Exodus 36:1-7
~14 min read
TRANSCRIPT
Our text for tonight's message is taken from Exodus 36:1–7.
In most worship services, there is this section known as the tithes and offerings. The word “tithe” means one tenth, and it is based on what the believer has received from his regular income. The giving of tithes is an acknowledgement that everything we have cometh from God, including the good health and strength to do the work, and it is a form of worship. One tenth is a guideline, and if possible, as the Lord blesses us, we should give more.
The money collected from the tithing is to be used for the support of the gospel work, regularly, full-time workers, the upkeeping of God's house, the church. The command to give tithing was recorded in Genesis 14:20, when Abraham gave one tenth of all he had received to Melchizedek, the king of Salem, who was a type of Christ. That was way before the children of Israel were in the wilderness. So they were aware of the giving of tithes.
On the other hand, offering is different. It is voluntary gifts or freewill offerings. It is given as a thanksgiving to God for answered prayers or for special purposes, like building funds or to support certain individuals who have financial needs. The building of the tabernacle was supported by freewill offerings. It was voluntary, not compulsory. Remember, the children of Israel were told to render their resources and services for the construction of the tabernacle. They gave so much that Moses had to put a stop to their giving.
Can you imagine putting a stop to the giving? Telling the people to stop giving: “It is enough. It is too much.” What a wonderful testimony! And this is what we want to learn from today's passage. The title of our message is: “Enough. It Is More Than Enough”.
I. Offering Motivated By Grace
Our first point is “Offering Motivated By Grace”.
Let us begin with verse one of Exodus chapter 36: “Then wrought Bezaleel and Aholiab, and every wise hearted man, in whom the Lord put wisdom and understanding to know how to work all manner of work for the service of the sanctuary, according to all that the Lord had commanded.” (Exodus 36:1)
Verse two, “And Moses called Bezaleel and Aholiab, and every wise hearted man, in whose heart the Lord had put wisdom, even every one whose heart stirred him up to come unto the work to do it.” (Exodus 36:2)
Bezaleel and Aholiab were craftsmen specially chosen by God to be the chief director, or engineer, to lead the work of building the tabernacle. But they were not the only ones who were involved. Others who were gifted came forward to serve. Those who had much gave much, and those who had little gave whatever they were able to give. So everyone was involved in the building of the tabernacle.
Notice it was God who gave them the wisdom and understanding to do the work and stirred up their hearts to give of their resources. In other words, Moses did not start a fundraising campaign to raise the money. All he did was to say to the people: ‘God has commanded us to build the tabernacle, which would be His dwelling place. And everyone just bring whatever you would like to give.’
Today, sadly, when some believers want to build the church, they would plan some fundraising events to raise the money. Some would organise special programs like auctions, donation drives, selling cakes, or raffle tickets. Some would use compelling testimonies from individuals to stir the hearts of the people so that they would give. Others would use online resources to bombard the members with text messages to give. Yet others would promise that if you give a certain amount of money, you will be made a board member or an official holding a prominent position in the church.
Do you think God needs all these humanistic ideas to raise money for the church? Most certainly not. Well, Moses did not do that. All he did was to inform the people of the building project, and they gave cheerfully, sacrificially, and willingly.
Verse three tells us. “And they received of Moses all the offering, which the children of Israel had brought for the work of the service of the sanctuary, to make it withal. And they brought yet unto him free offerings every morning.” (Exodus 36:3) In other words, the children of Israel kept coming every morning to render their resources. It is not difficult to understand why the people were so willing to give. People who were saved by grace would start to give from the heart. They were grateful for what God had done for them, and they just wanted to keep giving and giving.
They recognised that their lives started with grace and continued with grace for all eternity. Grace was the motivation behind their giving, rather than giving out of a sense of duty and obligation, or even worse, from a sense of guilt, thinking that they could appease God for all their sins. They gave out of a heart which had experienced the grace of God.
Likewise, this should be our attitude in rendering our resources, our offerings, our services, out of gratitude for the grace of God which has saved us from our sins through our Lord Jesus Christ, and how His grace continues to sustain and preserve us. We want to keep giving and giving, whether it be our jobs and opportunities, our good health and strength, our families, our children, our houses, our protection, our journey mercies, and so forth. There is never a moment whereby we have not received His grace.
Sadly, some Christians would challenge this one tenth principle in the giving of tithes. And they feel pressured in this matter of giving, especially whenever the pastor speaks about new building projects, new ministries, or new mission fields. Remember, this one tenth principle is only a guideline. God does not measure our spirituality on a percentage basis. Just because you give one tenth, it does not mean that it is acceptable unto Him.
He does not want us to give without our hearts. He forgives our sins through the death and resurrection of His only begotten Son. He blesses us with His grace on a daily basis and invites us to be involved in His work of saving lost souls. It is as if God is saying to us: ‘Look, I have saved you, I have blessed you with so much, and I have a plan for your life, and I want you to be involved in the work of advancing the gospel so that those whom I have elected will come to salvation.’ It is a great invitation.
Dear friend, let us pause for a moment and consider what God has done and given to us. Everything we are, what we are, is because of Him—right down to the last drop of our Saviour's blood. When we consider what God has done for us, we understand that no matter how much we give, we can never out give our Lord Jesus, who laid down His life by dying on the cross of Calvary and shedding His precious blood to save us.
Throughout the Old and New Testaments, there were so many wonderful examples of the believers who had experienced the grace of God, and they gave cheerfully, sacrificially, and willingly. During King Hezekiah's time, the people brought many offerings to the temple, so much so that a huge amount was left over (2 Chronicles 31:5-10). During Jesus' time, the woman poured an expensive bottle of perfume on Him (Matthew 26:6-13). During the apostles' time, the members of the early church sold their fields and gave the proceeds to help the church and the needy (Acts 4:34-37). Then there were the Macedonians who, despite their extreme poverty, gave more than they could spare to help the gospel work (2 Corinthians 8:1-5). We can go on and on and on.
The point is that every heart that has been touched by the grace of God cannot help it but to give. Has your heart been touched by the grace of God? If you have, then you will have no problem with this matter of giving.
II. Offering Created A Problem
Our second point is: “Offering Created A Problem”. Allow me to explain this as we go along.
Look at verse four: “And all the wise men, that wrought all the work of the sanctuary, came every man from his work which they made;” (Exodus 36:4) In other words, all of a sudden, those people who were involved in the building of the tabernacle stopped their work and came to Moses.
For what purpose? Verse five: “And they spake unto Moses, saying, The people bring much more than enough for the service of the work, which the Lord commanded to make.” (Exodus 36:5) The people were coming every morning with their offerings, and the builders had more than enough materials. If we want to have an idea of how much the people had given, well, Exodus chapter 38 tells us that in our modern-day equivalent, they brought more than one ton of gold, three tons of silver, and two tons of bronze. And that was aside from all the other resources like the precious stones, garments, wood, and oils, as well as animal skins.
You can imagine that at first it was all exciting and heartwarming to see the people bringing those resources. But when it was more than enough, the builders left their work immediately and said to Moses, ‘Enough. It is more than enough. You have to put a stop to this. It is too much. We do not know what to do with all the extras.’
Some people may think, ‘This is not a problem. It is a good problem.’ Nonetheless, it is still a problem. Why do we say that? Let me share with you some of the potential problems. When enough is enough, when there is so much until there are leftovers, what are the builders going to do with them? When there is so much until there are leftovers, we must bear in mind that it comes with an awesome responsibility. Everything that is rendered to God as an offering, we must be good stewards to manage the funds faithfully. God will hold us responsible.
I remember the testimony of a pastor who shared with me that one day someone gave a million dollars to his church. His church was already blessed with many resources and with the one million dollars. He said, ‘Our ministries are already well supported and we do not have any new building projects or new missions. Even if we have, we have sufficient funds to support those works. I really do not know what to do with the money.’ Later on, he gave the money, or the church gave the money, to other like-minded churches.
It comes with an awesome responsibility because everything, every cent, every dollar is rendered to God as an offering. When there is so much until there are leftovers, it may cause the people to trust in the great resources they have rather than trusting in God by faith. Oftentimes it is only when people are lacking that they would cry out to God, believing that He is their provider.
When there is so much until there are leftovers, it may cause a scenario whereby all the giving is directed to one ministry while the other ministries are lacking. For example, people may give to a particular ministry like the children’s work until there is too much. They have more than sufficient funds. But what about the other ministries like the elderly, adults, youth, and missions?
When there is so much until there are leftovers, it may generate an attitude in the people whereby they become careless and wasteful. They may adopt this mindset that after all, we have so much. So don’t worry, it does not matter whether we need the thing or not. We just pay for it and buy it, even though we may not use it.
Obviously, when there is so much until there are leftovers, it may also have a negative corrupting effect. By that I mean the labourers may be tempted to steal and use the money for themselves. Praise God that the labourers during Moses’ time were not corrupted. None of them ever considered taking the resources for themselves. That was the reason why they came to Moses and said, ‘Enough. It is more than enough.’
This is another valuable lesson we can learn and apply into our lives. Sometimes there is a genuine need. For example, someone has to go for a surgery and he does not have the ability to pay the medical fees. That need is articulated to the church, and the people give to support him. But when he has received more than enough, he should have the honesty and integrity to say, ‘Enough. It is more than enough. Please stop giving.’ Otherwise the money will keep pouring in, and what initially is a genuine need will become greed.
When Moses heard what the builders said, what did he do? Verse six: “And Moses gave commandment, and they caused it to be proclaimed throughout the camp, saying, Let neither man nor woman make any more work for the offering of the sanctuary. So the people were restrained from bringing. For the stuff they had was sufficient for all the work to make it, and it was too much” (Exodus 36:6–7).
The original Hebrew word for “restrain” means to restrict, withhold, or forbid. It is a strong word. In other words, the children of Israel still wanted to give, but Moses had to withhold them. And he commanded that no man or woman should bring any more offerings, because it was more than enough. It was too much.
Dear friend, how wonderful it would be when one day we can say that to our people: ‘Enough. It is more than enough. The money we have collected for the church renovation is more than enough. The money we have collected to help our brethren in the Myanmar missions who are going through the political upheaval is more than enough. You can stop giving and direct the money to other gospel works.’
Oftentimes the reason why we are not able to say that is because it is not enough. It does not take a genius to see that there is a need, or to anticipate there will be a deficit. People would rather wait until there’s a desperate need, and then they would dip into their pockets and give. It is all because their hearts are in the wrong place. Their love for money is greater than their love for God. And this will keep them from living the kind of life that is generous, sacrificial, and willing—a life that demonstrates the grace of God.
Rather than worshipping God by giving faithfully, they hoard it for themselves. Do you realise that this is the typical attitude of many people? Money in and of itself is not evil. It is neutral. It can either be used for good or bad. It is the love of money that is the root of all evil (1 Timothy 6:10).
The more money a person makes, it may tempt him to want more. He becomes anxious about losing it. He worries about not having enough of it. He holds tightly to it, sometimes even unwilling to use it for himself or his family, until death knocks on his door. And then he realises that he cannot carry a single grain of sand along with him. Everything he has will be left behind. His children will fight over his assets. Why? Because he has cultivated this attitude in their hearts to keep as much money as possible for themselves.
As believers who have experienced the grace of God, you and I must never live such a life. Our lives belong to God along with everything we have. Do you really believe that our lives belong to God along with everything we have?
There is this amazing testimony of Adoniram Judson, the pioneer missionary to Burma. One day, Judson was called to go to Burma, a place he had never been before. He had fallen in love with a beautiful girl named Anne Hazeltine, and he wanted to propose to her. But he knew how much it would cost her to join him in the missionary work. Potentially, she would never see her family again on the face of this earth.
So Judson wrote to Anne’s father, and this was what he said:
“Dear Sir, I have to ask you whether you will agree to part with your daughter early next spring with the possibility that you will never see her again in this world. Whether you will agree to her departure. Whether you will agree to her subjection to hardships and sufferings of missionary work. Whether you will agree to her exposure to the dangers of the ocean, extreme climate, insults, persecutions, and perhaps a violent death. Whether you will agree to all this for the sake of Jesus Christ, who left His heavenly home and died for her and for you. Whether you will agree for the sake of saving perishing souls. Whether you will agree that even if you cannot meet her again in this world, you will meet her in heaven’s glory, with the crown of righteousness that will be bestowed upon her by her Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.” What a question.
And how should a father answer a young man who makes this kind of proposal? The girl’s father, Mr. Hazeltine, was a godly and wise man. His answer was, “Whether I will agree or not to part with my daughter is beside the point. The real question is whether or not she is willing to give her life to God without holding back.”
Then he turned to his daughter and asked her to make her own decision. To which her response was, “Yes, I have only one life to live, and it belongs to God along with everything I have.”
Was it difficult for her to make that decision to leave the comfort of home, her family, her friends, and everything she was familiar with, and go into uncharted territories? It was not difficult because she had already given her heart to Jesus.
Dear friend, when we have given our hearts to Jesus, it will not be difficult for us to part with our money. Tithes and offerings become not an obligation or chore, but a great delight that we can play a part in the work of God for His glory. And this should be our attitude. When we do that, God will say to us, ‘Enough. It is more than enough, because you have already given Me your heart.’
I pray that we will learn to apply this lesson into our lives. May we hear from our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, who will commend us when we see Him face to face, ‘Enough. It is more than enough, for you have given to Me your heart.’
Let us pray.
Our Father in heaven, indeed, even from the way the children of Israel responded to Thy call to build the tabernacle, and how they brought their resources, and even their services every morning, so much so that Moses had to put a stop to the giving. What a wonderful testimony to hear Thy dear servant saying to the people, ‘Enough. It is more than enough. It is too much.’
We pray that our hearts will not be found in the wrong place, that our love will always be for Thee. We understand Thy grace and mercy because we have experienced it. Our lives begin with Thy grace and continue with Thy grace for all eternity. Every day of our lives, we see Thy hands working in our midst, providing for all our needs, protecting us from harm and danger. How can we not see Thy grace and mercy?
Indeed, as recipients of Thy grace, we give out of our hearts, and we pray that we will continue to give and give, knowing the fact that we can never out give our Lord Jesus, who laid down His life by dying on the cross and shedding His precious blood to save us.
O Lord, we pray that as recipients of Thy grace, we will live such a life — a life that is generous, sacrificial, and willing, a life that demonstrates the grace of the Almighty God. And all this we do is for Thy glory.
May the Spirit of God empower us to live such a life, rendering our giving and our services to Thy glory. For we pray all this in Jesus’ name. Amen.
THE BOOK OF EXODUSGod’s Prophecy and Promise Had Come To PassGod’s Prophecy and Promise Had Come To PassExodus 1:1-7
From Prosperity to PersecutionFrom Prosperity to PersecutionExodus 1:8-14
God’s Protection in the Midst of AdversitiesGod’s Protection in the Midst of AdversitiesExodus 1:15-21
The Faith of JochebedThe Faith of JochebedExodus 1:22-2:10
The Faith Of A Beloved MotherThe Faith Of A Beloved MotherExodus 1:22-2:10; Hebrews 11:23
Moses in EgyptMoses in EgyptExodus 2:11-15
Moses in the Desert of MidianMoses in the Desert of MidianExodus 2:16-25
Moses and the Burning BushMoses and the Burning BushExodus 3:1-9
Who Are You?Who Are You?Exodus 3:10-15
Who Am I?Who Am I?Exodus 3:10-15
God’s Message to Israel and EgyptGod’s Message to Israel and EgyptExodus 3:16-22
What If They Still Don’t Believe?What If They Still Don’t Believe?Exodus 4:1-9
Send Someone ElseSend Someone ElseExodus 4:10-17
Moses’ Return to EgyptMoses’ Return to EgyptExodus 4:18-20
When Things Seemed to Get Better, They Got WorseWhen Things Seemed to Get Better, They Got WorseExodus 5:10-21
When We Have Done Everything Right, and Yet Trouble ComesWhen We Have Done Everything Right, and Yet Trouble ComesExodus 5:22-6:5
Having to Learn the Same Lesson TwiceHaving to Learn the Same Lesson TwiceExodus 6:6-12
Faithful or UnfaithfulFaithful or UnfaithfulExodus 6:13-27
Biblical Lessons About FastingBiblical Lessons About FastingMatthew 6:16-18
What God Wants Is Our Faithfulness and ObedienceWhat God Wants Is Our Faithfulness and ObedienceExodus 6:28-7:7
The First Plague - The River of BloodThe First Plague - The River of BloodExodus 7:14-25
The Second Plague - The FrogsThe Second Plague - The FrogsExodus 8:1-15
The Third PlagueThe Third PlagueExodus 8:16-19
The Fourth PlagueThe Fourth PlagueExodus 8:20-32
The Fifth PlagueThe Fifth PlagueExodus 9:1-7
The Sixth PlagueThe Sixth PlagueExodus 9:8-12
The Seventh PlagueThe Seventh PlagueExodus 9:13-35
The Eighth PlagueThe Eighth PlagueExodus 10:1-20
The Tenth PlagueThe Tenth PlagueExodus 11:1-10
The First PassoverThe First PassoverExodus 12:1-13
The Feast of the Unleavened BreadThe Feast of the Unleavened BreadExodus 12:14-28
Departure From EgyptDeparture From EgyptExodus 12:29-42
This Do In Remembrance of MeThis Do In Remembrance of MeExodus 12:43-51; 1 Corinthians 11:23-32
Message 2: What is Church to you? My Covenantal Family!Message 2: What is Church to you? My Covenantal Family!Exodus 12:48-49, Colossians 2:11-12
Redemption and ConsecrationRedemption and ConsecrationExodus 13:1-2, 11-16
Precious Lord, Take My HandPrecious Lord, Take My HandExodus 13:17-22
Between the Desert and the Red SeaBetween the Desert and the Red SeaExodus 14:1-14
Crossing the Red SeaCrossing the Red SeaExodus 14:15-31
The Song of PraiseThe Song of PraiseExodus 15:1-21
Will You Obey Or Not?Will You Obey Or Not?Exodus 15:22-27
The Danger of a Complaining SpiritThe Danger of a Complaining SpiritExodus 16:1-3
God’s Response to Israel’s ComplaintsGod’s Response to Israel’s ComplaintsExodus 16:1-10
The Test of FaithThe Test of FaithExodus 16:11-20
Lessons About the SabbathLessons About the SabbathExodus 16:21-36
Do Not Test GodDo Not Test GodExodus 17:1-17
Lift Up Your HandsLift Up Your HandsExodus 17:8-16
The Blessedness of ReunionThe Blessedness of ReunionExodus 18:1-12
Why Do We Have Leaders?Why Do We Have Leaders?Exodus 18:13-27
I Will Carry You On Eagles’ WingsI Will Carry You On Eagles’ WingsExodus 19:1-6
Approach God Fearlessly or FearfullyApproach God Fearlessly or FearfullyExodus 19:7-15
God Reached Out And SpokeGod Reached Out And SpokeExodus 19:16-25
Thou Shalt Have No Other GodsThou Shalt Have No Other GodsExodus 20:1-3
Thou Shalt Not Make Graven ImagesThou Shalt Not Make Graven ImagesExodus 20:4-6
Thou Shalt Not Dishonour God’s NameThou Shalt Not Dishonour God’s NameExodus 20:7
Thou Shalt Keep The Sabbath DayThou Shalt Keep The Sabbath DayExodus 20:8-11
Honour Thy Father And Thy MotherHonour Thy Father And Thy MotherExodus 20:12
Thou Shalt Not KillThou Shalt Not KillExodus 20:13
Thou Shalt Not Commit AdulteryThou Shalt Not Commit AdulteryExodus 20:14
Thou Shalt Not StealThou Shalt Not StealExodus 20:15
Thou Shalt Not LieThou Shalt Not LieExodus 20:16
Thou Shalt Not CovetThou Shalt Not CovetExodus 20:17
The Response To The Ten CommandmentsThe Response To The Ten CommandmentsExodus 20:18-21
How God Wants Us To Worship HimHow God Wants Us To Worship HimExodus 20:22-26
Why Would God Allow Slavery?Why Would God Allow Slavery?Exodus 21:1-11
The Punishment Fits The Crime — a life for a lifeThe Punishment Fits The Crime — a life for a lifeExodus 21:12-17
The Punishment Fits The Crime — an eye for an eyeThe Punishment Fits The Crime — an eye for an eyeExodus 21:18-36
The Punishment Deters The Crime — property lawsThe Punishment Deters The Crime — property lawsExodus 22:1-15
The Character Of GodThe Character Of GodExodus 22:16-20
Reaching Out To The Down-And-OutReaching Out To The Down-And-OutExodus 22:21-24
The Compassion, Authority & Holiness Of GodThe Compassion, Authority & Holiness Of GodExodus 22:25-31
Truth Cannot Be Subjected To Anything But TruthTruth Cannot Be Subjected To Anything But TruthExodus 23:1-9
Remember Who God IsRemember Who God IsExodus 23:10-19
What Must We Do To Have VictoryWhat Must We Do To Have VictoryExodus 23:20-33
How We Ought To Worship GodHow We Ought To Worship GodExodus 24:1-4, 7
On What Basis Can We Approach His Majesty?On What Basis Can We Approach His Majesty?Exodus 24:4-8
Responding To God’s InvitationResponding To God’s InvitationExodus 24:9-18
The Right Attitude Of GivingThe Right Attitude Of GivingExodus 25:1-8
There I Will Meet YouThere I Will Meet YouExodus 25:9-22
Physical Or Spiritual Bread, Which Is More Important?Physical Or Spiritual Bread, Which Is More Important?Exodus 25:23-30
Let Your Light So Shine Before MenLet Your Light So Shine Before MenExodus 25:31-40
The Veil That SeparatesThe Veil That SeparatesExodus 26:1-37
A Day In Thy Court Is Better Than A ThousandA Day In Thy Court Is Better Than A ThousandExodus 27:1-19
Who Can Represent Us Before God?Who Can Represent Us Before God?Exodus 27:20-28:14
How Can We Know God’s Will?How Can We Know God’s Will?Exodus 28:15-30
Is Our Worship Attire Really Important?Is Our Worship Attire Really Important?Exodus 28:31-43
The Ordination Of PriestsThe Ordination Of PriestsExodus 29:1-21
The Provision For PriestsThe Provision For PriestsExodus 29:22-29
Remind Us For We Always ForgetRemind Us For We Always ForgetExodus 29:36-46
Sweet Hour Of PrayerSweet Hour Of PrayerExodus 30:1-10
The Danger Of The Number GameThe Danger Of The Number GameExodus 30:11-16
The Importance Of SanctificationThe Importance Of SanctificationExodus 30:17-21
The Anointing Of OilThe Anointing Of OilExodus 30:22-38
No Such Thing As An Unimportant Calling Or GiftNo Such Thing As An Unimportant Calling Or GiftExodus 31:1-11
The Most Ignored CommandmentThe Most Ignored CommandmentExodus 31:12-18
We Forget So QuicklyWe Forget So QuicklyExodus 32:1-6
Guilty As ChargedGuilty As ChargedExodus 32:7-14
Who Is To Be Blamed?Who Is To Be Blamed?Exodus 32:15-24
Who Is On The Lord’s Side?Who Is On The Lord’s Side?Exodus 32:25-29
I Will Die For You If I CanI Will Die For You If I CanExodus 32:30-35
I Will Not Go With YouI Will Not Go With YouExodus 33:1-11
If Thy Presence Go Not With Me, Carry Us Not Up HenceIf Thy Presence Go Not With Me, Carry Us Not Up HenceExodus 33:12-23
If Thy Presence Go Not with Me, Carry Us Not Up HenceIf Thy Presence Go Not with Me, Carry Us Not Up HenceExodus 33:12-23
I Will Show You Who I AmI Will Show You Who I AmExodus 34:1-7
What It Means To Be In A Covenant Relationship With GodWhat It Means To Be In A Covenant Relationship With GodExodus 34:8-17
Worship The Right God In The Right WayWorship The Right God In The Right WayExodus 34:18-27
The Glory That Fadeth Not AwayThe Glory That Fadeth Not AwayExodus 34:28-35; 2 Corinthians 3:7-17
The Importance Of Keeping The Christian SabbathThe Importance Of Keeping The Christian SabbathExodus 35:1-3
Offering To God Our BestOffering To God Our BestExodus 35:4-29
Serve God In God's WayServe God In God's WayExodus 35:30-35
Enough. It Is More Than Enough.Enough. It Is More Than Enough.Exodus 36:1-7
I Will Meet, Dwell And Live In YouI Will Meet, Dwell And Live In YouExodus 36:8-38
