and spoke to Moses, saying, The people bring much more than enough for the service of the work that Jehovah commanded to be done.
Israel is building the tent where the Lord will live among them. The workers themselves stop and come to Moses with a problem few building projects ever have: the gifts keep coming, and there is more material than the work needs.
One writer pictures the camp in the days leading up to that report:
What a sight it must have been! The camp roused into activity. People streaming to the appointed place with their offerings, the witness and fruit of willing hearts. The spinning wheels were at work, and the shuttles passed to and fro. The smith's hammer dealt with the metals. The saws and planes made the boards ready. The jewellers set the precious stones. Men and women were busy and earnest in their work, getting ready the sanctuary where the Lord their God would live. All the offerings brought to Moses he handed out as materials to the workmen, the wise-hearted among them. Morning by morning the people brought them. At last the wise men who did all the work of the sanctuary came, each one from his work. They told Moses that the supply for each item was more than enough.
Where did such giving come from? One writer traces it back to God moving in the hearts of the people:
When God moves in the hearts of men He can produce a response worthy of Himself. The people brought as their offering not merely what was wanted, but "much more than enough."
No one had to push the people to give. The impulse ran the other way — from the inside out:
What a lovely picture this is of devotion 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 willing devotion 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 so generously that they had enough and more than enough.
This is not just ancient history. One writer takes it as a rule that still tests how we raise money for God's work:
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. It must not be the result of persuasion or outside pressure, but must come from the heart. The church of God would have been in a very different state today if this had been remembered. What has caused more ruin than the many worldly schemes for raising money? And what is more humbling than seeing appeals of all kinds used to get the Lord's people to offer their gifts?
The same writer draws out what follows for anyone who wants to do something for God:
It cannot be said too often that the church of God is never responsible for obtaining the means. If the Lord gives work to do, He Himself will lay it on the hearts of His people to give what is needed. We step off the ground of dependence, and act on our own thoughts, if we take on anything that God has not already provided for. And gifts obtained by human means can seldom be used for blessing.
The gold, silver and fine linen did not come from a rich nation. They came from people who had just escaped slavery:
When we reflect on who supplied the materials, our astonishment deepens. The Israelites had just escaped from bitter bondage. Their lot had been harsh. "Bricks without straw" had plumbed the depths of the misery of forced labour. Yet these were the people who gave from what they had so willingly that Moses had to hold back their flood of generosity.
One writer sets this scene beside the churches of Macedonia:
The Macedonian believers were "in a severe test of affliction," that is, they were passing through wilderness experiences. Yet they gave "according to their means," and even "beyond their means." They went past what the apostle had hoped for, because "they gave themselves first to the Lord." It is not surprising that a response produced by the grace of God goes beyond that produced under the law — fine though that might be.
- Source. The surplus began with God: when He moves in hearts, He produces a response worthy of Himself.
- Spirit. No appeals, no arguments, no pressure — the streams of devotion flowed from within.
- Substance. Former slaves who had made bricks without straw gave gold and fine linen, until Moses had to hold them back.
- Surplus. The workers themselves stopped and reported the excess: the work already had more than enough.
- Surpassing. Grace goes beyond what the law produced here: the Macedonians gave beyond their means, having first given themselves to the Lord.
Then Moses gave commandment, and they caused it to be proclaimed through the camp, saying, Let neither man nor woman make any more work for the heave-offering of the sanctuary! So the people were restrained from bringing;
The tabernacle was the tent that would be God's dwelling among Israel, and the people were bringing gifts to build it. Then the supply outran the need, and Moses ordered the giving to stop.
One writer traces how the order came about:
In response to God's call, Bezalel and Oholiab and other skilled workers willingly offered themselves for this work (vv. 1-2). Moses then handed them the offerings that the children of Israel kept bringing. The people's sacrifices were much greater than the project needed (vv. 4-5). This is always what happens when the grace of God works effectively in hearts. So Moses commanded a proclamation to be made throughout the camp, that the people should give no more (v. 6).
Nothing here suggests anyone talked them into it:
What 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 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, but in such a princely way that they had "enough, and too much."
God named no amount to bring. That silence is the point, and it shows where the excess really came from:
The people were to supply all this material as the fruit of what their hearts prompted. No quantity was named, but the response was so great that Exodus 36:6 tells us a special proclamation had to hold the people back from giving. It is all the work of God's grace. He enriches us, and so we can offer what agrees with His own thoughts and purposes. As David says, "But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able thus to offer willingly? For all things come from you, and of your own have we given you" (1 Chr. 29:14).
One commentator draws out what this means for anyone worried about paying for God's work:
And note this — there was no lack. In the next chapter the skilled men who did the work came to Moses and said, "The people bring much more than enough for the work that the LORD has commanded us to do." … The usual complaint now is that there are not enough means to carry on the Lord's work. But four things cannot be said too often. First, the church of God is never held responsible to get means. Second, if the Lord gives work to do, He Himself will lay it on the hearts of His people to give what is needed. Third, we have left the ground of dependence and are acting on our own ideas if we take on anything for which the needed provision has not already been made. Last, gifts raised by human methods can seldom be used for blessing.
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The same writer adds that everything offered to God "must be spontaneous, not the result of persuasion or of outside pressure, but from the heart." He points to Paul's words that God loves a cheerful giver.
The state of a people's heart shows up in their giving:
When the people of God are in a healthy spiritual condition, the funds are healthy too, and those who handle them have no anxiety. When the spiritual affections are in full flow, everything needed to maintain the Lord's work is in full flow as well. When the LORD asked Israel in the wilderness to prepare Him a dwelling, the offerings were so abundant that the people had to be held back… Before they left Egypt, the LORD Himself secured their hard-earned wages for them (Ex. 3:22). They willingly laid those wages at the feet of their Saviour-God.
Israel gave like this under law. One writer finds its match, and more, in the churches of Macedonia:
When God moves in the hearts of men He can produce a response worthy of Himself. The people brought as their offering not just what was needed, but "much more than enough." We see something similar, and indeed greater, in 2 Corinthians 8:1-5. The Macedonian saints were in "a severe test of affliction" — that is, passing through wilderness experiences. Yet they gave according to their means, and even beyond their means, going past the apostle's hopes. The reason was that "they gave themselves first to the Lord." It is not surprising that a response produced by the grace of God goes beyond one produced under law, fine though that might be.
- Grace begins it. This was not organised generosity. Grace at work in hearts always gives more than the work needs.
- Grace supplies it. They handed back wealth God had already put in their hands, so David's words fit: of your own have we given you.
- Grace needs no pressure. No appeals, no arguments, no amount named — their own hearts stirred them up.
- Grace overflows. The result was "enough, and too much," and the only command left to give was: stop.
- Grace can be measured. When hearts flow toward God, funds flow too. The Macedonians went further still — they gave themselves first.
for the work they had was sufficient for all the work to do it, and it was too much.
God had told Israel to build Him a dwelling in the desert, and the materials had to come from the people themselves. This verse records the strangest problem a building project can have. The people gave so much that Moses had to stop them.
The verse closes a scene of intense activity. One writer pictures the whole camp at work as the offerings kept arriving:
What a sight it must have been! The camp roused into activity. People streaming to the appointed place with their offerings — the witness and fruit of willing hearts. The spinning wheels at work, the smith's hammer dealing with the metals, the jewellers setting the precious stones. Men and women were active and earnest in their work to get ready the sanctuary where Jehovah, their God, would dwell. Morning by morning the people brought their offerings to Moses. At last the wise men who did all the work of the sanctuary came, every man from his work, and told Moses that the supply for each item was more than enough. Then a proclamation went out announcing this, and the people stopped bringing offerings. They had willingly and heartily offered enough, and more than enough.
What makes the surplus more striking is who gave it. These people had only just come out of slavery:
When we think about who supplied the materials, our astonishment deepens. The Israelites had just escaped from bitter slavery. Their lot had been harsh. "Bricks without straw" had plumbed the depths of the misery of sweated labour. Yet these were the people who so willingly offered of what they had that Moses had to restrain their flood of generosity.
Nobody set a target for the offering. Commentators trace the overflow back to God, who first gave the people what they brought:
The people were to supply all this material as the fruit of the promptings of the heart. No quantity was specified. The response was so great that, as Exodus 36:6 tells us, a special proclamation went out to hold the people back from giving. It is all the work of God's grace. Because He enriches us, we can offer what agrees with His own thoughts and purposes. As David says, "But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able thus to offer willingly? For all things come from you, and of your own have we given you" (1 Chron. 29:14).
The giving had to come from the heart. One writer draws a sharp lesson for the church today:
So it is vital 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 outside pressure, but from the heart. If the church of God had remembered this, it would be in a very different state today. What has caused more ruin than the many worldly schemes for raising money? And what is more humbling than seeing appeals of all kinds used to get the Lord's people to offer their gifts?
There is a further kindness in the way God receives such a gift:
God delights in the spontaneous response of the affections of His people. Yet such is His grace that what we offer is the fruit of His Spirit's work in our souls, and He still counts it as our own offering. In this way He clothes us with that fine linen which is "the righteous deeds of the saints" (Revelation 19:8).
One writer makes the state of the funds a test of spiritual health:
When the people of God are spiritually healthy, the funds are healthy too, and the treasurers have no anxiety. When the spiritual affections are in full flow, everything needed for the upkeep of the Lord's work is in full flow also.
Much later, another group gave in the same spirit, past what they could afford:
The giving of the Macedonian believers was remarkable. They gave beyond their power. That is, they went without what might count as proper living expenses, so they could give to the Lord and His people. And they did this in the most willing-hearted way. They begged Paul to accept the money and take on the responsibility of getting it distributed to the saints. They had caught the spirit shown when the tabernacle was to be made. Back then the report came to Moses, "The people bring much more than enough for doing the work that the LORD has commanded us to do" (Exodus 36:5).
- Grace starts it. Freed slaves gave out of what God had already given them, and the abundance was the fruit of His work in their hearts — "of your own have we given you."
- Grace credits it. What His Spirit produces in us, God counts as our own offering.
- Grace needs no pressure. No persuasion, no outside pressure, no worldly schemes for raising money — the gift must come from a willing heart.
- Grace overflows. The only limit ever set on the offering was the word that nothing more was needed — enough, and more than enough.
- Grace repeats. The Macedonian believers caught the same spirit, and where hearts are in good condition the supply for God's work still flows freely.