Exodus 25 & 26: Will You Give With Your Heart?
Verse of the Day: (25:2) Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring me an offering: of every man that giveth it willingly with his heart ye shall take my offering.
1. Give (25:1-9)
And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them. (25:8)
God does not need our gifts as everything including our lives and souls are from Him and are made in His image. However, God loves to see us willingly give our lives to Him as the evidence of our love for Him. God was pleased with Israel as everyone willingly gave to build His sanctuary where He shall dwell, and Israel shall worship and sacrifice offerings to Him. God’s sanctuary was a prophesy to the world that one day, Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, shall be the ultimate sacrifice for the sins of the whole world. Indeed, God loves a cheerful giver, and let us give cheerfully with our hearts. (2 Corinthians 9:7)
2. Gold (25:10-40)
And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, within and without shalt thou overlay it, and shalt make upon it a crown of gold round about. (25:11)
Pure gold is the most expensive and precious and least tarnished among all the metals in the world. This was the reason why God commanded Israel to give Him their pure gold as well as other materials including silver, brass, fine linen, goat’s hair, rams’ skins, badgers’ skins, shittim wood, etc., for the construction of His sanctuary including the ark, mercy seat, table, candlesticks, lamps, curtains, etc. Israel fully obeyed God’s instructions as they constructed His sanctuary and its furnishings. Indeed, God is not just the God of big picture, but He is also the God of small details. Ultimately, God expects His people to give our best to Him, as He has given us His best, when He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die and shed His precious blood for the forgiveness of all our sins. (Hebrews 9:22-28)
3. Goat (26:1-37)
And thou shalt make curtains of goats’ hair to be a covering upon the tabernacle: eleven curtains shalt thou make. (26:7)
God is the God of the smallest details as He gave instructions that eleven curtains shall be made from goats’ hair as covering of the tabernacle as they were known for its durability. God also instructed Israel to build boards and frames that shall be covered with pure gold, as well as veils and cherubims to separate the holy from the most holy place. The ark where God dwelled was placed at the most holy place, and only the high priest could access it to offer sacrifices and sprinkled blood once every year for his sins and the sins of the people. This was indeed the prophesy that one day, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, shall come as a High Priest, and offered Himself, as the final and ultimate sacrifice, when He died and shed His precious blood for the sins of the whole world. (Hebrews 9:6-12)
Prayer of the Day:
Dearest God, please help me to be a cheerful giver who gives to You with my heart.
