An Offering

  As a pastor, looking back, I think Moses had to deal with a lot of things I've never had to deal with.  That whole golden calf thing, for example, hasn't been a problem here.  The people have never complained because they didn't have any water to drink.  I was never worried about the Egyptian army catching up to us.

  Also, I never had to ask the people to stop giving.

  In Exodus 36, the tabernacle is being made.  Moses calls every skillful person, every person whose heart is stirred, and he asks them to do their work.  Also, the Israelites are asked to bring gifts for the construction of the temple.  They are supplying the artisans, and every morning they bring their freewill offerings.

  And they don't stop.

  Each and every morning, they bring more and more, so excited are they by the Lord's work.  They don't stop, and eventually the artisans complain to Moses, The people are bringing much more than enough for doing the work that the Lord has commanded us to do.  So Moses gives a command:  No man or woman is to make anything else as an offering for the sanctuary.

  That's right--Moses asked the people to stop making an offering, because they had given so much it was becoming an overwhelming burden.  The people were so excited by the work of God in their midst that their generosity overwhelmed the stewards of the gifts and they were asked to stop their giving in order to use the gifts already given.

  Can you imagine?  What a problem to have!  Can you picture a society in which the people of God are so excited about the work of God in their midst that their generosity and desire to be a part of God's ongoing work overwhelms the structures in place to handle such gifts?

  What would it take for the church to have this problem?

  According to this website, three to five percent of Christians tithe.  From various articles, including this one, I think the average percentage given to a church is around 2-3%.

  Are we just not excited about what God is doing?  Are we too distracted, too interested in other things?  Is God low on the priority list?  Have churches done a poor job teaching the tithe?  What constrains our giving?

  I'm sure the answer is complicated, but it's a question worth asking.  When we look at the Israelites excitement to give, and we look at our own giving, when I look at my own giving, how excited am I to give to God's work?