We often hear preachers panning for money. Give to our ministry and you will be blessed. There are cliché’s like “You can’t out give God.” Or trying to tie giving to scripture, like “give $133 because Psalm 133 says we will dwell together in unity, so you are giving according to scripture.” Nine ways to Sunday, many are guilting people to give. Others try to compel you to give. I remember a ministry that required its staff to give a minimum of 10 percent, otherwise they would be removed from the ministry. There are a lot of money mongers in ministry. Just saying. But what does God want of your giving? God tells us through His example as far back as in building the Tabernacle in the time of Moses.
Before construction could start, many materials were needed for the building of the Tabernacle. The people generously provided these materials. Exodus 35:1 tells us that Moses assembled the whole community of the people of Israel, and said, “Take up a collection for the LORD from among yourselves—anyone whose heart makes him willing is to bring the offering for the LORD…” We are to give from the heart. The Bible tell us that the people gave all that was needed to build the Tabernacle, even to the point that Moses had to give an order to stop because they were giving too much (Exodus 36:4-7). The giving from the heart was one lesson, but yet another deeper and very powerful lesson was to come.
In Exodus 30:14-15, Moses was instructed to take a census and each person over 20 either poor or rich was to give a half shekel of silver, no more, no less. All were equal in the half shekel donation each was required to give. These shekels were melted down and used as the base sockets that held the whole Tabernacle together. They held the many beams in place, that in turn supported the whole structure, there were 48 acacia beams that were mounted in the silver sockets which supported the walls of the Tabernacle. The message is a clear one— without the valuable contribution of each member, there would be no Tabernacle. Each person is represented equally before the Lord, no one is excluded. All are needed for the building and support of the house of God.
In the New Covenant, we see a similar connection to the building up of God’s people/house in Ephesians 4:15-16, “speaking the truth in love, we will in every respect grow up in to him who is the head, the Messiah. Under his control, the whole body is being fitted and held together by the support of every joint, with each part working to fulfill its function; this is how the body grows and builds itself up in love.” Each person has an important part to fulfill in the “assembling” of the dwelling place for God through love. And the foundation, according to 1 Corinthians 3:11, is Jesus the Messiah. The Tabernacle is the perfect picture of the Body of Christ, and the living breathing dwelling place, of “God with us.” We all have value in the Body of Christ. And you don’t need to be guilted into giving, give from the heart. That’s what God wants.
