And they came, every one whose heart moved him, and every one whose spirit prompted him; they brought Jehovah's heave-offering for the work of the tent of meeting, and for all its service, and for the holy garments.
The instructions for the tabernacle are finished, and now the whole camp answers with gold, cloth, wood and skill. The verse looks past what people brought to why they brought it — a stirred heart, a willing spirit.
The chapter opens the final section of Exodus, where commands become action.
The rest of the book of Exodus is the people's response — the actual carrying out of the directions given in Exodus 25-30... We may point to Exodus 35 as the witness to the zeal of the congregation for the building and service of the sanctuary. Everyone showed the greatest eagerness in answer to the call for material — useful and ornamental, common or costly.
The verse says their hearts stirred them. But what stirred their hearts?
The willingness of God to receive from His people is here proclaimed. The grace of God in this touched and opened their hearts... These statements hold principles that apply to every age. The apostle Paul presses the same thing. He says, "Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver" (2 Cor. 9:7; read the whole chapter). So it is of the first importance to remember this: everything offered to God must come from hearts made willing by His Spirit. It must be spontaneous — not the result of persuasion or of outside pressure, but from the heart.
The people gave back what God had given them in the first place.
God wants His people to enter into His own thoughts and desires for their blessing, and in His grace and mercy He lets them bring these materials as an offering. He directs what they should bring, even though everything they had was His own gift (see 1 Chr. 29:14). Then He reckons it as their offering. It is always so. Believers cannot do a single good thing of themselves. Every good work is the product of the Spirit of God, and prepared beforehand by God (Eph. 2:10). And yet when it is done, God in His grace calls it theirs. He clothes them with the fine linen which is the righteous deeds of the saints.
No one had to work the crowd. The result shows what an unforced heart produces.
A lovely picture of devotedness to the work of the sanctuary! It needed no effort to move the hearts of the people to give, no earnest appeals, no impressive arguments. Oh no; their "hearts stirred them up." This was the true way. The streams of voluntary devotedness flowed from within. "Rulers," "men," "women" — all felt it was their sweet privilege to give to the Lord. They gave not with a narrow heart or a stingy hand, but in such a princely way that they had "enough and too much."
The verse counts people one by one, not totals. Unequal ability was no barrier.
What joy it must have been for God to have a people who had heard His instructions! Because of this they came with a willing heart and a voluntary spirit to follow them. God did not demand, but expected a joyful sacrifice. And what a glorious answer the people gave! No one was missing; all came with a willing heart to give to God the best they had... Not everybody could give the same. Some women who had a wise heart could do more than others. But all came to give with a willing heart what they had!
Material was only half of what the work needed. Skill was the other half.
In both these things we may find encouragement for ourselves. For the work of God today the same two things are needed — first the willing heart, and then the skill. Both are the gift of God, and in our day the skill shows itself in the prophets and evangelists and pastors and teachers we read of in Ephesians 4:11. God gives these gifts, not for the building of a tabernacle, but "to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ." God's work still has the character of building up.
Set this willing giving beside life under law.
So the children of Israel willingly worked together to provide everything. This stands in beautiful contrast to the unwilling attitude that imposed law produces in people. At first they may say they will obey the law, but it is not long before they become resentful of it and rebellious.
- Grace stirs. The people's willingness did not start with them. God's grace touched and opened their hearts first.
- Willing gives. An offering must be spontaneous — never the product of persuasion or outside pressure.
- All share. No one was missing; each gave the best they had, though some could give more than others.
- God supplies. What they handed over was already His gift, and He still counted the offering as theirs.
- Building follows. A willing heart plus God-given skill builds — a tabernacle then, the body of Christ now.
And they came, both men and women; every one who was of willing heart brought nose-rings, and earrings, and rings, and bracelets, all kinds of utensils of gold every man that waved a wave-offering of gold to Jehovah.
After the golden calf, God calls the people to bring materials for His dwelling. They bring their own jewellery. Two questions follow: what makes a gift acceptable to God, and why gold ornaments?
No campaign lay behind this response. The giving started inside the givers.
What a lovely picture of devotion to the work of the sanctuary! It took no effort to move the hearts of the people to give, no earnest appeals, no impressive arguments. No — their "hearts stirred them up." This was the true way. The streams of willing devotion flowed from within. Rulers, men and women all felt it was their sweet privilege to give to the Lord. They gave with no narrow heart and no stingy hand. They gave so generously that they had "enough and too much."
One writer applies this to how God's people raise money now.
The principles in these statements apply in every age. Paul urges the same thing when he says, "Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver." (2 Cor. 9:7; read the whole chapter.) So it is vital to remember this. Everything offered to God must come from hearts made willing by His Spirit. It must be spontaneous. It must not come from persuasion or outside pressure, but from the heart… What has caused more ruin than the many worldly schemes for raising money? And what is more humbling than the endless appeals that press the Lord's people to give?
The verse names men and women together. One writer links the willing heart that gave with the wise heart needed to use the gifts.
Willing hearts brought this huge amount of material for building the tabernacle. But using those materials took wise hearts… An appreciation of the grace and mercy of our God will produce a willing heart in us. Yet we can only have wise hearts as God teaches us by His Spirit… Notice too that the willing hearts here include both men and women, v. 22… Because all have a place in the house of God, all have the privilege of making a spiritual contribution, willingly, from their hearts.
Brooches, earrings, rings, armlets — not spare coins, but the jewellery people wore in public.
All these things had decorated the flesh. Some might think it a sacrifice to give them up. But when we give them out of genuine desire for the Lord's honor, we should have the attitude of Paul, who wrote, "Whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ… For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ" (Phil. 3:7-8). In other words, he did not consider it a sacrifice at all in comparison to what he gained in appreciation of Christ.
This gold had a past. It came out of Egypt.
…as Israel did not wear their ornaments after the sin of the golden calf, it is reasonable to suppose that they melted down the idolatrous symbols of Egyptian worship and turned them into symbols of Jehovah's glory. The gold ornaments they brought had all come out of Egypt, unless they had taken some as spoil from the Amalekites.
The last phrase carries a technical word. The giver lifted the gift and waved it before God.
Israel dedicated its gifts to Jehovah, and He accepted them as wave offerings. The giver lifted the gift up and waved it toward heaven, as before God, "as an acknowledgement that He to whom it was offered is Lord and Giver of all."
One writer notes a shift in the wording here.
When the people were allowed to give from what they owned for the tabernacle, their gifts were called heave offerings, because they gave out of their possessions. But in Exodus 35:22 and 38:24, 29, the gold and the brass they brought are called wave offerings, because they were set apart for the service of God.
- Heart first. The gifts came because hearts were stirred — no appeals, no arguments, no pressure.
- Heart free. Giving must be spontaneous. It comes from hearts His Spirit makes willing, never from pressure or fundraising schemes.
- Heart wide. Men and women both are named; all who have a place in God's house have the privilege of contributing.
- Heart costly. What they brought had decorated the flesh. Next to gaining Christ, giving it up is no sacrifice at all.
- Heart lifted. The givers waved the gold before God — an admission that He is Lord and Giver of all. Ornaments once tied to idol worship became part of His glory.
And every man with whom was found blue, and purple, and scarlet, and byssus, and goats' [hair], and rams' skins dyed red, and badgers' skins, brought [them].
This verse sits inside a list of what Israel brought to build God's dwelling place. Everyone who already owned dyed yarn, fine linen, goats' hair or animal skins carried them in. Two questions follow: where did a nation of former slaves get such things, and why did God ask for them instead of commanding them?
The verse turns on one phrase: everyone who already had these things brought them. Nobody had to go and buy anything. They gave out of what was already in their tents.
Israel had a variety of dyed stores with them. Everything used in the sanctuary, except the silver redemption money, Israel gave to the Lord, and gave with a willing heart.
That stock had a history. Israel carried it out of Egypt.
The abundance Israel had was the result of God's work in the hearts of the Egyptians. He moved them to give Israel such riches that Israel plundered Egypt (Ex. 12:35-36).
The materials were God's gift in the first place. The wonder is that He calls the return of them their own offering.
He tells them what to bring, though everything they had was His own gift (see 1 Chr. 29:14). Then He counts it as their offering. It is ever so. Believers cannot do a single good thing of themselves. Every good work is the product of the Spirit of God, and prepared beforehand by God (Eph. 2:10), and yet when done, God in His grace calls it theirs.
Nothing in the chapter suggests campaigning or persuasion. The giving came from inside the givers.
A lovely picture this of devotedness to the work of the sanctuary! It needed no effort to move the hearts of the people to give, no earnest appeals, no impressive arguments. Oh! no; their "hearts stirred them up." This was the true way. The streams of voluntary devotedness flowed from within. "Rulers," "men," "women" — all felt it was their sweet privilege to give to the Lord. They gave with no narrow heart and no grudging hand. They gave so richly that they had "enough and too much."
One writer applies this to modern ways of raising money for God's work.
So it matters above all else to remember this. Everything offered to God must come from hearts made willing by His Spirit. It must be spontaneous. It must come from the heart, not from persuasion or outside pressure. If the church of God had remembered this, it would be in a very different state today. What has brought more ruin than the many worldly schemes for raising money?
The list puts costly dyed yarn beside plain goats' hair and animal hides. No gift was too small to bring.
It is not enough that we have the will to serve Him; we must also learn from Him what He can accept. What they had they brought, little or much, and God accepted it. When was the service of a willing heart ever refused by God? A widow's "two small copper coins, which make a penny" may be worth more here to Him who reads the heart than the gifts of many rich people. On the detail we can say little, however: each must learn individually with God what he can do.
Each material in the list carries a meaning. One writer takes them in order.
Blue, most agree, stands for what is heavenly in character. Purple stands for kingdom glory, and scarlet for earthly glory… Fine linen stands for the perfect purity of human nature in Christ — what was pure and perfect within. The goats' hair stands for what is more outward: a holy, separate life that men could see. Rams' skins — consecration to God; this again is inward. Badgers' skins — outward; the watchful, guarded walk of one so consecrated.
The last item in the list, which older translations call badgers' skins, formed the outside of the tent.
The contrast was great between this outer covering of dull skins and the beautiful linen curtains that formed the innermost covering, whose colours shone bright in the light of the seven golden lamps. To anyone who saw only the dull outer covering, the sanctuary may well have seemed to have no splendour, no beauty of form or colour, and no attraction at all. Here we may see Christ pictured as the One of whom it is written, "He had no form or majesty that we should look at Him, and no beauty that we should desire Him."
- Received — every item here came out of Egypt as God's gift first. No giver starts with something of his own.
- Returned — He asks for what He gave, then credits the offering to the one who brings it.
- Willing — no appeals, no pressure, no schemes; the stream flows from within, or it is not the Lord's offering.
- Accepted — dyed yarn or goats' hair, little or much: God has never refused the gift of a willing heart.
- Revealed — every piece, from the bright inner curtains to the plain outer skins, pictures Christ and builds a dwelling for God.
All they that offered a heave-offering of silver and copper brought Jehovah's heave-offering. And every one with whom was found acacia-wood for all manner of work of the service, brought [it].
Exodus 35:24 sits in a long list of people bringing materials for God's dwelling. It names three plain gifts: silver, bronze, and acacia wood. Each person brought what he already had. Where did a nation of former slaves get such wealth, and what do these materials stand for?
The verse calls the gift "the LORD's contribution," though the people carried it in. God was asking for what He had already given them.
God wants His people to enter into His own thoughts and desires for their blessing. In His grace and mercy He allows them to bring these materials as an offering. He directs what they should bring, although everything they had was His own gift (see 1 Chronicles 29:14). Then He counts it as their offering. It is always so. Believers cannot do a single good thing of themselves. Every good work is the product of the Spirit of God, prepared beforehand by God (Ephesians 2:10). Yet when the work is done, God in His grace calls it theirs.
Israel left Egypt carrying the wealth of their former masters. One writer asks why God allowed it.
God allowed Israel to take the wealth of Egypt with them. The LORD had said (Exodus 3:21), "When you go, you shall not go empty." But why this strange approval of what later contributed to the terrible sin of Exodus 32? Exodus 25 throws considerable light on the question. The wealth that Israel took away with them from Egypt was specially set apart by God for His service in the tabernacle. There was a proper use for it; God's claim was on the wealth that came out with them. The abuse of it comes out clearly in Exodus 32, where the golden calf came before the dancing.
Writers read a meaning in each metal of the sanctuary. (Older translations say "brass" where the ESV has "bronze.")
The purity and value of gold surely suggest what is wholly divine — God's righteousness and glory in particular. Silver, used for ransom, would speak of God known in redemption through grace. Brass, tempered in the furnace, would perhaps show His judgment of evil.
Another writer presses the question of silver further and links it to Christ Himself.
Suppose gold represents God's righteousness, which we approach within. Suppose brass — or rather copper — stands, as a symbol, for His righteousness as applied to man outside, in His unchanging judgment. What then is the force of silver here? Is it not His grace shown in man, even in the man Christ Jesus? So the redemption price was the basis.
The tabernacle's silver had a second source besides this freewill gift.
The gold and the brass were the fruit of freewill offerings. The silver came from the half-shekel, or bekah, that each male of twenty years and upwards paid as an atonement, according to the law of Exodus 30:11-16.
One writer notes what that leaves out:
Silver was offered too; see Exodus 35:24. But here only the redemption money is mentioned.
Acacia is the desert's one timber tree. Commentators see Christ in it.
The acacia wood is the wood of the desert — the only timber tree there. It speaks of Him as the "root out of dry ground" that grew up before God (Isaiah 53:2). It is precious and lasting, the picture of victory over surrounding circumstances, of life conquering death. Such was Christ in His humanity. The gold that covered the wood shows His divine glory, yet the gold stayed distinct from the wood, as His deity was distinct from His humanity.
No amount was set. Everyone who had something useful brought it.
What they had they brought, little or much, and it was accepted; for when was the service of a willing heart ever refused by God? A widow's "two small copper coins, which make a penny" may be worth more here to Him who reads the heart than the gifts of many who are rich. On the detail we can say little, however: each must learn individually with God what he can do.
And the giving needed no pushing:
It needed no effort to move the hearts of the people to give — no earnest appeals, no impressive arguments. No; their "hearts stirred them up." This was the true way. The streams of voluntary devotedness flowed from within. Rulers, men, women — all felt it was their sweet privilege to give to the Lord. They gave not with a narrow heart or a stingy hand, but in such a princely way that they had more than enough.
- Given — everything they possessed was already God's gift to them, yet He calls the offering theirs.
- Redeemed — the wealth came out of Egypt under God's claim; the same wealth that made a calf now built a sanctuary.
- Meaning — silver speaks of ransom and grace, bronze of judgment, acacia of a humanity that will not decay.
- Measured — no quantity was set; each one brought what he had, little or much, and God received it.
- Willing — no appeal was needed; their hearts stirred them up, and they gave more than enough.