Thursday, March 8, 2018

Exodus 35:1-29 comments: a willing heart


35:1 ¶  And Moses gathered all the congregation of the children of Israel together, and said unto them, These are the words which the LORD hath commanded, that ye should do them. 2  Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day there shall be to you an holy day, a sabbath of rest to the LORD: whosoever doeth work therein shall be put to death. 3  Ye shall kindle no fire throughout your habitations upon the sabbath day. 4  And Moses spake unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying, This is the thing which the LORD commanded, saying, 5  Take ye from among you an offering unto the LORD: whosoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it, an offering of the LORD; gold, and silver, and brass, 6  And blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and goats’ hair, 7  And rams’ skins dyed red, and badgers’ skins, and shittim wood, 8  And oil for the light, and spices for anointing oil, and for the sweet incense, 9  And onyx stones, and stones to be set for the ephod, and for the breastplate. 10  And every wise hearted among you shall come, and make all that the LORD hath commanded; 11  The tabernacle, his tent, and his covering, his taches, and his boards, his bars, his pillars, and his sockets, 12  The ark, and the staves thereof, with the mercy seat, and the vail of the covering, 13  The table, and his staves, and all his vessels, and the shewbread, 14  The candlestick also for the light, and his furniture, and his lamps, with the oil for the light, 15  And the incense altar, and his staves, and the anointing oil, and the sweet incense, and the hanging for the door at the entering in of the tabernacle, 16  The altar of burnt offering, with his brasen grate, his staves, and all his vessels, the laver and his foot, 17  The hangings of the court, his pillars, and their sockets, and the hanging for the door of the court, 18  The pins of the tabernacle, and the pins of the court, and their cords, 19  The cloths of service, to do service in the holy place, the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments of his sons, to minister in the priest’s office.

Moses’ speech here is a recap of previous commands. Notice that the children of Israel were not even to light a fire in their dwellings on the Sabbath. I’ve read that people, back in the days before electricity and central heating, might not even light a fire in their home for warmth unless they had company visiting, if wood for fuel was scarce or if they used coal, due to its expense. Of course, it could become unbearable as in most old dwellings for common people there might not even be a door or window covering, save for a flap of some kind of material.

Verse 5 tells us of an offering from those with a willing heart. This sense of voluntary offerings is very important in Christianity, where the offering isn’t like an imposed tax but something from the heart.

2Corinthians 9:7  Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.

As slaves the Hebrews would have had ‘next to nothing’ but, remember, their Egyptian neighbors had loaded them up with wealth.

Exodus 11:2  Speak now in the ears of the people, and let every man borrow of his neighbour, and every woman of her neighbour, jewels of silver, and jewels of gold…12:35  And the children of Israel did according to the word of Moses; and they borrowed of the Egyptians jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment: 36  And the LORD gave the people favour in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they lent unto them such things as they required. And they spoiled the Egyptians.

Not long ago an Egyptian commentator made the public claim that Israel still owed Egypt for the wealth the children of Israel walked off with 3,000 years ago. Of course, besides being legally laughable, historically Egypt did get paid back.

2Chronicles 12:9  So Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem, and took away the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king’s house; he took all: he carried away also the shields of gold which Solomon had made.

    35:20 ¶  And all the congregation of the children of Israel departed from the presence of Moses. 21  And they came, every one whose heart stirred him up, and every one whom his spirit made willing, and they brought the LORD’S offering to the work of the tabernacle of the congregation, and for all his service, and for the holy garments. 22  And they came, both men and women, as many as were willing hearted, and brought bracelets, and earrings, and rings, and tablets, all jewels of gold: and every man that offered offered an offering of gold unto the LORD. 23  And every man, with whom was found blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and goats’ hair, and red skins of rams, and badgers’ skins, brought them. 24  Every one that did offer an offering of silver and brass
brought the LORD’S offering: and every man, with whom was found shittim wood for any work of the service, brought it. 25  And all the women that were wise hearted did spin with their hands, and brought that which they had spun, both of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet, and of fine linen. 26  And all the women whose heart stirred them up in wisdom spun goats’ hair. 27  And the rulers brought onyx stones, and stones to be set, for the ephod, and for the breastplate; 28  And spice, and oil for the light, and for the anointing oil, and for the sweet incense. 29  The children of Israel brought a willing offering unto the LORD, every man and woman, whose heart made them willing to bring for all manner of work, which the LORD had commanded to be made by the hand of Moses.

A willing spirit and a willing heart are emphasized here. As an application to Christians the essence of Christian service is willingness not some church or government authority imposing some type of legal requirement. Nor should there be any guilt or manipulation. The heart is made willing by God and what God requires comes from the heart of a Christian prepared by God.

Since the tithe is not a part of the instructions given by Paul let us look at the remarks about Christian giving in the Church Age. First, in regard to helping other Christians and then beyond that to anyone in need.

6 ¶  But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. 7  Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. 8  And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work: 9  (As it is written, He hath dispersed abroad; he hath given to the poor: his righteousness remaineth for ever. 10  Now he that ministereth seed to the sower both minister bread for your food, and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness;) 11  Being enriched in every thing to all bountifulness, which causeth
through us thanksgiving to God. 12  For the administration of this service not only supplieth the want of the saints, but is abundant also by many thanksgivings unto God; 13  Whiles by the experiment of this ministration they glorify God for your professed subjection unto the gospel of Christ, and for your liberal distribution unto them, and unto all men; 14  And by their
prayer for you, which long after you for the exceeding grace of God in you. 15  Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.

Note that giving in the New Testament when Paul begins his ministry to we Gentiles is not about supporting a tabernacle or embellishing a building but about helping those in need, first to the saints as it says in verse 12, and then, as verse 13 says, to all men.

In the age where the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Christ and God, indwells all people who believe the Church is the body of Christ, the people who have faith and believe in Him. The individual Christian is the temple of the Holy Ghost, where that Spirit resides.

1Corinthians 6:19  What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?


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