I guess it's worth a comment as this concept came up twice today. Particularly relevant as our church will be making it's final discernment decision about departing the PCUSA and joining the EPC this week. A decision which will necessitate the need for a large offering to facilitate the reacquiring of our property.
Perhaps something in the texts of the tabernacle and the temple will be useful. These decisions are personal and of the heart.
Exo 25:2 Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring me an offering: of every man that giveth it willingly with his heart ye shall take my offering.
2Ki 12:4 ..... the money that every man is set at, and all the money that cometh into any man's heart to bring into the house of the LORD,
Complete texts are below.
Though, Jesus does broaden our understanding of earthly temples and tabernacles.
Mat 12:6 But I say unto you, That in this place is one greater than the temple.
Jesus Foretells Destruction of the Temple
Mat 24:1 And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple.
Mat 24:2 And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.
2Co 5:1 For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.
Contributions for the Sanctuary
Exo 25:1 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
Exo 25:2 Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring me an offering: of every man that giveth it willingly with his heart ye shall take my offering.
Exo 25:3 And this is the offering which ye shall take of them; gold, and silver, and brass,
Exo 25:4 And blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and goats' hair,
Exo 25:5 And rams' skins dyed red, and badgers' skins, and shittim wood,
Exo 25:6 Oil for the light, spices for anointing oil, and for sweet incense,
Exo 25:7 Onyx stones, and stones to be set in the ephod, and in the breastplate.
Exo 25:8 And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them.
Exo 25:9 According to all that I shew thee, after the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall ye make it.
The Ark of the Covenant
Exo 25:10 And they shall make an ark of shittim wood: two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof.
Exo 25:11 And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, within and without shalt thou overlay it, and shalt make upon it a crown of gold round about.
Exo 25:12 And thou shalt cast four rings of gold for it, and put them in the four corners thereof; and two rings shall be in the one side of it, and two rings in the other side of it.
Exo 25:13 And thou shalt make staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold.
Exo 25:14 And thou shalt put the staves into the rings by the sides of the ark, that the ark may be borne with them.
Exo 25:15 The staves shall be in the rings of the ark: they shall not be taken from it.
Exo 25:16 And thou shalt put into the ark the testimony which I shall give thee.
Exo 25:17 And thou shalt make a mercy seat of pure gold: two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof.
Exo 25:18 And thou shalt make two cherubims of gold, of beaten work shalt thou make them, in the two ends of the mercy seat.
Exo 25:19 And make one cherub on the one end, and the other cherub on the other end: evenof the mercy seat shall ye make the cherubims on the two ends thereof.
Exo 25:20 And the cherubims shall stretch forth their wings on high, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and their faces shall look one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubims be.
Exo 25:21 And thou shalt put the mercy seat above upon the ark; and in the ark thou shalt put the testimony that I shall give thee.
Exo 25:22 And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all thingswhich I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel.
The Table for Bread
Exo 25:23 Thou shalt also make a table of shittim wood: two cubits shall be the length thereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof.
Exo 25:24 And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, and make thereto a crown of gold round about.
Exo 25:25 And thou shalt make unto it a border of an hand breadth round about, and thou shalt make a golden crown to the border thereof round about.
Exo 25:26 And thou shalt make for it four rings of gold, and put the rings in the four corners that are on the four feet thereof.
Exo 25:27 Over against the border shall the rings be for places of the staves to bear the table.
Exo 25:28 And thou shalt make the staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold, that the table may be borne with them.
Exo 25:29 And thou shalt make the dishes thereof, and spoons thereof, and covers thereof, and bowls thereof, to cover withal: of pure gold shalt thou make them.
Exo 25:30 And thou shalt set upon the table shewbread before me alway.
The Golden Lampstand
Exo 25:31 And thou shalt make a candlestick of pure gold: of beaten work shall the candlestick be made: his shaft, and his branches, his bowls, his knops, and his flowers, shall be of the same.
Exo 25:32 And six branches shall come out of the sides of it; three branches of the candlestick out of the one side, and three branches of the candlestick out of the other side:
Exo 25:33 Three bowls made like unto almonds, with a knop and a flower in one branch; and three bowls made like almonds in the other branch, with a knop and a flower: so in the six branches that come out of the candlestick.
Exo 25:34 And in the candlestick shall be four bowls made like unto almonds, with their knops and their flowers.
Exo 25:35 And there shall be a knop under two branches of the same, and a knop under two branches of the same, and a knop under two branches of the same, according to the six branches that proceed out of the candlestick.
Exo 25:36 Their knops and their branches shall be of the same: all it shall be one beaten workof pure gold.
Exo 25:37 And thou shalt make the seven lamps thereof: and they shall light the lamps thereof, that they may give light over against it.
Exo 25:38 And the tongs thereof, and the snuffdishes thereof, shall be of pure gold.
Exo 25:39 Of a talent of pure gold shall he make it, with all these vessels.
Exo 25:40 And look that thou make them after their pattern, which was shewed thee in the mount.
2Ki 12:1 In the seventh year of Jehu Jehoash began to reign; and forty years reigned he in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Zibiah of Beer-sheba.
2Ki 12:2 And Jehoash did that which was right in the sight of the LORD all his days wherein Jehoiada the priest instructed him.
2Ki 12:3 But the high places were not taken away: the people still sacrificed and burnt incense in the high places.
Jehoash Repairs the Temple
2Ki 12:4 And Jehoash said to the priests, All the money of the dedicated things that is brought into the house of the LORD, even the money of every one that passeth the account, the money that every man is set at, and all the money that cometh into any man's heart to bring into the house of the LORD,
2Ki 12:5 Let the priests take it to them, every man of his acquaintance: and let them repair the breaches of the house, wheresoever any breach shall be found.
2Ki 12:6 But it was so, that in the three and twentieth year of king Jehoash the priests had not repaired the breaches of the house.
2Ki 12:7 Then king Jehoash called for Jehoiada the priest, and the other priests, and said unto them, Why repair ye not the breaches of the house? now therefore receive no more money of your acquaintance, but deliver it for the breaches of the house.
2Ki 12:8 And the priests consented to receive no more money of the people, neither to repair the breaches of the house.
2Ki 12:9 But Jehoiada the priest took a chest, and bored a hole in the lid of it, and set it beside the altar, on the right side as one cometh into the house of the LORD: and the priests that kept the door put therein all the money that was brought into the house of the LORD.
2Ki 12:10 And it was so, when they saw that there was much money in the chest, that the king's scribe and the high priest came up, and they put up in bags, and told the money that was found in the house of the LORD.
2Ki 12:11 And they gave the money, being told, into the hands of them that did the work, that had the oversight of the house of the LORD: and they laid it out to the carpenters and builders, that wrought upon the house of the LORD,
2Ki 12:12 And to masons, and hewers of stone, and to buy timber and hewed stone to repair the breaches of the house of the LORD, and for all that was laid out for the house to repair it.
2Ki 12:13 Howbeit there were not made for the house of the LORD bowls of silver, snuffers, basons, trumpets, any vessels of gold, or vessels of silver, of the money that was brought into the house of the LORD:
2Ki 12:14 But they gave that to the workmen, and repaired therewith the house of the LORD.
2Ki 12:15 Moreover they reckoned not with the men, into whose hand they delivered the money to be bestowed on workmen: for they dealt faithfully.
2Ki 12:16 The trespass money and sin money was not brought into the house of the LORD: it was the priests'.
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