Chapters 25-27
Chpt. 25
v. 2 - Tell the Israelites to bring me an offering. You are to receive the offering for me from each man whose heart prompts him to give. I thought it interesting that God connects giving to the condition of our heart. That seems more New Testament-ish, but God knows our hearts - always has. He knows the strangle-hold that money/possessions can have on us. I believe the point is also made here that giving of our resources is an act of worship - every bit as much as singing, taking communion, praying, reading our Bible, etc. I never want to be a reluctant giver - when I write my tithe check (or another offerring of some sort), I want to always think, "I'm glad to do this and it's really only a small portion of what I really owe back to God as a steward." Two final points: (A) where did these people wandering out in the desert get all this stuff to bring as an offerring to God (i.e. gold, silver, bronze, precious stones, fabric, spices, oils, etc.)? You may remember that God had the Israelites ask the Egyptians for their stuff right before they left and it said that God made the Egyptians to act favorably toward the Israelites. Again, God provides us with everything and then asks us to give some of it back. (B) God is allowing His people to play a part in what He's doing (creating the Ark of the Covenant, building the tabernacle [place of worship - God's dwelling], etc.). Does He need these items from the Israelites to accomplish these tasks? No. God allows us to join in with what He's doing by giving. Does He need our resources to accomplish His will today? No. But we will miss the blessing of being in line with Him and a part of something eternally significant if we don't participate. What else are we doing today that is eternally significant?
Chpt. 26
v. 1 - ...by a skilled craftsman. This requirement to put together the Tabernacle is also mentioned in v. 31. I see two things here: (A) everyone has value in the Body. I know "the Body of Christ" (read: the church) is a New Testament concept, but the idea of 1 Corinthians 12 shows up here. God apparently gifted some guys with the ability to make things from fabric or wood or precious metals or whatever. They weren't preachers, Bible teachers, singers, instrumentalists, organizers, etc. God gave them a gift and then they were able to play their part in the big picture. There are few things as exciting as seeing someone be able to use their God-given abilities for the Kingdom (abilities that had laid dorment for years). (B) God's not down with mediocre. He doesn't require that craftsmen build these items - He requires skilled craftsmen - guys who were really good at what they did. This implies they had honed their abilities. It also implies that God is not honored by our lame-o efforts. If He is perfect and excellent, when we do something for Him, it should be our very best. There are few things that make my blood boil more than hearing this phrase: "Well, it's just for church." In other words, I'm not going to give my best or my best effort - I'll give my left over energy, attention, and skill - I mean, it's just church, right? What are they gonna do, fire me? This thinking misunderstands why and Who we serve. This also comes into play when the church has very infrequent times of training and people "can't make it." How can someone be skilled at ministry if they never develop their abilities? Thanks for letting me take a moment on the soapbox. I'm better now.
Chpt. 25
v. 2 - Tell the Israelites to bring me an offering. You are to receive the offering for me from each man whose heart prompts him to give. I thought it interesting that God connects giving to the condition of our heart. That seems more New Testament-ish, but God knows our hearts - always has. He knows the strangle-hold that money/possessions can have on us. I believe the point is also made here that giving of our resources is an act of worship - every bit as much as singing, taking communion, praying, reading our Bible, etc. I never want to be a reluctant giver - when I write my tithe check (or another offerring of some sort), I want to always think, "I'm glad to do this and it's really only a small portion of what I really owe back to God as a steward." Two final points: (A) where did these people wandering out in the desert get all this stuff to bring as an offerring to God (i.e. gold, silver, bronze, precious stones, fabric, spices, oils, etc.)? You may remember that God had the Israelites ask the Egyptians for their stuff right before they left and it said that God made the Egyptians to act favorably toward the Israelites. Again, God provides us with everything and then asks us to give some of it back. (B) God is allowing His people to play a part in what He's doing (creating the Ark of the Covenant, building the tabernacle [place of worship - God's dwelling], etc.). Does He need these items from the Israelites to accomplish these tasks? No. God allows us to join in with what He's doing by giving. Does He need our resources to accomplish His will today? No. But we will miss the blessing of being in line with Him and a part of something eternally significant if we don't participate. What else are we doing today that is eternally significant?
Chpt. 26
v. 1 - ...by a skilled craftsman. This requirement to put together the Tabernacle is also mentioned in v. 31. I see two things here: (A) everyone has value in the Body. I know "the Body of Christ" (read: the church) is a New Testament concept, but the idea of 1 Corinthians 12 shows up here. God apparently gifted some guys with the ability to make things from fabric or wood or precious metals or whatever. They weren't preachers, Bible teachers, singers, instrumentalists, organizers, etc. God gave them a gift and then they were able to play their part in the big picture. There are few things as exciting as seeing someone be able to use their God-given abilities for the Kingdom (abilities that had laid dorment for years). (B) God's not down with mediocre. He doesn't require that craftsmen build these items - He requires skilled craftsmen - guys who were really good at what they did. This implies they had honed their abilities. It also implies that God is not honored by our lame-o efforts. If He is perfect and excellent, when we do something for Him, it should be our very best. There are few things that make my blood boil more than hearing this phrase: "Well, it's just for church." In other words, I'm not going to give my best or my best effort - I'll give my left over energy, attention, and skill - I mean, it's just church, right? What are they gonna do, fire me? This thinking misunderstands why and Who we serve. This also comes into play when the church has very infrequent times of training and people "can't make it." How can someone be skilled at ministry if they never develop their abilities? Thanks for letting me take a moment on the soapbox. I'm better now.
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