EXODUS 35:30-31, 36:1-7 (CSB)
30 Moses then said to the Israelites, “Look, the Lord has appointed by name Bezalel son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. 31 He has filled him with God’s Spirit, with wisdom, understanding, and ability in every kind of craft …
36 Bezalel, Oholiab, and all the skilled people are to work based on everything the Lord has commanded. The Lord has given them wisdom and understanding to know how to do all the work of constructing the sanctuary.”
2 So Moses summoned Bezalel, Oholiab, and every skilled person in whose heart the Lord had placed wisdom, all whose hearts moved them, to come to the work and do it. 3 They took from Moses’s presence all the contributions that the Israelites had brought for the task of making the sanctuary. Meanwhile, the people continued to bring freewill offerings morning after morning.
4 Then all the artisans who were doing all the work for the sanctuary came one by one from the work they were doing 5 and said to Moses, “The people are bringing more than is needed for the construction of the work the Lord commanded to be done.”
6 After Moses gave an order, they sent a proclamation throughout the camp: “Let no man or woman make anything else as an offering for the sanctuary.” So the people stopped. 7 The materials were sufficient for them to do all the work. There was more than enough.
HEAR:
God is inviting the Israelites into the work of building a dwelling place for Him among them, a place for them to be able to meet with Him. He could have created it in His own power, but He invites those with willing hearts to bring offerings of the materials needed and stirs their hearts to be craftsmen and women. He is using this display of generosity to form their hearts to be more like Jesus’s.
Do you see yourself as called and known by God? (v 30, Isaiah 43:1, 1 Peter 2:9)
Consider what skills and knowledge God has filled you with. (v 31) How can you leverage these for His kingdom?
What are you withholding from God? (v 3-5) Invite the Spirit to search you and reveal any areas to you.
Respond: God invited the Israelites to bring contributions to build the tabernacle, and the people were so generous in their freewill offerings that the craftsmen had to tell Moses to restrain them from bringing more. It says the material they had was sufficient to do all the work, and more. (v 7)
Give praise that God desires to be near to His people, to dwell with us. (Ex 25:8) Praise also that He invites us into His kingdom work.
Ask that we would have generous hearts like the Israelites (v 5)
Pray for a greater vision of how to use the giftings God has granted, that we can be a blessing to our city and our region.
Pray for our hearts to be stirred up (v 2) and for the hearts of those who don’t know God to be stirred as well.
