perform a specific task or function.

With more in-depth meaning behind these three words we can better understand Exodus 31:3 as follows;

• And I have filled him with the spirit of God, 1. with the ability to distinguish between the good and the bad, and 2. with the ability to discern the processes of construction, and 3. with an intimate ability to perform the tasks, and in all manner of workmanship

• And I have filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship

1 Peter 2:4-6 (NRSV)4 Come to him, a living stone, though rejected by mortals yet chosen and precious in God’s sight, and 5 like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For it stands in scripture:“See, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious;and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”

1 Peter 4:10 (NRSV)

10 Like good stewards of the manifold grace of God, serve one another with whatever gift each of you has received.

Ryan Holiday, The Obstacle Is the Way‘Too many people think that great victories like Grant’s and Edison’s came from a flash of insight. That they cracked the problem with pure genius. In fact, it was the slow pressure, repeated from many different angles, the elimination of so many other more promising options, that slowly and surely churned the solution to the top of the pile. Their genius was: 1. unity of purpose, 2. deafness to doubt, and 3. the desire to stay at it.’

Call of duty: we build togetherPastor Clement AkranHealingsprings fellowship