HaShem said to Moses, “Speak to the people of Israel, that they take for me a contribution. From every man whose heart moves him you shall receive the contribution for me” (25:1-2).
After six days of Moses waiting on the mountain in the cloud, God speaks to him. In this and the following chapters, we read God’s instructions for making the tabernacle and its furnishings. This matters because it involves the people’s relating to God, and in fact, His very presence with them.
But where are they going to get the materials for the tabernacle? These materials are going to come from donations, “from every man whose heart moves him.” Elsewhere in Scripture, God details certain compulsory offerings and sacrifices, but the provision for making the tabernacle and its furnishings was to be donated freely.
How in the world do former slaves have all the necessary materials for this project of God? Things like “gold, silver, and bronze, blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen, goats’ hair, tanned rams’ skins, goat-skins, acacia wood, oil for the lamps, spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense, onyx stones, and stones for setting, for the ephod and the breast-piece” (31:3-7).
Remember when God told Moses to ask of their neighbours for silver and gold jewelry and clothing and they had received these things (Exodus 11:2; 12:35-36)? God knew beforehand that He would be instructing the Israelites to build the tabernacle and what they would need, and He made sure that they had these items.
God makes sure we have that we need to do the things He asks us to do, whether material items we need, or things that aren’t tangible, such as training or abilities. Sometimes He might ask us to do things we don’t think we have the ability to do, and we might not actually have that ability. Yet, He gives it to us when we need it.
I have experienced this so many times in my life! One example is having ten children. I can assure you that when I had one child, I did not have the ability to mother two children, let alone ten! But when I gave birth to our second child, God gave me the ability to mother both children, and so on for each child. God gave me the ability to mother the third, fourth, fifth, etc. as they were born. Praise be to Him!
Prayer: God, I thank You that all I have to do is follow You and not worry about the “how am I going to do this?” I confess that I forget, and start trying to figure it out and calculate and think that it all depends on me. It doesn’t. My job is simply to walk in obedience. Let me rest in the fact that You will give me the means and ability to do whatever You give me to do. Thank You that You always do. Amen.
