Of Treasure and Talent

            Two things stand out in Exodus 35.  First, there is the repeated assertion that everyone ‘whose heart moved him’ contributed to the building of the tabernacle.  This fits with Paul’s description of our gifts to the Lord in 2 Corinthians 9:7, “Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”  Our gifts to the Lord and His work flow from hearts renewed by the Gospel, not from hearts terrified by the Law.  Our gifts are not duties or taxes, but gifts.  This is a relationship that is easily turned upside down.  Consider the kind of reasoning that surrounds our Christmas celebration:  “They sent us a card; we’d better send them one.”  “Do I give him a gift?  Well, he gave me one . . .”  The sense of reciprocity and duty undoes the sense of gift freely given.  So, if we reason, “Well, God did a lot for us, I guess we ought to give Him something,” or, even worse, if we reason, “Well, the church did a lot for us, I guess we ought to give something back," then we probably are not in the place of joyful giving.  The case of the people of Israel is remarkable, because (in this case, at least) their enthusiasm is so great that Moses eventually has to tell them to stop bringing their gifts. (Ex. 36:5-6).  (I don’t know a pastor or a church council who wouldn’t love to have that problem!)

            The second thing that stands out for me is the case of Bezalel and Oholiab, the craftsmen in charge of the tabernacle’s construction.  Here I note three things.  First, their skills are clearly called a gift from the Lord (35:31).  That’s part of what Lutheran’s call the doctrine of vocation: recognizing that even our most work-a-day skills and talents are gifts from the Lord.  So, there is no such thing as “just a . . .” in God’s mind.  No matter how mundane the gift may seem, the Christian strives to see it as a skill the Lord has blessed and to use it to His glory.  God elevates everything about us.  Second, as I’ve already mentioned, those God-given skills—whether it’s brain surgery or fine art or a strong back—are used in the service of the Lord.  Even the women of Israel spun to God’s glory (35:25-26).  (Spinning would have been an incredibly common skill among a people who raised sheep and goats.)  In terms of application, I’m not saying that every skill must be used in the church, although speaking for one congregation, we really appreciate those gifts!  I am saying that no matter how the Lord has blessed you, doing the best with that gift glorifies Him.  Finally, Bezalel and Oholiab taught the skills with which the Lord had blessed them (35:34).  Gifts blossom in their use and in their propagation.  Masters need apprentices, or else the old skills die out, and there is blessing in handing down the wisdom of the generations.  (Insert a shameless plug for Faith Crossroads here!  A key component of our children’s ministry is to find ways to mentor young parents in the skills and disciplines of parenting.)  so, while not everyone may be a master teacher, God is glorified in the sharing and in the mentoring that we do to multiply His gifts.