Exodus 35

All the men and women, the people of Israel, whose heart moved them to bring anything for the work that the Lord had commanded by Moses to be done brought it as a freewill offering to the Lord.

Exodus 35:29

Exodus 35:20-29 emphasizes the position of the people's hearts. It is mentioned in verse 21 that everyone whose heart stirred him and whose spirit moved him brought the Lord's contribution. Verse 22 says all who were of a willing heart brought brooches and earrings and signet rings. Verse 24 says everyone who could make a contribution of silver or bronze brought it as the Lord's contribution. And verse 26 says all the women whose heart stirred them to use their skill spun the goat hair.

As I read these verses, it is evident that the construction of the Tabernacle required everyone's contributions. A part of the ability to contribute had to do with someone's heart, with the spirit that was inside of them. Sacrifice is not an easy thing. It is not easy for us to give up the things that we love or to change the ways we love to live, but it becomes easier when we see a greater purpose. If we know that we are building the kingdom of God, if we know that our treasure is in eternity, if we know that the Lord will provide, then it becomes easier to give up the things that we love and do it with a willing heart.

My mind goes straight to the tithe. The Bible calls us to give 10% of all of our first fruits back to the Lord, and this is not only monetary. It is with our actions, our time, and our work. It is what we do with our hands, giving it back to the Lord. It is serving God if we do it willingly and joyfully, but it is not the same if we do it just because the Bible says so. When we are contributing towards God and His kingdom, a part of that is feeling stirred to do so from within and then listening to that calling. A tithe and giving back to God is not necessarily about the number of 10%, but more about God filling me with abundance and so my abundance is pouring out and giving back to Him.

The verse about the women in verse 26, that they used their skill, means that they had a choice. They were gifted with this skill, but they had a choice of whether to use it and whether to use it to serve God's kingdom. We have choices on many levels. We have the choice to use our skill, to use it to further God's kingdom, to do it freely, and to listen to the calling in our heart. We must have an understanding of the work. Moses is the one who lays out clearly what is required, what people should bring, why they should bring it, and what the purpose is, and we can receive all of these answers from Scripture. This also points to Jesus, how He willingly gave His life for us. It was a freewill offering to the Lord. Jesus Christ gave His life so that we may be saved, and He served God willingly, out of a heart that knew the bigger, perfect purpose and was moved to do so. If our heart is aligned with the Lord and we freely offer what we have to give, we can do a lot of great things.