And Moses called Bezalel and Oholiab and every craftsman in whose mind the Lord had put skill, everyone whose heart stirred him up to come to do the work. And they received from Moses all the contribution that the people of Israel had brought for doing the work on the sanctuary. They still kept bringing him freewill offerings every morning, so that all the craftsmen who were doing every sort of task on the sanctuary came, each from the task that he was doing, and said to Moses, “The people bring much more than enough for doing the work that the Lord has commanded us to do.” So Moses gave command, and word was proclaimed throughout the camp, “Let no man or woman do anything more for the contribution for the sanctuary.” So the people were restrained from bringing, for the material they had was sufficient to do all the work, and more (4:22-7).
As we saw previously, the Israelites were asked to bring valuable items for the service to God (the articles to make the various articles for the Tabernacle and the Tabernacle itself) as their heart moved them. They were not commanded to give, but what they gave ended up being more than needed, and they had to be restrained from giving more!
Can you imagine such generosity? It sounds like so much fun! It reminds me of 2 Corinthians 9:7, “Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”
The literal word for “cheerful” in this verse means “hilarious” – and that is what I picture here, a joyful, exuberant, enthusiastic giving.
A principle from God is that we reap what we sow. If we sow sparingly, we reap sparingly. This works in the natural world, for example in farming: one is not going to reap a large crop if one only sows a few seeds. This works in all facets of life. If we sow generously, whether it’s giving of our time, talents, or money, we will reap a generous harvest.
I know people who are delighted to give to others and to serve others and this comes out of their confidence that God will provide for them – they are such a blessing, and they are blessed! I want to be such a person. But as in everything, I want to be giving and serving in step with God.
Prayer: Lord, may I trust you enough so that I have a generous heart, with my material goods, time, and talents. May You lead me in this. Amen.
