An overview for Sunday School teachers and Bible study leaders, of Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible” lesson of Exodus 25:1-9 and 31:1-6, with the title “Instructions,” for Sunday, January 26, 2025. A video version of this overview that you can watch is available at:

INTRODUCTION:

One way to begin the lesson this week would be to ask your members to share about their home. Did they buy it?/build it?/some combination of the two? 

(For example, when Cheryl & I moved to Angleton, Texas, from North Carolina 6 years ago, we had picked out 4 homes online to look at when we got here. But by the time we arrived two days later, all 4 had already sold! (The market was really moving then!) So we ended up buying our present home, which was not on our original list. We got a really good deal on it — but it also needed to be almost totally remodeled. So we paid for the house, but we also put quite a bit of our own personal labor into it as well. (Cheryl more than me, I am not very gifted at these things!) One of the first things Cheryl did was the peel off all the old wallpaper in our entryway, and ladled on new texture and paint, and it looks fantastic to this day; it’s one of my favorite parts of our house. 

Many of your class members probably bought their homes, some built them, and many are probably like us and did some kind of combination of the two.

You/your group can share your own experiences, and then transition by saying, today in our study in Exodus we’ll see how God called His people to use both their gifts and their service, as they constructed His Tabernacle — and we are to do the same as we serve Him today. 

CONTEXT:

We’re continuing our study of the Book of Exodus, and Israel has stopped at Mt. Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments, and other commands of the Lord. Last time we saw how God commanded Israel to take care of the vulnerable people in their midst: widows, orphans, and so on. This morning we’re going to see from Exodus 25 and 31 how God commanded them to provide for His house of worship among them, His tabernacle. It would call for a commitment from His people both to give, and to serve. 

OUTLINE:

I.  Giving for the House of the Lord  (Ex. 25:1-9)

II. Serving for the House of the Lord  (Ex. 31:1-6)

TEXT:

I. Giving for the House of the Lord (Exodus 25:1-9)

Exodus 25:1-9

Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Tell the sons of Israel to [a]raise a [b]contribution for Me; from every man whose heart moves him you shall [c]raise My [d]contribution. 3 This is the [e]contribution which you are to [f]raise from them: gold, silver and bronze, 4 [g]blue, purple and scarlet material, fine linen, goat hair, 5 rams’ skins dyed red, porpoise skins, acacia wood, 6 oil for lighting, spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense, 7 onyx stones and setting stones for the ephod and for the [h]breastpiece. 8 Let them construct a sanctuary for Me, that I may dwell among them. 9 According to all that I am going to show you, as the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of all its furniture, just so you shall construct it.” (NASB 1995)

“Contribution” is literally “heave offering” — the Hebrew word is “terumah,” coming from “rum,” which means “to be high” or “to lift up.” It’s the picture of someone holding something up to God, to give Him as a gift. 

In fact of practice, the “heave offering” was used to support the tabernacle, as we see here in Exodus 25. 

??? What are some of the differences you see between the regular “tithe” God commands of His people, and the “heave offering” He commands here???

(We see several things:

— The tithe is for everyone. ALL God’s people are commanded to tithe, of all their increase. The “heave offering,” however, is for “every man whose heart moves him.” In other words, it’s voluntary.

— The tithe is a specific amount: 10%, across the board. This offering, as it is voluntary, can be any amount. 

But also: as you may notice, this offering was also very SPECIFIC. God asked for several specific items in :3-7, “This is the contribution which you are to raise from them: gold, silver and bronze, 4 blue, purple and scarlet material, fine linen, goat hair, 5 rams’ skins dyed red, porpoise skins, acacia wood, 6 oil for lighting, spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense, 7 onyx stones and setting stones for the ephod and for the breastpiece.”

??? You might ask your group: “What do you notice about these items”???

(They are rather costly, precious items. Nothing like wheat, corn, doves, etc. here. Gold! Porpoise skins! Precious stones! These were luxurious items. Even today, in the very rich country we live in, not many of these items will be found in our homes.

So where would Israel — who had been enslaved in Egypt for some time — have gotten these luxury items? 

Think back to Exodus 12, when Israel was leaving Egypt. Verses 35-36, “Now the sons of Israel had done according to the word of Moses, for they had requested from the Egyptians articles of silver and articles of gold, and clothing; 36 and the Lord had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they let them have their request. Thus they plundered the Egyptians.”

It doesn’t refer to that here in Exodus 25, but undoubtedly this is where they got a lot of the items the Lord was asking for here. 

Which lends to some good application for us today: when God brings something into our hands, it may be that He has given it to us for a season, and that He has a purpose for it, and will ask it back from us:

— Why did I get this extra money? Maybe God has some person or some kingdom cause He wants us to give it to. 

— Why did I get this certain item? Maybe like Israel God has plans to ask you for it some day, for your church, or some Kingdom purpose. 

??? You might even ask if someone in your class has a testimony about that, that they can share. ???  Did God ever give you something, that you later saw was for a specific purpose?

God does that kind of thing. He did that here with Israel. He allowed them to come in to some riches — but it wasn’t all intended for them. They were to use it — at least some of it — for a particular cause He had for them. 

This is what being a “steward” is: realizing that what we have is not “our own,” but it belongs to the Lord. Think of the “steward” on an airliner. He has all these meals and drinks — but are they “his”? No, he is a “steward;” he is charged with the task of giving those things which have been committed to his charge, to the people who need them. 

So it is with what God entrusts to us. Everything He gives us is not “for us.” God often has special purposes for it, and He can call for it whenever He wishes. When He does, as His stewards, who realize that all we have comes from Him, we should be ready to give it, like Israel did here. 

AND notice that this “heave offering” was for a specific purpose:

God said in :8-9, “Let them construct a sanctuary for Me, that I may dwell among them. 9 According to all that I am going to show you, as the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of all its furniture, just so you shall construct it.” 

So this offering was to go towards building the sanctuary for the Lord, that Israel would take with them as they traveled towards the Promised Land. You might say it was an offering for “God’s house.”

??? Do we have something like a “heave offering” today???
(Most churches do:

— Building funds are a common similar offering. This offering in Exodus was for their tabernacle. Our churches often use a “Building Fund Offering” to build/expand/support our church facilities. If your church has one of these kinds of offerings going on, you might use some time in this lesson to explain and promote it. 

Many of our churches include other voluntary offerings as well:

— Various missions offerings, Lottie Moon, state and associational missions offerings, and mission trip offerings.

— Special offerings for college scholarships, other ministry partners, like Pregnancy Help Centers, Children’s Homes, or Baptist College Ministries. 

You/your group can name others like these. Generally there is no “designated amount” for these; we just give as our heart leads us: whether it is $5 or $5000. That’s how the “heave offering” was.

But one of the most important things about this heave offering, as I mentioned earlier, was the MOTIVATION. This offering was to come “from every man whose heart moved him.” God wanted the offering from those who desired to give to Him.

— I think of II Corinthians 9:7 in the New Testament, where Paul was encouraging the Corinthians to give for the poor in Jerusalem:   “Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”  This is exactly the heart motivation of the “heave offering” — the heart that desires to give.

ILLUSTRATION:

E.W. (“Colonel”) Starling was a Secret Service agent for several Presidents of the United States, including Woodrow Wilson and Calvin Coolidge. After World War I was over, President Wilson went on a nationwide “whistlestop” tour. Starling writes about one stop they made, in Billings, Montana. He said as the train was pulling away from a stop where Wilson had made a speech, he saw a boy running after the train:   “Looking up he caught my eye, and pulling his hand out of his pocket he began to run after the train. We were moving rather quickly now, so I hooked my leg through the railing and leaned down to him. He reached out until his hand touched mine, running as fast as he could. “Give him this!” he gasped. His hand put something into mine and I straightened up. Turning to the President I opened my fist — lying in it was a dime.”  (E.W. Starling and Thomas Sugrue, Starling of the White House, p. 149)

Now, that dime didn’t really amount to much, to a lofty man like Woodrow Wilson, the President of the United States. But the touching part of that story is that that boy wanted to give it to him so desperately. He really wanted to give. 

THAT is the heart that pleases God: when we WANT to give to Him. Like the “heave offering” in Exodus 25, our offerings should come “from every man whose heart moved him”!  May God give us grace, to love Him so much, that we deeply desire to give Him great gifts.

II. Serving for the House of the Lord (Exodus 31:1-6)

But there is more than one way to contribute to the Lord’s cause. We see another example in our second passage:

Exodus 31:1-6

“Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “See, I have called by name Bezalel, the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. 3 I have filled him with the Spirit of God in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all kinds of [a]craftsmanship, 4 to [b]make artistic designs for work in gold, in silver, and in [c]bronze, 5 and in the cutting of stones [d]for settings, and in the carving of wood, that he may work in all kinds of [e]craftsmanship. 6 And behold, I Myself have [f]appointed with him Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan; and in the hearts of all who are [g]skillful I have put [h]skill, that they may make all that I have commanded you” (NASB 1995)

A. The Personal Distribution of God’s Gifts

— :2 “See, I have called by name Bezalel …”

God knows us personally. Notice how specific He was here: ‘Bezalel, the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. This was very specific. God knew him personally.  He has plans and gifts that He gives to each one of His people specifically. It’s not like “all the members of the house of Judah will do this …” or “everyone whose name begins with ‘A’ will have this gift.” No, He gives to each of His people gifts and abilities of His own choosing, for His specific plan and purpose for them.

I know I shared with our church one time that when our last son Michael was very young, I would spend some time each evening with him as he went to bed, helping him learn different verses and chapters of the Bible. One verse he learned was Jeremiah 29:11, “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ says the Lord.” I told Michael that night: “Michael, that means God has a special plan for YOUR life; things He has special for you to do for Him.” And he sat up in his bed, so excited, and said: “What is it? What is it?!” 

We ought to be that excited about God’s plans for us! And the great thing is, He really DOES! And He has given us each our own particular gifts and abilities, corresponding to the plan that He has for us to carry out. 

We see that confirmed in the New Testament, in places like:

— I Corinthians 12:7 “To each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.” 

EXERCISE:

You might consider posting I Corinthians 12:7, and ask your group to call out the truths it teaches us about gifts:

(— “to EACH ONE” — God gives EVERYONE a gift! No one is left out!

— the gifts are manifestation “of the Spirit,” so they are from the Holy Spirit of God. We must be born again to receive the gift.

— and it is “for the common good.” In other words, this gift is not “for us” — not to make us feel good or stroke our ego — it is to be used for the benefit of, and to minister to, OTHERS.)

Here’s an important question to consider and discuss: 

??? Why didn’t God give each one of us, ALL of the different gifts and abilities??? Why did He give just a certain one to one, and another one to someone else — why don’t we each have all of them?

(The answer is, because God wants us to learn to function as a BODY. He details this in I Corinthians 12:14-26, especially :21, which says because we all have different gifts, “the eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I have no need of you,’ or again the head to the feet, ‘I have no need of you.’” God wants to depend on one another, and need one another. He doesn’t want us to be “Lone Ranger Christians” who do everything alone. He wants us to be in a body, the church, where we can use our gift to serve others, and others can use their gifts to serve us. We wouldn’t have that need, if we could do everything ourselves. 

B. The Practical Nature of God’s Gifts

Notice also, that regarding Bezalel, God said in :3, “I have filled him with the Spirit of God in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all kinds of craftsmanship (:4) to make artistic designs for work in gold …” etc. So this wasn’t what we would often think of as “spiritual gifts,” like preaching, teaching, or encouragement, but even practical, “hands on” skills, like design, carving, metal working, and so on. Every kind of talent and ability that we have, comes from the Lord. We’ve heard a lot of football players in recent games talk about how they owe all their skill and ability to the Lord. that’s not being “humble,” that’s the truth! GOD has given us all that we are; every gift and ability we possess. 

And the end of :6 we see this confirmed, in one of my favorite phrases in the whole Old Testament. Don’t miss this! God says: “In the hearts of all who are skillful, I have put skill …”. Where did we get the skills that we have — not only “spiritual” things like preaching or teaching, but also practical abilities, like design, carving, sewing, and so on like Bezalel? God says, I give those gifts! “In the heart of those who are skillful, I have put skill.” 

We ought to post that verse in every technical center, in every auto shop, in every home ec class: “In the heart of those who are skillful, I have put skill.” There may be someone in your group today who needs to realize that the practical ability they have to do something, is a gift from God!

So let’s get practical and specific and apply this to our real-life experiences:

??? What are some gifts/abilities that your group sees in themselves or others???

(— you may see in your pastor a gift of preaching, or teaching, or evangelism, or shepherding.

— someone may know a person with a gift of giving.

— a member might share someone with the gift of encouragement: “parakaleo,” “running alongside” shouting words of encouragement and help.

You can think of others: playing the piano, guitar and other instruments. Some have a gift of serving, always working behind the scenes. Cooking, repairing, administering, leading, caring for the sick/homebound … you/your group can think of so many.)

The important thing is, that every one of us as God’s people, actually USE the gifts that God has given us. Put them to practice in the church. (It’s one of the reasons why we each need to be in church. We need to be able to use our gifts to minister to others in the church — and we also need to be there to benefit from the gifts of others in the church. 

Cheryl & I have experienced this personally in recent days since her stroke. As a pastor/pastor’s wife, we of course have always seen ourselves as serving and giving to the church. But since her stroke in August, the church has ministered to US in such an amazing way: our church family has visited/called/texted us regularly; prayed for us, given us offerings — brought meals to us every day, supposedly for a month from the time we came home, but it ended up going from September 27 well into November! It has been amazing. (And let me add: my SS lesson overview family has ministered to us as well: SO many of you have told us that you’re praying for us, your class is praying for us; you’ve written such amazing words of encouragement; several of you have even sent us such gracious offerings — as a pastor, God’s church has been using the gifts He has given them to minister to US in this time. Cheryl & I have needed that. The thing is, we ALL need it! 

— We all need to be in a place where we can use our gifts,

— And we all need to be in a place where others can use their gifts to serve US.

And “the place” God ordained for us to do that, is the local church. 

So encourage your group: be faithful to your church, both for our own good, and for others. Sometimes we might be tempted to say, “I don’t think I really need to go to church today.” But that’s very short-sighted, and really very self-centered. Someone at church needs you to be there that day, to encourage and minister to THEM with the gifts God’s given you.

Just like God told Bezalel: “I’ve called you by name and given you this gift” — He has done the same thing for each of us, too. So encourage your members to recognize that, and to use the specific gifts God has given them, this week.

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