Exodus 25:8-9a And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them. According to all that I shew thee, after the pattern…
Exodus 25 is about the offerings for the tabernacle which Israel would give. Of course, this tabernacle would be used to worship God Almighty Who brought Israel out of Egypt. Notice what God says about the Israelites’ giving to this project. Verse 2 says, speaking of the children of Israel, “That they bring me an offering: of every man that giveth it willingly with his heart ye shall take my offering.” They were to give with a willing heart, not begrudgingly.
All of us have received service from people who really didn’t want to give it. Their service was obligatory. Maybe you have gone into a fast food restaurant where it is obvious that the cashier doesn’t care about you, your business, or the place for which he is working. He just has a job. He does not have a willing heart. But God says that people can give with a willing heart.
Then the Bible tells us in verse 8, “And let them make a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them. According to all that I show thee, after the pattern…” They were to give with a willing heart and according to a pattern, the form that God had given. Why? The reason is because all that we have to give is that which God has given us first. In verses 3-7, your find all the things that were to be used for the tabernacle. There were things like silver, brass, blue, purple, scarlet, goat’s hair, ram’s skins dyed red, oil, precious wood, sweet incense, etc.
Where did the Israelites get all this stuff? Think about who they were and where they were. These were slaves, and they were in the wilderness. Where do you find silver, gold, precious stones, and all these valuables in the wilderness? The answer is found in Exodus 12:36 which says, “And the LORD gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they lent unto them such things as they required. And they spoiled the Egyptians.”
When they were going to serve God in the wilderness, Moses had told Pharaoh that they didn’t know what they would need to serve God, so they were going with everything. Well, from Israel’s perspective, they spoiled the Egyptians. They took captive what belonged to the Egyptians, including silver and gold. From God’s perspective, God is the One Who gave them favor. God is the One Who did this. In other words, all they had to offer willingly according to the pattern was what God had given them first. That is always the case.
If God has you, He won’t have to quibble about your money, your aspirations, your goals, or your future. The truth is that all we have to give is what God has given to us first. You cannot be generous with God. He gave it first. You can only be honest. You can give to God what God has given to you and through you.