wisdom – Called To Work

2. God’s wisdom for work (Exodus 31:2-5)

July 1, 2023

Scripture Reading: Exodus 31:2-5

Exodus chapters 25-31 talk to us in detail about the instructions that God gave Moses to build the temple. Have you ever imagined God as an architect?

God did more than tell Israel what he wanted from them. He provided the actual blueprint to guide their work. The comprehensive set of crafts used included metalwork in gold, silver, and bronze, as well as stonework and woodwork. The fabrication of garments would have required getting wool, spinning it, dyeing it, weaving it, designing clothes, manufacturing and tailoring them, and embroidery. The craftsmen even prepared anointing oil and fragrant incense.

What unites all of these practices is God filling the workers with his Spirit. The Hebrew word for “ability” and “skill” in these texts is usually translated as “wisdom.” Here, it describes work that is clearly hands-on yet spiritual in the fullest theological sense. The book of Exodus does not so easily separate Israel’s life into the categories of sacred and secular that we are accustomed to. The people of God today may engage in work (whatever it is) with the awareness that God has a design for it, too.

What is God’s design for your work?

Prayer: Lord, I need your wisdom for my work today. Allow me to see your design, hear your instruction, and trust your plan. Amen.

For Further Exploration: Learn more about how God equipped people for work in the book of Exodus in The Tabernacle (Exodus 25:1-40:38), from the Theology of Work Bible Commentary.

Author: Theology of Work Project

Theology of Work Project Online Materials by Theology of Work Project, Inc. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. Based on a work at www.theologyofwork.org

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Unless otherwise noted, the Scripture quotations contained herein are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, Copyright © 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., and are used by permission. All rights reserved.

Avoiding Rash Decisions @ Work

January 3, 2023

Devotions/Partners

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John 18:10 (KJV): “Then Simon Peter having a sword drew it, and smote the high priest’s servant, and cut off his right ear. The servant’s name was Malchus.”

COMMENTARY: “Rash” means ill-advised and hasty action. Recently, I hiked up a mountain trail that I used to take regularly with two close friends during my high school years. At one point, there is a side trail that goes to the base of some tall cliffs. One day back in the 1970s, the three of us took that trail and reached the bottom of the cliffs in mid-to-late afternoon. We had no gear for cliff-climbing, but one of my friends impulsively said, “Let’s climb these cliffs.” I immediately and firmly refused, saying that we were not prepared, not experienced, and that the sun would be setting soon. My two friends rashly decided to go for it, with no helmets, no ropes, nothing! They couldn’t even see where the cliffs went; they assumed that the ridge trail was at the top of the cliff. Wrong!

Off they went, higher and higher to a height of what I estimate to be 125 feet, with me watching them straight up from the bottom. Then, they shouted down to me that they were stuck. They couldn’t come down, and they couldn’t go up. Miraculously, as my friend was clinging to some brush,some hikers along the ridge trail heard him and had some ve rope. They tied the rope around a big tree, and threw it over the edge. My friends were able to climb the rope to safety.

Here we are nearly 50 years later, and both of my friends recently retired. One had a successful career in finance, the other a successful career in television. They both had wives and families. It is very possible that my friends could have died that fateful afternoon. For what? The thrill of risk-taking?

APPLICATION: Like Peter in today’s passage, I’ve made several rash decisions myself, and I’ve lived to regret them. I’m sure you have, too. The moral of today’s story is don’t be rash at work or anywhere! In a split second, you can make rash decisions with detrimental and even deadly consequences. Instead, pray for and listen to wisdom when she speaks, no matter how much peer pressure is directed at you. Don’t follow the herd literally and figuratively off the cliff!

Joyfully yours,

Drew

For Further Exploration

For further exploration about Genesis 10:5 (KJV), read Noah’s Descendants and the Tower of Babel (Genesis 10:1-11:32) from the Theology of Work Bible Commentary.

Called To Work

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2. God’s wisdom for work (Exodus 31:2-5)

Avoiding Rash Decisions @ Work

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