Not every season of life is the same, and during different points of our “calendar,” things happen that are outside of the normal routine. Admittedly, looking forward to the Camp Meeting this week and thinking about what goes into it and hoped to come out of it, the ideas of offerings and feasts in the Bible have been on my mind. In Exodus 35-38, there is a prolonged stretch dedicated to the laying out and building of the tabernacle and its furnishings. Based on the pattern that Moses received on the mount, the people came together for this special time to do something that would provide many days and years of service for their nation in worshipping and drawing near to God. Exodus 36:5-7 is the focal point that we will look at in this lesson to help frame our thoughts. In those verses, the offerings were so much that restraint had to be exercised in the midst of construction.
Sufficiency and Abundancy: One of the hallmarks of the NT Church is that she is free of much of the bondage of service that occurred in the Mosaical Law performance. However, in this lesson, we see glimpses even then of what would be in the intervening ages after Jesus’ advent on this earth. The church brings freewill offerings rather than stipulated law service. (I Corinthians 9, II Corinthians 9) Rather than having a stipulated tithe of all that we possess or earn, a free and abundant heart is what produces the offering. Why is that so important, and why would an amount not be stipulated? When something is offered freely out of the goodness of the heart rather than compelled service, not only will it be sufficient, but it will abound in both the quality and quantity of performance. Just as grace is dispensed freely out of the goodness and mercy of God’s character, so our offerings to and for Him should be offered out of the goodness of the nature that He has provided us. This course of action will not work in the world, but the church doesn’t operate like the world and shouldn’t try to. Inevitably, someone will still ask, “Yeah, but preacher, how much?” A Biblical answer in relation to freewill offerings is this simple question: In what way has the law ever outshined grace? Giving now therefore should never be outshone by the giving then.
Layers of Offering: During this narrative of building the tabernacle, we see that there were a multiplicity of offerings made. People brought of their goods and their talents. Interestingly, the goods and talents were not all of what we would call the same level of quality or skill. Some people brought goods that would be considered precious like fine linen, while others brought rather common skins and other material. Some – like Bezaleel and Aholiab – were the leaders of skilled work performing the work that not everyone was capable of doing, while others were more the “mules” of service. We might naturally attach more value to precious goods that are offered or special talents on display, but all were necessary for the construction of the building according to God’s order. So in the church today, some offerings are thought of as great and precious while others are thought of as common and ordinary. For example, one might look at a 10 talent preacher and think, “Oh wow..” On the other hand, a feeble and aged deacon might offer a short prayer in a quavering voice broken by years and people think, “Yeah…” A sister might bring a simple dish for lunch and take her place quietly on the pew in prayer offering a meek voice in song. All of these are necessary to the house of God, and none should be thought of as less important just as all these offerings and work for the tabernacle produced what God directed.
Special Time: This was not always the season for the people of Israel, but while doing it, it brought high times of joy and close communion with God. Sometimes the church is having a regular 2nd Sunday service in March, while at other times, multitudes of our beloved are congregating from multiple states for a Camp Meeting the 3rd weekend in July. One of the things that is often missed looking at the two is a simple Biblical concept that he that is faithful in least is faithful in much. (Luke 16:10) How we conduct ourselves during the regular and ordinary times can offer insight into how those special feast times will go. Had the children of Israel decided to do this any old way they wanted rather than as God directed, they might have enjoyed some social time with one another in the construction, but the product would not have yielded the place where God came down in the pillar to meet with His people there upon the altar. Likewise, a special season in the house of God can yield good social aspects, but the rich communion of these feasts where God comes down and meets with us upon the altar of our sacrifices must be according to His Divine order of spirit and truth. (John 4:24)
Friends, seasons like this are rich and treasured by me over the course of my years. The highpoints of my life are measured by and against these mountaintop feasts where I can look back and see that God was with us there in those sweet times. By extension, they inform me to see that He also descended the mountain with us to help us through the intervening valleys as well. With all that you have offered thus far in prayers and goods and for what you will offer this week in talents and service, I’m trusting that the God of grace is still not unfaithful to forget your labor of love in ministering to His saints. (Hebrews 6:10) May our offerings be abundant and overflowing, and may the resulting feast that flows out both cheer the heart of God and His dear people.