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Exodus 31 · Grade 5

Spirit-Filled Craftsmen and the Sabbath

Name Date

Read and Think

Exodus 31 closes the tabernacle instructions with the people who would build it. God says, I have called by name Bezalel. He adds, I have filled him with the Spirit of God. This is one of the first times Scripture describes someone filled with God's Spirit, and here the purpose is artistic skill. God values beauty and craftsmanship. Bezalel from Judah and Oholiab from Dan, a large tribe and a smaller one, worked together, with all who are wise-hearted.

God then gives the Sabbath as a sign between me and the children of Israel forever (31:17). Even holy building work must stop on the seventh day. The command looks back to creation: in six days Yahweh made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested. Rest is not laziness; it is trust that God, not our labor, sustains the world. In the New Testament, Hebrews 4:9-10 speaks of a Sabbath rest for God's people.

Finally, God gives Moses the two tablets of the covenant, stone tablets, written with God's finger (31:18). The covenant is in writing, from God Himself. This scene sets up the tragedy of chapter 32. While God is giving Moses gifts of grace, the people below are making an idol. In the New Testament, 2 Corinthians 3:3 describes a letter written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God, on human hearts.

Show What You Know

  1. What is notable about Bezalel being filled with the Spirit?

  2. Why might it matter that Bezalel and Oholiab came from different tribes?

  3. What does keeping the Sabbath express, according to the passage?

  4. Who wrote on the stone tablets?

  5. How does 2 Corinthians 3:3 describe the new covenant?

Word Bank Fill-In

Use the word bank to fill in each blank.

dayworkSpiritGodsign
  1. says, I have called by name Bezalel.
  2. He adds, I have filled him with the of God.
  3. God then gives the Sabbath as a between me and the children of Israel forever (31:17).
  4. Even holy building must stop on the seventh day.
  5. The command looks back to creation: in six days Yahweh made heaven and earth, and on the seventh he rested.

Think About It

  1. How can artistic or practical skills be acts of worship?

  2. Why would God command rest even from building His own tabernacle?

Memory Verse

It is a sign between me and the children of Israel forever; for in six days Yahweh made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed.’”

Exodus 31:17 (WEB)

Copy It

Prayer

Dear God, thank You for today's Bible story. Help me to . Amen.

Take It Home

For families: talk about these together.

  • How can you do your work for God, not for praise?
  • How can you keep a weekly rest?
  • How can you see God's Spirit helping you work?

Scripture: World English Bible, public domain, eBible.org. © 2026 The Daily Rooted. Free to print and copy for church and home use; not for resale. Original line art.