I love how this chapter focuses on the offering "from each man whose heart prompts him to give." That is such a cool thing to see from the heart of God -- allowing man to use his/her free will to honor God with an offering. It's not a coerced thing, but a freewill thing. I love that. It's interesting how there is a list of offerings to receive, though. Maybe that means that some men will devise their own ideas on what should be offered and it's not necessarily a good thing, from a pure motive, or something God wants. Maybe that underscores the argument that this is a freewill thing.
The purpose for the offerings, though, is to make a sanctuary for God, in which He promises to dwell among them. That is an exciting concept, isn't it? Can you imagine dwelling with God?
God gives specific instructions on how the Ark of the Covenant, the table and lampstand are to be made. The artisanship and craftwork on these instruments must've been absolutely amazing. It would have been interesting to watch these craftsmen fashion these items, huh? God had very specific plans for these things and we get the indication that the plans were carried out exactly as specified. That's impressive.
One thing that seems to pop out to me is that God is instructing His people to make some very fine furniture and art pieces for His sanctuary. It is talked about in a matter-of-fact way. It makes me conclude that God has no problem with riches. That God has no problem with "gaudy, ornate, beautiful works of art." Of course, God has a huge, huge heart for the poor and He goes out of His way in Scripture to talk about the poor, really teaching us to care for the poor. That is something we all need to learn and practice. It's the knee-jerk reaction of hatred towards those that don't join our efforts -- or act indifferent or posses wealth -- that can get us off-focus. I don't think God hates material things, money, or wealth. I think His hatred would be centered around "the list" (the list of 7 things He hates, as chronicled in Proverbs 6:16-19) and be crudely summed up as "injustice" or "taking advantage of the weaker."
I wish I had more of God's wisdom and thinking towards money and material things.
Today is the day ... I should see copies of the new May/June issue. I'm looking forward to seeing how that Larry Norman poster came out; and the double-flip covers; the two cover stories (P.O.D. and Showbread, which was crazy with the red, white and black); and the Larry tribute; and that Destroy the Runner layout that I took off the page; and the Uganda and Ecuador layouts. This is always fun.