Commentaries:
Who was Bezaleel? Was he a chief architect and designer of Raamses or Pithom, the treasure cities the children of Israel built while enslaved in Egypt (Exodus 1:11)? Was he trained by the best artisans of Egypt? Of course, we cannot say for sure. What we do know is that he was an expert in his field. Now, once freed from Egypt, God called him and supplied him with wisdom and understanding and knowledge. More than all this, God imparted to him His Spirit along with another very important gift of God: "The ability to teach" (Exodus 35:34). Why all these blessings? So Bezaleel could provide the instruction and leadership the other craftsmen needed to build the Tabernacle.
God even gave Bezaleel a lieutenant, apparently a second-in-command, to lead the other craftsmen. He told Moses, "I, indeed I, have appointed with him Aholiab..., of the tribe of Dan" (Exodus 31:6).
In this area as well, God has done His part for us today. He has given us a leader filled with His Spirit, a teacher with wisdom, understanding, and knowledge. The children of Israel had their Bezaleel; we have a pastor. And, as Bezaleel had his Aholiab, so our pastor has elders, deacons, and other converted leaders to assist within the congregation.
Charles Whitaker
God Our Provider
God personally appointed Bezaleel and Aholiab: "I have called by name"; "I have put." They were given favor by God to carry out this responsibility in His behalf for Israel. He gave them wisdom. The basic concept behind the Hebrew word translated wisdom is synonymous with the English word "skill." It is a word with wide-ranging application. For instance, Proverbs 4:7, Solomon advises, "Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom." In that context, it means skill in living, in common sense, in relationships with other people. We are to become skilled at doing these things.
The widsom of Bezaleel and Aholiab is skill in supervising and teaching others how to do things, as well as being able to do intricate, artistic things themselves. Another way of putting it would be "strength of capacity" or even "expansion of their minds." In addition, God gave them understanding, which means "discernment." In this context of building the Tabernacle, it would mean being able to arrange or connect all the different parts.
God also increased their knowledge, which means "a particular acquaintance." Cunning works implies "inventiveness," having a mind that can look at something and say, "We need this kind of a tool to accomplish this task," and then produce the tool to make it. By inspiration, God added to natural ability so that they could execute God's design. He gave them skill far beyond their natural abilities.
John W. Ritenbaugh
The Holy Spirit and the Trinity (Part 6)
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