Exodus 35: 4-19, “And Moses spake unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying, This is the thing which the LORD commanded, saying, Take ye from among you an offering unto the LORD: whosoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it, an offering of the LORD; gold, and silver, and brass, And blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and goats’ hair, And rams’ skins dyed red, and badgers’ skins, and shittim wood, And oil for the light, and spices for anointing oil, and for the sweet incense, And onyx stones, and stones to be set for the ephod, and for the breastplate. And every wise hearted among you shall come, and make all that the LORD hath commanded; The tabernacle, his tent, and his covering, his taches, and his boards, his bars, his pillars, and his sockets, The ark, and the staves thereof, with the mercy seat, and the vail of the covering, The table, and his staves, and all his vessels, and the shewbread, The candlestick also for the light, and his furniture, and his lamps, with the oil for the light, And the incense altar, and his staves, and the anointing oil, and the sweet incense, and the hanging for the door at the entering in of the tabernacle, The altar of burnt offering, with his brasen grate, his staves, and all his vessels, the laver and his foot, The hangings of the court, his pillars, and their sockets, and the hanging for the door of the court, The pins of the tabernacle, and the pins of the court, and their cords, The cloths of service, to do service in the holy place, the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments of his sons, to minister in the priest’s office.”
Even though the Lord delivered Israel from slavery and made them rich by allowing them to take many years of back pay from the Egyptians, the Lord didn’t force them to give Him the raw materials to make the Tabernacle. He told them what was needed to make the Tabernacle and then asked them to give everything that they needed on a voluntary basis. They didn’t have to give anything back to the Lord, at that stage. However, if anyone was grateful to the Lord for the great gift of freedom then they could show that gratitude by giving to the Lord. The same is true today: we don’t have to do anything to earn God’s love but if we are grateful for His love then we can give Him our lives in response to this great gift. The Lord asks that we present our bodies as a living sacrifice, something that is holy and acceptable to God. Not because God needs us but because God has given us so much and that is the least that we can give Him in response.
(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)
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