Christ in all the scriptures Preparing for worship

 Christ in all the scriptures

Preparing for worship  Exodus 35

The chapter contains the details of worship, from the materials to be offered (v5) to the items for the construction of the tabernacle (v11-19).  Nothing was left to human design or imagination.  God is not to be worshipped in any old way, but according to the pattern shewed to Moses in the mount.  These lists of materials and components are repeated several times in Exodus 25-40; the materials and the components all speak of Christ so there is no room for deviation.  Following the call to obey the Lord in observing the Sabbath, the people were invited to bring an offering.  Their offerings in response to the call are revealing.  The God, who made all things in heaven and on earth, needed none of their materials, for He could have provided them all.  What He wanted was the devotion of their hearts, as He does ours today.  This will come out in the study.  God, who in essence is goodness, and who gives abundantly of that goodness, deserves the little that we can give in return.  True worship is not empty handed but gives of the gifts one has received. 

The offering was a heave offering (35v5,v21,v24)   This is associated with the shoulder and suggests strength.  All offerings were to be offered with all the strength they could muster.  The word for heave offering is the Hebrew terumah, and means exalted or lifted up.  This suggests an offering directed exclusively to God, lifted up in worship to God.  It could be said that worship is worth-ship, how we value one so great; and so what we bring expresses that.  

All the offerings and components that made up the tabernacle speak of Christ.  One rendering of Psalm 29v9 (Newberry margin) is "In His temple (this must refer to the tabernacle since the temple was not built in David's lifetime) every whit of it uttereth His glory".  Each and every material and component is, in singularly different ways, symbolic of Christ.  He is the subject of our worship as the New Testament repeats time and again.  So the "gold, and silver, and bronze; and blue, and purple, and scarlet; and fine linen, and goats hair, and ram skins dyed red, and badger skins, and shittim wood; oil for the lampstand, spices for anointing oil, and for sweet incense; onyx stones, and stones to be set in the ephod, and in the breastplate"-listed in 25v3-7, that make up the components of the sanctuary, (sacred place of worship) and repeated in 35v5-7, together present the glory of Christ, and understanding of these inspires our worship.  God wants to hear in word or in song our appreciation of His Son.

The materials were the offering of willing hearts (v5,v21,v22,v29), and the components made from them were by wise hearts (v10,v25,v34).  In each the offering was from the heart, it was not a mechanical ritual, but the devotion of heart.  In worship, God wants our hearts; in scripture we are those characterised by love for God-as in Exodus 20v6, "them that love me"; Deuteronomy 6v5, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might"; Romans 8v28, "...them that love God, them who are the called according to His purpose".  Of Israel it was said they had become formal in their worship, they "drew near with their mouth, and with their lips they did honour Him, but had removed their heart far from Him", Isaiah 29v13.  True worship, the worship which God desires, and deserves, is from the heart.  Willing hearts are described in the chapter as "those whose heart stirred him up"-that is human exercise; and "those whom His Spirit made willing"-that is Divine inspiration, man and God in harmony.  Together they brought the offering of the Lord to the work of the tabernacle of the congregation (v21).  Wise hearted refer to those who were gifted in artisanship, an ability which was God given.  These used their talents to create the wonderful components that made up the tabernacle.  Those who were wise hearted, were also willing hearted, using their God-given abilities with passion of heart.  It is a fact, that whether we think of the materials given, or the talents to produce the furniture and fabric, all were God given in the first place.  We are simply returning to Him of His own gifts.  As the hymn writer Christopher Wordsworth (1863) has well recorded:

"Oh Lord of heaven and earth and sea, to thee all praise and glory be.

How shall we shew our love to thee, who givest all?" 

Anything we give is only of what we have received in the first place, as Paul said, remonstrating with the Corinthians in 1st Cor. 4v7, "...what hast thou that thou didst not receive?"  

Offerings came from all groups of the congregation   The idea of one-man ministry, or the existence of clergy and laity, are totally foreign to scripture.  The practice of such has had the effect of stifling the contributions of God's people, and robbing the congregation of much needed dynamism.

All were invited to contribute  v5 "Whosoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it, an offering to the Lord"; v20 every one whose heart stirred him up, and every one whom His Spirit made willing"; v22 "and they came both men and women, as many as were willing hearted"; v25 "And all the women that were wise hearted did spin with their hands, and brought that which they had spun"; v26, "and all the women whose heart stirred them up in wisdom, spun goats hair"; v27 "and the rulers brought onyx stones, and stones to be set for the ephod and the breastplate..."; the children of Israel brought a willing offering unto the Lord whose heart the Lord made willing to bring all manner of work...".  The matter is clear, all of willing hearts and wise hearts from all people groups in the congregation contributed.  It is a regrettable feature of the present day to see so much gift and passion stifled to satisfy the egos of a few overseers who have their own interests at heart. 

Special gifts were given to two men, named Bezaleel from the foremost tribe of Judah, and Aholiab from the hindermost tribe of Dan.  These men were endowed with superior ability in making the furniture and fabrics of the sanctuary.  In this specific endowment, the Lord above was including all His people in the sacred construction.  These were godly artisans who were superlatively gifted to produce the fabulous structure.  A similar pattern appears in Ephesians 4 in connection with the Church the body of Christ, and establishes the principle beyond question-Ephesians 4v7-16: "But unto every one of us is given grace, according to the measure of the gift of Christ" (Christ, from ascension glory, HAS ENABLED ALL HIS PEOPLE FOR THE WORK)-this corresponds to Exodus 35.  "Wherefore He saith "When He ascended up on high, He led captivity captive and gave gifts unto men".  He endowed special gifts on certain men-apostles, prophets, evangelists, and pastor-teachers.  The purpose of these leading gifts was to "perfect (bring to maturity) the saints for the work of ministry (service, that is the service of all the saints), for the edifying of the body of Christ".  The leading gifts were not an end in themselves but were given to assist the service of all the saints, to the edification of the whole.  This would only work, says Paul, if the whole body was involved and the success of the building would be "according to the effectual working in the measure of every part".   We all have a part to play, and the corporate effectiveness depends on every one playing their part as they have been enabled.

We are called to a spectacular work, we have been gifted for the task, we must all rise to the occasion, for the benefit of the whole, and not just for the local need, but for the church universal.  Only as we work in harmony and in humility will the work be for His glory.  The gifts of God should not be stifled or negated, but assisted and encouraged.  Paul encouraged Timothy, "Neglect not the gift that is in thee"-1st Timothy 4v14; "Stir up the gift of God that is in you"-2nd Timothy 1v6-7.  The congregation in Exodus 35 was stirred up, and the result was that God descended in glory among them. (chapter 40)  Will I be sufficiently stirred up as to make some contribution to the corporate excellence which is the Church of Christ?