30 Then Moses said to the Israelites, “See, the Lord has chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, 31 and he has filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skills— 32 to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, 33 to cut and set stones, to work in wood and to engage in all kinds of artistic crafts. 34 And he has given both him and Oholiab son of Ahisamak, of the tribe of Dan, the ability to teach others. 35 He has filled them with skill to do all kinds of work as engravers, designers, embroiderers in blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine linen, and weavers—all of them skilled workers and designers.

So Bezalel, Oholiab and every skilled person to whom the Lord has given skill and ability to know how to carry out all the work of constructing the sanctuary are to do the work just as the Lord has commanded.”

2 Then Moses summoned Bezalel and Oholiab and every skilled person to whom the Lord had given ability and who was willing to come and do the work. Exodus 35:30 – Exodus 36:1-2

Previously, many skilled craftsmen (and women) were tasked to contribute their skills to the tabernacle. However, only two in this text are mentioned by name as being people who could teach others. Not only did they have to know their trade, but they had to have the ability to impart that knowledge to others. If you’ve taught before then you understand that those two tasks don’t necessarily go together. Teachers have to have a fair amount of patience with their students. Skilled craftsmen have to teach what comes naturally to them to those who may not have any natural ability at all.

But Moses selected Bezalel apart for other reasons. He saw that he was filled with the Spirit, wisdom, understanding and knowledge, something a mere listing of crafts would never be able to capture. Yes, Moses had a monumental task to carry out, and he needed the best of the best. If those workers, however, were people who godly, then Moses’ job got a lot easier.

Would your employer or neighbor be able to pick you out of a crowd as being different – in the good ways? Would he or she think you’re patient, kind, wise, and understanding? How would they describe you to others?

Many in this society have stated that they don’t care what people think of them. That may be true to a small extent, but taken too far, it can be disastrous for the Christian. We actually should care what others think of us and how we reflect godly characteristics.

To quote a valuable cliche: we may be the only Bible people ever read.