A Newsletter of weekly meditations on Biblical Theology and curated resources from The Carson Center

May 20, 2026

Exodus 31:3 “and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with ability and intelligence, with knowledge and all craftsmanship.”

Colossians 1:9–10 “And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.”

Read 1 Kings 14; Colossians 1; Ezekiel 44; Psalms 97–98

As Christians we should continue to learn and apply God’s word to our lives. But many Christians do not know that doing this has great theological and spiritual significance, not just for themselves but for the whole church. We see this reality in Colossians 1:9–10.

In this passage, Paul alludes to the Greek translation of Exodus 31:3: “I have filled him [Bezalel] with a divine Spirit of wisdom and understanding and knowledge in every work.” Paul also has in mind 1 Kings 7:14, where the same wording is applied to Hiram’s task of building Solomon’s temple. Exodus 31:3 and 1 Kings 7:14 are the only texts where the “Spirit” (implied in 1 Kgs. 7) and “filling” are directly linked to “wisdom and understanding” and “knowledge.” These expressions are uniquely applied to the tabernacle/temple. As in Exodus and 1 Kings, Colossians 1:9–10 concerns the effect of Spirit’s filling–so that they may do God’s will “in every…work” (Ex. 31:3; 35:31–32; 1 Kings 7:14). Both Old Testament passages describe God’s filling Israelites with his Spirit to have unique skill in building the tabernacle (e.g., Ex. 31:1–11).

The point of the allusion in Colossians 1 is that Paul is praying that God would fill believers with the Spirit in order that they would skillfully build their ethical lives. But since the phrase “every good work” in Colossians 1:10 also alludes to Exod. 31:3, 35:31–32, and 1 Kings 7:14, wording that refers to temple building, the believers’ “bearing fruit in every good work” is part of the process of them contributing to building up the body of Christ. God is the one who will fill believers with his Spirit, since Paul is praying to God that the believers will “be filled.”

As we “walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him” and as we are “bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God,” Christians participate in the process of constructing the spiritual temple of God. We are like Bezalel and Hiram, whom God gifted with skill to build Israel’s tabernacle and temple. May God continue so to “fill” us to build his temple and so build up the church of Christ. – G.K. Beale

Reflect: Consider your status as being the holy temple of the living God. How should you conduct yourself in light of this grand reality?

“What Happened on the Threshing Floor?” by Ryan Currie

Anyone who has read the book of Ruth has experienced a sense of awkward puzzlement at the threshing-floor scene, where Ruth visits Boaz in the middle of the night after he had been drinking (Ruth 3:1–13). It’s a scene charged with sexual tension. So, what happens?

For context, the book of Ruth tells the story of the reversal of Naomi’s fortunes. It begins with Naomi as a destitute widow, with no husband or children, on the run from a famine in a town ironically named “The House of Bread” (Bethlehem). By the end of the narrative, God completely restores Naomi, and her restoration is pleasant (1:20; 4:13–16). She sits in joy with a child on her lap, with an abundance of grain in Bethlehem. But God brings about this reversal through someone we would least expect: a Moabite woman named Ruth.

The book of Ruth is carefully crafted to celebrate the conversion of a Moabite into the covenant people of God. In God’s plan, her offspring is the King who will restore the cosmos (4:18–22; Matt. 1:5). Let’s consider how, at the threshing floor, Boaz and Ruth reject Moabite promiscuity and inhospitality and embrace covenant faithfulness and lavish generosity.

READ ABOUT GOD’S RESTORATION THROUGH RUTH

What is the gospel—really?

In this episode of The Everyday Pastor, Matt Smethurst and Ligon Duncan tackle the confusion surrounding one of the most important words in Christianity. They explain why the gospel isn’t self-help advice or vague spiritual encouragement but the good news of what God has done in Jesus Christ to save sinners.

The Bible is comprised of many books and written by various authors over centuries, but as God’s Word it is a unified revelation unveiling a single message. It is crucial to understand what the Bible’s overall message is to interpret it properly and rightly apply it to our lives.This article by Stephen Wellum explains what the central message of the Bible is by thinking through two ways of describing the overall story of Scripture. First, the Bible’s plots movements of creation, fall, redemption, and new creation are explored to understand the Bible’s message. Second, the Bible’s story is explained by thinking through how God’s plan is unveiled through the covenants from the creation covenant to the new covenant in Christ.

READ “The Story and Message of the Bible” by Stephen Wellum

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