Imagine it is next Sunday morning and one of the elders makes the following announcement: “The elders have met and determined that the collection is too much. You have been giving much more than the work needs here. Since there is no way we can scripturally administer all of these funds, we are asking you to stop giving until further notice. There will be no more collections until the need returns.” While that sounds too good to be true, it actually happened once.
“…all the craftsmen…said to Moses, ‘The people bring much more than enough for doing the work that they Lord has commanded us to do.’ So Moses gave command, and word was proclaimed throughout the camp, ‘Let no man or woman do more for the contribution of the sanctuary.’ So the people were restrained from bringing, for the material they had was sufficient to do all the work, and more.” –Exodus 36:4–7
Israel is often used as the “poster child” of what not to do—especially during the Exodus. They are often seen complaining about food and water, accusing Moses of leading them out of Egypt to die in the wilderness, and failing to trust in God. While the Israelites were certainly guilty of failure at times, their example of giving is one we should not overlook.
God had given specific instructions for building the Tabernacle. He had carefully delivered a blueprint with every detail. Included in those instructions was a detailed “shopping list” for building materials: gold, silver, bronze, fine linens, animals skins, etc. The people were expected to give those items and they did. As seen in the text from Exodus 36, they gave “much more than enough.”
It is important to note why the children of Israel were able to supply the needs for the Tabernacle so easily. Prior to their abrupt departure from Egypt following the final plague, the children of Israel asked their Egyptian neighbors for silver, gold, and clothing as Moses commanded them. The Egyptian people granted those request because God had given the Israelites favor in their sight. In fact, the text says, “They plundered the Egyptians” (Exodus 12:35–36). The Israelites left Egypt wealthier than they could have ever imagined. But, their wealth was not delivered to them in order to make them a prosperous people. God blessed them with earthly wealth in order to carry out the instructions that would soon come regarding the Tabernacle.
Many of God’s people today are a prosperous people. We are blessed with well furnished homes, multiple cars, filled closets, overflowing pantries, stocked financial portfolios, etc. Is it possible that we fail to see the point of our blessings? The Israelites were blessed for a purpose—to carry out the work of the Lord. Is it possible that is the purpose for our blessings? I am convinced it is the very reason we are blessed.
There are some who attempt to do away with the weekly contribution. Their presentation centers on 1 Corinthians 16:1–2 as they assert the collection was only “need based” in its design. I agree. The collection was on necessary when a need was clearly present. The question is whether there is a need or not. Here are three reasons the need is greater than ever before.
- There are request for support received weekly at congregations for men who are diligently working for the Lord. These men have stepped out in faith and risked the welfare of their family to preach the gospel as they wait on other congregations to help supply their needs. Many churches are having to turn down these requests because they just don’t have the funds to help.
- Many congregations outgrow their meeting houses. While that is a reason to be overjoyed that the church is growing and souls are being saved, it also creates great anxiety. Buildings are more and more expensive to build. Many congregations can only secure the funds through financing which then requires the local body to pay off large loans over an extended time. This causes a great financial burden on the church.
- The economy is hurting which means many Christians are struggling financially. Some are losing their jobs. This creates a greater benevolent need in each local church. Some churches are struggling to meet the financial needs of their members. They simply lack the funds.
The needs are great. But we are a propserous people—even in the midst of a bad economy. God has blessed us greatly. Israel was given their gold and silver to provide for the Lord’s work. The same is true for us. I wonder if God is as pleased with the way we spend our blessings as He was of Israel. I wonder if we are giving “more than enough.”
Deep Waters 