Exodus 35:1-9: a reflection

1Moses assembled all the congregation of the children of Israel, and said to them, “These are the words which the LORD has commanded, that you should do them. 2‘Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day there shall be a holy day for you, a Sabbath of solemn rest to the LORD: whoever does any work in it shall be put to death. 3You shall kindle no fire throughout your habitations on the Sabbath day.’” 4Moses spoke to all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying, “This is the thing which the LORD commanded, saying, 5‘Take from among you an offering to the LORD. Whoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it as the LORD’s offering: gold, silver, bronze, 6blue, purple, scarlet, fine linen, goats’ hair, 7rams’ skins dyed red, sea cow hides, acacia wood, 8oil for the light, spices for the anointing oil and for the sweet incense, 9onyx stones, and stones to be set for the ephod and for the breastplate.

As the people are called to bring materials for the building of the sanctuary, the offering is to come not by compulsion but from a willing heart: whoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it. Take from among you an offering to the LORD, Moses says; whoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it as the LORD's offering. The offering God sought for his sanctuary was not to be extracted by compulsion, or given grudgingly, or taken as a tax; it was to come from a willing heart, given freely and gladly by those who wanted to give. God loved not merely the gift, but the willing heart from which it came. This shows that God loves what is given from a willing heart, not by compulsion. Give to God from a willing heart, not by compulsion. God loves what is offered freely and gladly, not grudgingly. The willing heart behind the gift matters to God. Let your giving to God flow from a willing, glad heart.

Notice how the offering was to be given. God called for materials to build his sanctuary; but he did not command that they be extracted by compulsion, taken as a tax, or given under pressure. The offering was to come from a willing heart: whoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it. It was to be given freely, gladly, by those who wanted to give, out of a willing heart. This tells us something about how God regards our giving. God does not merely want the gift; he wants the willing heart from which it comes. A gift given grudgingly, under compulsion, or as a mere duty resented, is not what God seeks; he seeks the offering that flows from a willing, glad heart, given freely because we want to give it. This shapes how we give to God, whether our resources, our time, our service, or ourselves. It is not enough to give the gift; the heart behind it matters to God. He loves what is given willingly, freely, gladly, from a heart that wants to give, not what is squeezed out by compulsion or given grudgingly. We do well to give to God from a willing heart, freely and gladly, rather than grudgingly or under compulsion, for it is the willing heart he loves. Give to God from a willing, glad heart, not by compulsion or grudgingly. God loves the willing heart behind the gift, not merely the gift. Let your giving flow from a heart that wants to give. Do not give to God grudgingly, but freely and gladly.

That is worth taking to heart, for God loves what is given from a willing heart, not by compulsion, and we do well to give freely and gladly, as the offering for the sanctuary was to come from a willing heart. We can give to God grudgingly, under compulsion, or as a resented duty; but God called for the offering to come from a willing heart, given freely and gladly. God loves the willing heart. Do not give to God grudgingly or under compulsion; give from a willing, glad heart that wants to give, for it is the willing heart he loves. Give to God from a willing, glad heart, freely and gladly rather than grudgingly or by compulsion, for God loves the willing heart behind the gift and not merely the gift, as when the people were called to bring materials for the building of the sanctuary the offering was to come not by compulsion but from a willing heart, Moses saying that whoever was of a willing heart should bring it as the LORD's offering; for the offering God sought was not to be extracted by compulsion or given grudgingly or taken as a tax but to come from a willing heart, given freely and gladly by those who wanted to give, so that God loved not merely the gift but the willing heart from which it came, which tells us something about how God regards our giving, that he does not merely want the gift but the willing heart from which it comes, since a gift given grudgingly or under compulsion or as a duty resented is not what God seeks but the offering that flows from a willing, glad heart given freely because we want to give it, which shapes how we give to God whether our resources, time, service, or ourselves, since it is not enough to give the gift but the heart behind it matters to God, who loves what is given willingly and gladly and not what is squeezed out by compulsion, so that we do well to give to God from a willing heart.

Lord, as the people are called to bring materials for the building of the sanctuary, the offering is to come not by compulsion but from a willing heart: whoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it. Take from among you an offering to the LORD, Moses says; whoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it as the LORD's offering. The offering you sought for your sanctuary was not to be extracted by compulsion, or given grudgingly, or taken as a tax; it was to come from a willing heart, given freely and gladly by those who wanted to give. You loved not merely the gift, but the willing heart from which it came. Show me how the offering was to be given. You called for materials to build your sanctuary; but you did not command that they be extracted by compulsion, taken as a tax, or given under pressure. The offering was to come from a willing heart: whoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it. It was to be given freely, gladly, by those who wanted to give. This tells me something about how you regard my giving. You do not merely want the gift; you want the willing heart from which it comes. A gift given grudgingly, under compulsion, or as a mere duty resented, is not what you seek; you seek the offering that flows from a willing, glad heart, given freely because I want to give it. This shapes how I give to you, whether my resources, my time, my service, or myself. It is not enough to give the gift; the heart behind it matters to you. You love what is given willingly, freely, gladly, from a heart that wants to give. Take that to my heart. Keep me from giving to you grudgingly or under compulsion; help me give from a willing, glad heart, Lord, freely and gladly, out of a heart that wants to give, for it is the willing heart you love, not merely the gift.