Exodus 35-36

The end of Exodus is much less exciting than the beginning, eventually turning into a set of laws, rules, and chronicles that lead into the very dull book (at least to me) of Leviticus. However, towards the end, wedged between laws and regulations about the tabernacle, I was struck by the verses that describe the two people that God chooses to head the artistic team in charge of creating the tabernacle.

 “See, the Lord has chosen Bezalel ... and he has filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skills— to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, to cut and set stones, to work in wood and to engage in all kinds of artistic crafts. And he has given both him and Oholiab ... the ability to teach others. He has filled them with skill to do all kinds of work as engravers, designers, embroiderers in blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine linen, and weavers—all of them skilled workers and designers. So Bezalel, Oholiab and every skilled person to whom the Lord has given skill and ability to know how to carry out all the work of constructing the sanctuary are to do the work just as the Lord has commanded.” Then Moses summoned Bezalel and Oholiab and every skilled person to whom the Lord had given ability and who was willing to come and do the work.

There are a lot of reasons these verses caught my attention:

•  I enjoy seeing that being "filled with the Spirit of God" manifests itself in such tangible ways. Growing up in a Pentecostal-type environment, my idea of being "filled" was a very mystical thing, something that manifested itself in signs and wonders, not an understanding of woodworking and artistic crafts. Though I find no problem with it in theory, in practice I was never fully at ease with the coveted Pentecostal ideal of being Spirit-filled. Being someone who enjoys the spiritual side of artistic expression, this verse was comforting somewhat. Doing creative work is revealed as a Spirit empowered activity. 
• These verses also show God's sense of irony (for lack of a better word).  God the creator empowering his creation with creative ability, who then in turn creates a home for its Creator. 
• As a teacher, especially in the Humanities, I enjoy seeing God giving these two men the ability to pass on their artisic skills to others. To teach. 
• My only question is about this whole thing is about the semantics of "he has filled him." Did this imply that an otherwise talentless man was suddenly and supernaturally filled and given ability, that a talented man was supernaturally "inspired" further for a specific task, or does is just mean that God had endowed this guy with artistic talent? The last verse "Then Moses summoned Bezalel and Oholiab and every skilled person to whom the Lord had given ability" is equally ambiguous for me because it says "skilled person" (which to my mind seems to speak of an innate ability) but also says "to whom the Lord has given ability." Does that mean that that the Lord had naturally made all these people skilled, or is it differentiating between these folks and other skilled people to whom the Lord had not given ability (or at least a special ability for this particular project)?