The Pulpit Commentary — Exodus — Volume 2 — Section 231

nro worthlo~A: God is ~ood_ enough to _make needs for him~lf that hiH creat,ucs may hnvo tho pnviloge of sat1sfymg them; 1f they degrade tho pnv1lcgo into a tax, he wo 11 1,t mthor bo without their assistance. How often is this forgotten! We !rive to God ~vhon :19lrn_cl, for many rens?ns. It is the ~rol:'er t~ing to do, nnd r"•pectahility rcquiw~ 1t; or 1t will got ou~ name mto some subscnpt10°: hst; or we may have an uneasy fecii 11 '( thnt we ought to give, nnd to soothe our uneaamess we must do something. "Gm,l~.•:- ingly and of necessity" is the epitaph which must be written above such w,i.sted oll'orings. God cannot accept as gifts offerings which are never truly given. He may use them, for they are his in any case to do as he wills with them; he cannot, howeve~, ontor them tn his inventory as received from the giver who nominally presents them. Only ho who gives with his heart has his name set down in the :nventory of God. The two miteH of the widow are remembered; the talents of the ostentatious tax-payer aro forgotten. Ill. THE BEBPONBE MADE. The people of Israel realised their privileges. They remembered what God had done for them, and were eager to manifest their grati- tude. They gave even more than enough (x.xxvi. 6, 7). Their hearts stirred them up, and their spirits made them willing (xxxv. 21); so that they even had to be restrained. What an example for us I Church debts, fettered missionary enterprise, ministers of the Gospel converted into persistent yet unsuccessful beggars; what are the Lord's people doing when such phenomena abound? Do we not need to be reminded of the privilege offered us, which is so fearfully profaned? Do we not need to stir up our hearts, arnl to take active measures to make our spirits willing? The roused heart loosens the purse-strings ; only the willing spirit can offer the willing and generous gift.-G. Vers. 1-9.-The re,a,ring of the Lor<l;s sanctuary. I. FnoM WHAT IT IB FORMED. 1. Of material supplied by his redeemed. 'l'o them only request and direction come- "Let them make me a sanctuary that I may dwell among them." This is still our high calling, to make God a dwelling-place in the earth. Are we obeying~ Is Go,l being glorified by us? 2. Of their free-will offerings. There is no constraint; every- thing is free and spontaneous-the loving gifts of children, not the forced labour uf slaves. 3. Of their choicest and best, and yet, 4, of things named by God himself. Even here we are not left to impose burdens upon ourselves. God's word and the Spirit's voice in the heart will direct us. II. GoD IB THE ARCIDTE0T OF BIS OWN SANCTUARY. The building and furniture are to be in every particular according to his own plan (ver. 9). We may not bring into God's worship or service our own devices. The stepping aside from the simplicity of God's ordinances is disservice. It is contempt of God or open rebellion to his authority.-U. Vers. 1-10.-The command to build a sanctuary. The covenant being now ratifie,i, everything was prepared for Jehovah taking up his abode with the people. He wouhl dwell among them as their King. In keeping with the genius of the dispensation, commands are given for the erection of a visible sanctuary. It is here called "mili- dash," or sanctuary (ver. 8), and "mishkan," or dwelling-place (tabernacle, ver. 9), the latter being the name most commonly applied to it. Considering the purpose which the sanctuary was to serve, and the "plenitude of meaning" designed to be conveye,l by its symbolism, it was necessary that the whole should be constructed under imme- diate Divine direction. A plan of the tabernacle, embracing minute details, was accordinaly 0 placed before the mind of Moses on the mount (ver. 9). It was presenre,l in its co mpleteness to his inner eye, before any part of it was set up on earth. The ark of Noah, the tabernacle of Moses, and the temple of Solomon ( cf. 1 Chron. xxviii. 11, 12, 19), are probably the only buildings ever erected from plans furllls?ctl by direct revelation. In the building of the spiritual temple-the Church-Go?- 1, himself not merely the architect, but the builder; and the beauty and symmetry ol the structure will be found in the end to be perfect (cf. Rev. xx.i.). Consider- !. THE MATERIALS OF THE TABERNACLE. These were ordered to be collected before 1he work began. They were to be-1. Costly and various-representing (1) every department of nature (mineral, vegetable, anim~); (2) the r_ichest prnduct, of each, so far ns accessible in the desert (gold, silver, fine linen, dyed skl.l.L~, prec10us stone,, etc.); 244 THE ROOK OF EX.onus. [en. nv. 1-10.