Hidden Treasure

I have recently been reading through the book of Exodus as my daily Bible reading. As I have read through the chapters where Moses passes on the instructions for the construction of the Tabernacle where God would presence Himself and where the sacrifices and offerings would be made, I’ve been struck by the skill required by those who would follow those instructions.

We read of Bezalel and Oholiab, whom the Lord had filled ‘with skill to perform every work of an engraver and of a designer and of an embroiderer, in blue and in purple and in scarlet material, and in fine linen, and of a weaver, as performers of every work and makers of designs’ (Exodus 35:35). Earlier in that chapter we read of skilled women, who ‘spun with their hands, and brought what they had spun, in blue and purple and scarlet material and in fine linen’.

These men and women, endowed with skill by the Lord, had only recently been delivered by Him from the cruel oppressive rule of Pharaoh. For generations they had been regarded as only fit to be slaves and manual workers by their Egyptian taskmasters. Yet as the yoke of bondage was lifted from their lives, we see God’s image revealed in them in beautiful gifts of creativity.

What happened in those Israelites in the wilderness is a picture to me of what the Lord wants to do in those who have been born again through repentance and faith in Jesus as Lord and Saviour. As they experience deliverance from the bondage of sin, their human spirit begins to receive healing and release through the Holy Spirit. Like someone being rescued from the wreckage of a fallen building after an earthquake, their natural and spiritual gifting, so long buried and pressed down by life’s pain and traumas, can begin to rise up and find expression. Their treasure will no longer be hidden.

Some reading this Seed will already have experienced healing through creativity, discovering abilities that they never knew they had. For others there may be the awareness of desires which they have never experienced before, or which they have long suppressed. It might be the desire to play a musical instrument, to learn to paint, or to try some other creative activity. Whatever your background or past story, God wants you to discover the hidden treasure of the gifting He has placed within you. It will glorify Him in your life but will also be your contribution to the beauty of His Church - His new covenant tabernacle, where the sacrifices offered are praises and thanks to His name.

Don’t let the fear of failure or comparison with others stop you from expressing all that God has placed within you. Let Him lead you as a Father who rejoices in every small step His beloved children take.

Prayer: Father, thank You that You have made me in Your image. Thank You that I am unique, and You want to show Your beauty and character through my life. Help me to step out in the gifts and abilities You have placed within me. May they be my offerings of worship to You. Amen.