QT 5/13/2026 Exo 35:1-29, In harmony

Exodus 35:4–10 (ESV) —

4 Moses said to all the congregation of the people of Israel, “This is the thing that the Lord has commanded. 5 Take from among you a contribution to the Lord. Whoever is of a generous heart, let him bring the Lord’s contribution: gold, silver, and bronze; 6 blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen; goats’ hair, 7 tanned rams’ skins, and goatskins; acacia wood, 8 oil for the light, spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense, 9 and onyx stones and stones for setting, for the ephod and for the breastpiece.

10 “Let every skillful craftsman among you come and make all that the Lord has commanded:

…

Exodus 35:20–29 (ESV) —

20 Then all the congregation of the people of Israel departed from the presence of Moses. 21 And they came, everyone whose heart stirred him, and everyone whose spirit moved him, and brought the Lord’s contribution to be used for the tent of meeting, and for all its service, and for the holy garments. 22 So they came, both men and women. All who were of a willing heart brought brooches and earrings and signet rings and armlets, all sorts of gold objects, every man dedicating an offering of gold to the Lord. 23 And every one who possessed blue or purple or scarlet yarns or fine linen or goats’ hair or tanned rams’ skins or goatskins brought them. 24 Everyone who could make a contribution of silver or bronze brought it as the Lord’s contribution. And every one who possessed acacia wood of any use in the work brought it. 25 And every skillful woman spun with her hands, and they all brought what they had spun in blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen. 26 All the women whose hearts stirred them to use their skill spun the goats’ hair. 27 And the leaders brought onyx stones and stones to be set, for the ephod and for the breastpiece, 28 and spices and oil for the light, and for the anointing oil, and for the fragrant incense. 29 All the men and women, the people of Israel, whose heart moved them to bring anything for the work that the Lord had commanded by Moses to be done brought it as a freewill offering to the Lord.

 

NOTE: It is so exciting when the body comes together for a building project. No one is complaining about the colors or the use of gold (bronze would be cheaper). No one is trying to exert their influence on the design. They are all one in spirit. I would like to say that this is common in Christian churches, but in my experience it is not. That does not make the church non-Christian, but it does reflect spiritual immaturity and a not-so-small group that are not Christians actually, but just religious. They are controlled by their desires. They are selfish and mean-spirited. Ultimately, it does mean that there needs to be an over-commitment to communication. People have to be heard (a lot) and given a chance to speak their minds, and sometimes even vote. Without such actions, the project does not move along. I wish we could be like the Israelis at this point in their history.

 

PONDER:

1. Am I a supporter or detractor when it comes to major efforts to improve the buildings by the leadership?
2. Do I pray or do I write numerous memos to communicate my desires?

 

PRAYER: Father, it is exciting to see the heart of the people at this point. As our church moves forward on some planned projects, I pray for a unity of spirit. I pray that you would quiet the voices of those whose only aim is to be right and to disrupt.