*skilled: wise of heart
Jehovah extended out an invitation to all his people to volunteer and take part in the privilege of building the tabernacle, which was to be the center of true worship for around 500 years.
Today, we live in a time of great spiritual growth and enlightenment.
Despite society’s moral decay, “the path of the righteous […] grows brighter and brighter until full daylight,” (Prov. 4:18).
Prophecies relating to the abundance and accessibility of God’s word are being fulfilled as we venture further into “the time of the end.” (Dan. 12:4; Matt. 24:14)
Jesus extended an invitation into the future to those now living to join in the ‘harvest work,’ so to speak, and spread his father’s message. (Matt. 9:37,38)
We may feel inept, unworthy, or too insignificant to partake in the fulfillment of these prophecies, but as the footnote explains, “skilled” literally means “wise of heart” in the original language. This understanding enables us to see ourselves from God’s point of view.
King Solomon, one of the wisest men to have lived, describes someone with a wise heart as a person who knows “the right time and procedure,” or who knows “both time and judgment,” (Eccl. 8:5 {New World Translation}; {Reference Bible}).
This implies letting ourselves be guided by God’s spirit as we strive to display qualities such as faith and patience. (Ps. 37:7; Gal. 5:22,23)
Regardless of our origins, Jehovah God is the one choosing us to draw close to him, (John 6:44).
If we pray to him for wisdom and other fine qualities, he grants them to us through his spirit and his word. (Ja. 1:5)
Therefor, anyone can come to be “skilled” or “wise of heart” if we use our gifts to serve him instead of serving self-centered goals.
God’s modern-day servants accept today’s equivalent of the invitation and selflessly set aside lucrative careers to volunteer where there is greater need of Bible ministers, to build more halls and branch offices for the growing organization, to humbly serve anonymously in those branch offices in the capacity of artists, translators or lesser-recognized fields, or as traveling overseers supervising and motivating over a dozen congregations at a time.
Jehovah is the one making us “skilled” and worthy, provided that we are willing to carry out his work.