EXODUS CHAPTER 31 ----------------- Verses 1-11: The appointed craftsmen or artificer They were Bezaleel (Be-zal'e-el) and Aholiab (A-hO'li-ab). We will see how these and their work pointed to the Lord Jesus Christ and the work that the Father gave Him to do. In these verses we have three things brought forth. 1) The workmen appointed 2) The workmen equipped 3) the task given a) Bezaleel = "in the shadow (or protection) of God" He was the son of Uri which means LIGHT. The grandson of Hur which means FREE. Of the tribe of Judah which means PRAISE. When we think of shadow or protection there are several scriptures in the Psalms that may come to mind. Ps 17:8 Keep me as the apple of the eye, hide me under the shadow of thy wings, Ps 36:7 How excellent [is] thy lovingkindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings. Ps 57:1 Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until [these] calamities be overpast. Ps 63:7 Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice. The "shadow of they wings" speaks of a place of intimacy, protection, and fellowship. This is the place that Christ ever occupied with His Father while hear on this earth. Joh 1:18 No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the BOSOM of the Father, he hath declared [him]. { bosom = the front of the body between the arms } It is a place that His children can occupy through His completed work. b) The son of Uri (fiery or light, from a word that means the light of fire) The Bible declares that "God is light, and in him is no darkness at all" (1Jo 1:5). And of course Christ announced himself as being the "Son of God" or the Son of this same light, which Uri means. We are also reminded that Christ is the "light of the world" (Joh 8:12; 9:5). 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. { SUN (fiery light) not SON } c) The grandson of Hur which Pinks says means free. However when I looked the word up it meant "hole" or to "bore through." This reminds me of Exodus 21:2-6. The Father gave Christ a wife and children, and Christ ever will be the righteous servant. Pink says this speaks of Christ freely taking upon himself the work that the Father gave Him to do. He is the Son of Liberty, and it is Christ who makes His people free.. d) Of the tribe of Judah (praise). This is the spirit in which the Redeemer entered into His work. He ever praised His Father. He DELIGHTED to do the will of His Father. Judah was the tribe that took up the head when they marched through the wilderness. Num 10:14 In the first [place] went the standard of the camp of the children of Judah according to their armies: and over his host [was] Nahshon the son of Amminadab. e) The craftsmen equipped. "And I have filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship" (vs 3). Compare: This speaks of Christ. 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: 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; 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: 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. f) to work in gold: vs. 4 Gold speaks of divinity or divine glory. Only Christ could reveal the glory of God. Only Christ could truly glorify God. Joh 17:4 I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. 5 And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was. g) and in silver: Silver speaks of redemption. And who is qualified to work in silver or redemption, none other that the Lord Jesus Christ. Ps 49:6 They that trust in their wealth, and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches; 7 None [of them] can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him: 8 (For the redemption of their soul [is] precious, and it ceaseth for ever:) { ceaseth: to be wanton or left off } No amount of money could buy redemption. The work of redemption could only be performed by the Lord Jesus Christ. h) and in brass: symbol of Divine judgement. No mere creature was capable of undergoing the full weight of God's divine wrath for sin. Ps 89:19 Then thou spakest in vision to thy holy one, and saidst, I have laid help upon [one that is] mighty; I have exalted [one] chosen out of the people. Christ is the One who is Mighty. He was lifted up as Moses lifted up the brass serpent in the wilderness (Joh 3:14). It was Christ who the Father made to be sin for His people that they might be made the righteousness of God in Him (2Co 5:21). The work in brass was completed when Christ said "it is finished," bowed his head and dismissed his spirit. i) and in cutting of stones: The reference is to the jewels on the shoulders and in the breastplate of the high priest. Jewels on which were engraved the names of the 12 tribes of Israel. They represented God's chosen people, the elect. 1Pe 2:5 Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. j) and in carving of timber: Pink thinks this refers to Christ future work with the nation of Israel. To me it just refers to the building of the house of God. 1Ti 3:15 But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth. k) to work in all manner of workmanship: We are Christ's workmanship. Eph 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. l) "And I, behold, I have given with him Aholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan: and in the hearts of all that are wise hearted I have put wisdom, that they may make all that I have commanded thee;" (vs 6). Aholiab supplements Bezaleel in the type. It took more that one character, more than one creation to picture the Lord Jesus Christ in all His perfection and to show forth His work and His glory. m) Aholiab (A-hO'li-ab): "The tent of his father" or "Father's tent". The word translated tent in the OT was also translated tabernacle more times than tent. So, when we think of tent we think of the word tabernacle. Joh 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. dwelt (Greek=skenoo {skay-no'-o}) = tabernacled or tented 1) to fix one's tabernacle, have one's tabernacle, abide (or live) in a tabernacle (or tent), tabernacle 2) to dwell Just as Jehovah in the Old Testament took up His abode in the tabernacle so to He took up His abode in a body. When Jesus Christ walked among men it could be said that God was manifest in the flesh. 2Ti 3:16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory. 2Co 5:19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. "And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us" (Joh 1:14), and then we also read "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God" (Joh 1:1). So complete was that manifestation of God in the flesh, Jesus said, "he that hath seen me hath seen the Father" (Joh 14:9). n) the son of Ahisamach: "my brother is support (has supported)" Heb 2:11 For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified [are] all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren, Christ is the Brother of support to His brethren. o) of the tribe of Dan: "a judge" Just as Judah was in the lead, so Dan was in the rear when they marched through the wilderness. Num 10:25 And the standard of the camp of the children of Dan set forward, [which was] the REREWARD of all the camps throughout their hosts: and over his host [was] Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai. { rereward = in the (Piel) stem, which means rearguard, rearward, to take in, to gather or harvest } So with Judah at the first and Dan at the end, we have the full harvest of God's people represented in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end. Just as Dan is the last tribe that the natural man would expect to have someone be a principle craftsman, since Dan was the tribe that led in apostasy, so too Christ has chosen the publicans and rebellious sinners to be His people. There may also be another Picture represented here. Just as Judah was the tribe from which Christ came, so Dan may be the tribe from which anti-christ will come (Gen 49:17). Gen 49:17 Dan shall be a serpent by the way, an adder in the path, that biteth the horse heels, so that his rider shall fall backward. Christ came first then will come anti-christ, whom Christ will destroy at His coming (not to confused with the rapture). Judge: Christ was judged for sin as our sins were put upon Him, also all judgment has been given to Him. Joh 5:22 For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son: Joh 5:27 And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man. p) that they may make all that I have commanded thee (vs 6): repeated again in verse 11. Every detail of their work was Divinely appointed unto them. There was no room for man's will in the work. It was all based upon the command of God. How perfect this pictures what Christ did while here on the earth. Joh 6:38 For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. Joh 10:17 Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. 18 No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This COMMANDMENT have I received of my Father. Verses 12-18, The Sabbath of Israel One may ponder, after reading of the craftsmen and the building of the tabernacle, why would God bring in the Sabbath, here? When we studied the craftsmen, we saw how they pictured the Lord Jesus Christ and the work He performed on the behalf of His people. His work in gold, silver and brass, etc. Especially since the Sabbath has already been mentioned in Exodus, chapter twenty. The first mention of the Sabbath in Exodus is 16:23-29, where it should be apparent that the Sabbath was already known to Israel and was no new appointment, but that they had defiled it during their stay in Egypt. The second mention is Exodus 20, where the 10 commandments are given. They were given to a redeemed people. The third reference in Exodus is here in chapter 31, a chapter that speaks loudly of the Lord Jesus Christ in a typical sense. So we will ponder the typical sense in which the Sabbath speaks. From Gen 2:2-3 we see that 1) God rested from all His work, 2) He blessed the 7th day, 3) and He sanctified it. So, first, we see in connection with the Sabbath is the "rest of God." As C. A. Coates said, "The Sabbath speaks of things being brought to completion, so that there is no more work to be done; all is finished, and there is holy rest for God and His people." This "rest of God" can be viewed in three senses, 1) The spiritual sense 2) The dispensational sense 3) The eternal sense The spiritual sense: In the first part of our chapter we have the work of the Saviour typified by the work of the craftsmen. The work of the Saviour now being completed, and Him set down at the right hand of God in heaven, we now have the Sabbath brought into view, that day which speaks of the rest of God. The rest of God is the consequence of the completed work of Christ. Isa 57:20 But the wicked [are] like the troubled sea, when it CANNOT REST, whose waters cast up mire and dirt. 21 [There is] NO PEACE, saith my God, to the wicked. Jesus said, "Come unto me, all [ye] that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Mat 11:28). Paul said, "For we which have believed do enter into rest..." (Heb 4:3). In our chapter here in Ex 31, we have the first time that the Sabbath is mentioned as a sign between Jehovah and Israel, that they were a sanctified people. So too, that of which the Sabbath speaks, that is the rest of God, is also the portion of a sanctified people. A people "chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world" (Eph 1:4). A people sanctified by God the Father before they were even called (Jude 1), even from all eternity. They were sanctified by God the Son "with His own blood" (Heb 13:12). Then, they are sanctified by God the Spirit (2Th 2:13) when they were quickened to life. The sign between God and this sanctified people is that they have entered into God's rest. So that of which the Sabbath speaks is still the portion of none but God's chosen people, just as the Sabbath was a token or sign between God and His chosen nation. The dispensational sense: God worked in creation for 6 days and rested on the seventh day. While we believe these were 6 literal days, the Bible also tells us "that one day [is] with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day" (2Pe 3:8). The dispensational sense in which the Sabbath speaks would be that it foreshadows the Millennial reign of Jesus Christ in which there will be peace on earth for 1000 years. There have been almost 6000 years since Adam's creation. If the 6 days of Genesis are to be taken in a Prophetic sense then they speak of 6000 years of earth history followed by 1000 years of Sabbath rest. This seems to be confirmed by Rev 20 where we read over and over that the reign of Christ with His saints will be for 1000 years. The curse that even upon the lower creation will be lifted and they will have rest also. Isa 11:6 The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. 7 And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. 8 And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice' den. 9 They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea. READ Romans 8:18-23, Must be revealed to someone. During our reign with Christ. To travaileth = to undergo agony (like a woman in childbirth), which is called "labor." What is the opposite of labor? REST! Now, it's a violent world, but then it will be a world at peace, like it was in the Garden of Eden. The eternal sense: This eternal rest is what the work of Christ has secured for His chosen people. Rev 21:3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God [is] with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, [and be] their God. 4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. 5 And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. Ex 31:17 It [is] a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for [in] six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and WAS REFRESHED. The words "was refreshed" is not mentioned Gen 2 or Exodus 20. But here, where the Sabbath is mentioned in connection with the tabernacle and the work of Christ, we see that God is refreshed. It is when "the tabernacle of God is with men" (Rev 21:3) that an eternal, unbreakable and holy Sabbath will be realized. And that eternal rest is for the people of God only and it will be brought about by the work of Christ. The judicial aspect of Ex 31:12-18: Ex 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. 15 Six days may work be done; but in the seventh [is] the sabbath of rest, holy to the LORD: whosoever doeth [any] work in the sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death. We have an example of this in Numbers. Nu 15:32 And while the children of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man that gathered sticks upon the sabbath day. 33 And they that found him gathering sticks brought him unto Moses and Aaron, and unto all the congregation. 34 And they put him in ward, because it was not declared what should be done to him. 35 And the LORD said unto Moses, The man shall be surely put to death: all the congregation shall stone him with stones without the camp. 36 And all the congregation brought him without the camp, and stoned him with stones, and he died; as the LORD commanded Moses. To understand the harshness of this we must understand that the Mosaic economy was legal and probationary dispensation. It was Law and law is law, and righteousness demands the strict enforcing of its terms and penalties. While there were provisions for "sins of ignorance" etc. there were no sacrifices available for pre-meditated or deliberate transgressions. Heb 10:28 He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: READ Numbers 35:9-24. Verses 16-17, "the murderer shall surely be put to death." David was guilty of murdering Uriah. Psalm 51 records David's heart. Verse 1, He cried out to God for mercy. Verse 2, His need to be washed. Verse 3, he acknowledged his transgression Verse 4, It was against his God that he had sinned. Verse 5, He confessed his depravity. Verse 14, It was "bloodguiltiness" that he cried for deliverance from. We know that his cry was heard. Even the sacrifices could not give us a complete picture of the forgiveness that we have in Christ Jesus. In Him, even a murderer can have forgiveness. Our chapter closes with the tables of stone that were given to Moses. How does this fit with Christ and His completed work? When things are set in stone they are fixed. Though grace now reigns, however it reigns through righteousness (Ro 5:21). Christ said that He did not come to do away with the law, but to fulfill the law (Mat 5:17). Our righteousness is in Christ who fulfilled the law perfectly. Concerning the keeping of the Sabbath: Col 2:11 In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ: 12 Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with [him] through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead. 13 And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; 14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; 15 [And] having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it. 16 Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the SABBATH [days]: 17 Which ARE A SHADOW of things to come; but the body [is] of Christ. sabbath = sabbaton {sab'-bat-on} of Hebrew origin shabbath {shab-bawth'} which was translated "sabbath" 107 out of 108 times. The Greek word was translated sabbath day 37 times, sabbath 22 times, week 9 times for a total of 68.