Saturday, April 24, 2010

Exodus 35

Exodus 35:29
The Israelites, all the men and women, whose heart moved them to bring material for all the work, which the Lord had commanded through Moses to be done, brought a freewill offering to the Lord.
A couple things are noted here about this contribution to the tabernacle.  First, this was a voluntary gift.  We still use the term "freewill offering" today for such circumstances, though in some churches "freewill" is tacked on as a veneer, which I strongly disapprove of.  Giving to God must be done by choice, not be a requirement or guilt trip.  Otherwise, with wrong motives, there is no learning or growth through the gift.

Second, those who gave did so because their hearts were moved to do so.  This may just be a literary trick, but to me that terminology means more than just feeling like, yeah, I should chip in to that.  Giving for something like this should occur because you feel you are being instructed by God to do it.  Many give because it makes them feel good, or gains them some favor with others.  Jesus reminds us later that wrong motivations are useless, but following God's guidance is great gain.

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