God provides everything!
He has given us things that He intends for us to use for very specific purposes.
February 13
“We have more than enough materials on hand now to complete the job the LORD has given us to do!” they exclaimed.
Exodus 36:5
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God provides everything!
God has given Moses the plans for building the Tabernacle in the wilderness and all its furnishings. He has assigned the work to men that are gifted in the necessary work. Moses also invited the people to get involved by asking them to donate the necessary materials for the construction. The people enthusiastically respond to Moses’ call to be involved in the construction of the Tabernacle and give generously to the work.
After a while the craftsmen stop their work to meet with Moses. They tell him that they have more than enough materials to complete the task. Moses then sends word throughout the camp to stop bringing offerings of materials. Have you ever wondered where these materials came from?
As the Israelites were preparing to leave Egypt after generations of slavery the LORD instructed them to ask their neighbors for anything they wanted. God told them they would plunder the Egyptians as they left and that the Egyptians would gladly give it to them. It is very likely that all the materials the Israelites brought to build the Tabernacle were from this plundering of the Egyptians.
As the people of Israel wandered around in the wilderness there is little evidence that they had need for any wealth at all. God provided everything to them. He fed them and gave them water. There is little evidence that they conducted any significant trade outside of their own people. They were not going to need the money to buy land in Canaan; God was going to give them that too.
God allowed them to plunder the Egyptians, so they would have the materials necessary to build this Tabernacle in the wilderness. God provided everything needed so they could survive in the wilderness and He provided them what they would need so they could worship Him. God provided everything!
It seems far too easy to forget this important truth about God. He will provide everything that His people need. And even if we remember that truth we sometimes forget that He has also given us things that He intends for us to use for very specific purposes.
God is still building tabernacles. Today we call them churches. These are places that God builds to draw people together for corporate worship. The Tabernacle in the wilderness would not have been built if not for the willing and generous contributions of the people. Everything we have is from the LORD. Some of it is given to us for our own needs and some is to be used for the worship of the LORD. How amazing and awesome would it be if your church had to tell the people to stop giving because there was more than enough for the work? Are you doing your part? Jesus, help us to get involved in Your work building Your house.