Hey everyone, I'm Dr. Allison. Today's scripture offers us a wiser way of being human as we step into the day.

Wednesdays, we linger in the Old Testament, those ancient stories that shape our understanding of who God is and what it means to live faithfully in the world. The Old Testament

tends to be earthy and embodied. It speaks to work, calling and craft, land, relationships, and daily

life. And today's reading from Exodus offers a vision of spirituality that I think is just so

profound. Today's reading is Exodus 31.1 through 6. Then the Lord said to Moses,

See, I have chosen Bezalel, son of Yuri, the son of her of the tribe of Judah, and I filled him

with the spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge, and with all kinds of skills,

to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver, and bronze, to cut and

set stones, to work in wood, and to engage in all kinds of crafts. Also, I have given ability

to all the skilled workers to make everything I have commanded you. In Exodus 31, something

unexpected happens. God names a man, Bezalel, and tells Moses that he has been chosen and

filled with the Spirit of God. That alone is striking, but what's even more striking is how that

filling shows up. Bezalel isn't filled with the spirit to preach. He's not called to lead an army.

He's not sent to deliver a prophetic word. He's filled with his spirit to work,

to design, to build, to shape material things with care and skill. Bezalel is described as being

filled with wisdom, understanding, knowledge, and skills so that he can craft sacred objects,

working with gold and wood and stone and fabric. He

intends to detail. He collaborates with others. He makes things with his hands. And scripture is very

clear about this. This skilled embodied labor is spirit filled. It's important to stay accurate

to the context here. Bezalel isn't making just anything. He's crafting

objects that will shape sacred space, the place where God will dwell among the people. This is

sacred work and that matters. But now notice how God chooses to bring that sacred space into being.

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