Altar of Incense and Gifts of Skill

Exodus 31-31

Sweet Lord,
As Dick and I were reading this we were trying to figure out how wood could be overlayed with gold.  You instructed Moses to have an altar built on which to burn incense.  The wood that was used for some of the parts had to be overlayed with gold.  Then  as we read the next chapter, we saw that You had chosen 2 men.  The first You say, "Look, I have specifically chosen Bezalel ...I have filled him with the Spirit of God, giving him great wisdom, ability, and expertise in all kinds of crafts. He is a master craftsman, expert in working with gold, silver, and bronze. He is skilled in engraving and mounting gemstones and in carving wood. He is a master at every craft!"
"And I have personally appointed Oholiab..., to be his assistant. Moreover, I have given special skill to all the gifted craftsmen so they can make all the things I have commanded you to make:  the Tabernacle;  the Ark of the Covenant;  the Ark's cover—the place of atonement; all the furnishings of the Tabernacle; the table and its utensils; the pure gold lampstand with all its accessories; the incense altar; t he altar of burnt offering with all its utensils; the washbasin with its stand; the beautifully stitched garments—the sacred garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments for his sons to wear as they minister as priests; the anointing oil; the fragrant incense for the Holy Place. The craftsmen must make everything as I have commanded you."

WHEW!  You filled Bezalel with the Spirit of God, and with all knowledge to create all you had required.  The second, You filled also with certain gifts to be a helper to the first, and then gave all the other workers the skills they needed to complete the jobs You gave them.
      Lord, I wonder...did you fill these men slowly and teach him from birth to do these things and to know how, or did You do it all at once.  If all at once, what must that have been like for them!  I can only imagine.  For even one of these crafts: wood working, carving, metal work, stone cutting, and weaving; it would take years of learning.

Then, Lord, You give instruction s on how to blend the anointing oil and incense.  When Dick and I were walking through a couple of the stores at Christmas time, there were bins of pine cones and brooms that had been infused with Cinnamon oil.  It was overpowering and burned our eyes and noses.  One store finally put theirs outside because the workers were having such a time trying to breathe.
For the anointing oil, you told them to,  "Collect choice spices—12½ pounds of pure myrrh, 6¼ pounds of fragrant cinnamon, 6¼ pounds of fragrant calamus, and 12½ pounds of cassia —as measured by the weight of the sanctuary shekel. Also get one gallon of olive oil."
I don't have any idea what that may have smelled like, but You asked Moses to anoint the test, all of the articles in it, the priests and their robes with it.
Then You told him to  "Gather fragrant spices—resin droplets, mollusk shell, and galbanum—and mix these fragrant spices with pure frankincense, weighed out in equal amounts." to make incense to burn night and day on the altar.

Out there in the wilderness it must have smelled heavenly in the open air wafting through the camp.
Lord, it is a great reminder to me that You never give us a job to do that You do not equip us.  And since we have Your Holy Spirit within us now, after salvation, we have no excuse not to complete the tasks You have given. Thank You, Lord!