The LORD said to Moses, "See, I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with ability and intelligence, with knowledge and all craftsmanship, to devise artistic designs, to work in gold, silver, and bronze, in cutting stones for setting, and in carving wood, to work in every craft. And behold, I have appointed with him Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan. And I have given to all able men ability, that they may make all that I have commanded you: the tent of meeting, and the ark of the testimony, and the mercy seat that is on it, and all the furnishings of the tent, the table and its utensils, and the pure lampstand with all its utensils, and the altar of incense, and the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils, and the basin and its stand, and the finely worked garments, the holy garments for Aaron the priest and the garments of his sons, for their service as priests, and the anointing oil and the fragrant incense for the Holy Place. According to all that I have commanded you, they shall do."
Exodus 31:1-11
The appointment of the workmen, Bezaleel and Aholiab, for the execution of the work of the tabernacle is full of interest and significance. There are two things in particular that we must distinguish. The divine enduement for service on the one hand, and natural potential and aptitude on the other. 'Wise hearted' in 6 refers to those who had special knowledge for the task in question, either by natural gift or by training (in Hebrew thought the heart was the seat of knowledge, just as today we identify it as the seat of the affections). Certainly Bezaleel and his companions must have had the natural aptitude and training for this work, and it is generally on this basis that men are chosen for particular jobs, and especially so in the work of the kingdom of God, and this is the natural gift of God. But this alone does not qualify them for holy service. Naturally talented men who lack the enduement of God for service have, it is safe to say, done more harm than good in the life of the Church. Natural gifts need a fiery baptism in order to qualify them for usefulness to God. This serves on the one hand to warn us of the danger of setting too much store on natural gifts as such, as if their possession necessarily gave the assurance of success; and on the other to remind us that, after all, God is the author and source of men's natural gifts and talents, and bestows them with the intention of making use of them for His own purposes. We need to guard against the tendency to belittle and despise gifts or training, as if these were something unworthy. It is true that God can, and does, use all sorts of unlikely material in His service; He used Balaam's ass on one notable occasion, but He does not usually use asses, animal or human, in the furtherance of His purposes, but rather duly prepared instruments. And so it was to be here.