Exodus 25:1-9, 36:3-6 Study Guide: The Tabernacle Contributions

Community Group Study Guide —Tabernacle Contributions

Exodus 25:1-9, 36:3-7

Study Information:

Money has a unique allure in our world. Remember your first paycheck or the first time you got a large gift. Some of us are eager to save it away others have a hole burning in their pocket and want to spend it. Money does have the capacity to buy you a lot of freedom, security and satisfaction in this world. Yet, with that comes a false promise that it can be your pleasure and protection. In Exodus, God gave his people great wealth as they left Egypt and along the journey in the wilderness he asked them to give some of that back to the project of the Tabernacle. Let’s not miss this, God who has no needs and created everything out of nothing asked his people to contribute to the building of his dwelling place in their midst. Why does God want his people to give back to his work when he owns it all? Why does God call his people today to give and offer up their resources generously? Let’s explore. 

God’s Provision

Exodus 12:35-36, 25:1-9

Earlier in the Exodus story we learned about how God gave the Israelites great wealth as they left Egypt (Exodus 12:35-36). God commanded his people to ask for clothing, gold and silver as they departed out of slavery and the Egyptians gave in great abundance and the text called this “plundering.” After hundreds of years of slave labor to Pharaoh, God sent them to freedom with great possessions. All this wealth could be traced back to God and God’s grace to them. We do not share the same story as the Israelites, but the Bible talks about our wealth and possessions in a similar way. Yes, hard work and long hours result in a paycheck but the scripture reminds us again and again that everything ultimately belongs to God. God does not need our gifts or offerings to get stuff done, rather he supplies for all of our needs and provides us with opportunity to participate in what he is doing (Phil 4:19). With this mindset, money becomes a tool and we are just stewards of what he has provided.

Throughout the Exodus we saw the people of Israel use this gift from God for their needs, they also wasted it on idolatry (Golden Calf) and now God has called them to give some of it back to him to build the tabernacle. This is similar to how many of us use the resources and money God has given us. Many of us use it in a godly way for our needs and enjoyment of things in this world (1 Timothy 4:4). However, we also sin as we use it for idolatry in the form of chasing satisfaction and security. We take a gift from God and spend it on our selfish desires (James 4:2-3). If you look at national statistics many people in the US, believer and unbeliever, experience some form of addiction to alcohol, shopping and sports gambling. This goes beyond pursuing things for enjoyment and in moderation and more into the realm of addictive behavior or idolatry. Does it change how you view money and possessions if God was really the owner of everything you have and you’re just the manager in the here and now? 

God gifted the Israelites with great possessions and similarly, what we have is a gift and we can use it as a means of provision and to bless and love others, or we can use it selfishly to our own hurt. 

Giving Cheerfully

Exodus 36:3-7

God called his people to financially contribute, out of that abundant gift, to the building of the Tabernacle and their response was an overflow of generosity. Remember this is on the heels of their incident with the Golden Calf and Moses’s asking God to show him God’s glory. They had a major fail and responded to God’s grace with generosity. This spirit of voluntary generosity is commendable and everyone got to participate. Notice Exodus 36:5-6, the people brought so much to the project that they had to tell them to stop. Can you imagine any sort of non-profit today saying “we got enough guys, keep your funds!?” 

As we recognize God’s grace and God’s gift in his provision it becomes easier and easier to use the resource he’s given for his kingdom. 

A parallel passage in the New Testament is 2 Corinthians 9:6-15. Paul fundraised a gift from the gentile Christians to the Jewish Christians in Jerusalem who were under extreme persecution and they gave enthusiastically and sacrificially. Notice three things in this passage. 

First, there is a command to decide what to give from the heart (2 Corinthians 9:7). We’re told that God loves a cheerful giver and we should not give reluctantly. There are many times we do things in the Christian life out of duty and with a sense of reluctance and the danger with that is when we pair that reluctance with bitterness or put expectations on God and others that should don’t belong there. It may take some prayerful reminding but we can give cheerfully to God. 

Second, God uses our gifts to supply for the needs of the saints (2 Corinthians 9:12). In Exodus, the gifts were used to construct a dwelling place for God as a visible reminder of his presence with the people and so that sacrifice could take place for atonement. Their gifts supplied for their need. Likewise, today when we give we supply for the needs of the saints in terms of benevolence, discipleship and missions. 

Finally, our giving is worship (2 Corinthians 9:12). Paul reminded them that their giving was a means of expressing gratitude towards God. Money can have a foothold in our lives if we look to it for satisfaction and security rather than God. One way we can remind ourselves of who are real treasure is happens through giving as we express thanks to God for it. 

So, why did the Israelites give so generously after they sin with the golden calf? It could be that the grace of God was real to them and that they were freed to give back. Jesus told his disciples that those who are forgiven much love much (Luke 7:47). Another reason could be that they had turned their backs on God and risked losing his presence with them in the Promised Land and so they were eager to build a dwelling place for God. The text does not tell us directly what the reason was, we just know they gave enthusiastically and cheerfully and got to be part of what God built. Today we can be part of that same activity and participate with God in what he is building. 

At your community group:

Take 15-20 minutes to share about how God has been at work in your life, prayer concerns and pray for one another.

How did God speak to you through the scripture and the sermon this week? 

Discussion Questions:

Read Exodus 25:1-9 and 36:3-7 

What did God ask the Israelites to contribute to the Tabernacle. Where did those materials come from and what was their response to God’s request? 

How does remembering God’s providence and that he has no need from us impact the way we should view giving and using our resources?

The gift to the Tabernacle came right on the heels of the sin with the Golden Calf. What connection do you see between the receiving God’s grace and our generosity?

What steps can you take to contributing to God’s mission in the next week?