When God’s People Give Too Much
What’s Exodus 36 about?
This is the chapter where Moses has to tell people to stop giving because they’re bringing too much for the tabernacle construction. It’s a beautiful picture of what happens when God’s people catch a vision and give with joyful hearts – sometimes you literally have to tell them to slow down.
The Full Context
We’re right in the middle of one of the most detailed construction projects in human history – the building of God’s dwelling place among His people. After the golden calf disaster in Exodus 32 and Moses’ intercession, God has graciously renewed the covenant. Now the people are throwing themselves into this sacred work with an enthusiasm that’s honestly breathtaking. Exodus 35 had just recorded Moses’ call for voluntary contributions, and the response was immediate and overwhelming.
What makes this passage so remarkable is that it shows us a community transformed. These are the same people who just months earlier were grumbling about everything and melting down their jewelry to make an idol. Now they’re bringing that same jewelry – and much more – to build something that will bring God’s presence into their midst. The literary structure here is fascinating too: chapters 35-40 mirror chapters 25-31 almost exactly, but where the earlier chapters were blueprints, these are the actual construction. It’s like watching architectural plans come to life, but with this incredible human drama of a people learning what it means to worship with their whole hearts.
What the Ancient Words Tell Us
The Hebrew in this chapter practically vibrates with excitement. When it says the people kept bringing offerings “morning by morning” (boqer boqer), there’s this sense of daily anticipation – like kids on Christmas morning, except it’s happening every single day. They can’t sleep because they’re so eager to be part of this project.
Grammar Geeks
The word for “sufficient” in verse 7 is dai – the same root that gives us Shaddai (Almighty). When Moses says they have “enough and more than enough,” he’s literally saying they have reached the point of divine sufficiency. There’s a theological wordplay here that suggests when God’s people give freely, they participate in His own abundant nature.
The craftsmen’s names deserve attention too. Bezalel means “in the shadow of God” – imagine having that as your business card when you’re building God’s house! And Oholiab means “father’s tent” – perfect for someone constructing the ultimate tent of meeting. These aren’t random names; they’re prophetic declarations about what these men were called to do.
But here’s what really gets me: the text keeps emphasating that these craftsmen were chakam lev – “wise of heart.” Not just skilled with their hands, but wise in their hearts. The ancient world understood something we’ve forgotten: true craftsmanship flows from the heart, not just technical ability.
What Would the Original Audience Have Heard?
Picture this scene through ancient eyes. In the ancient Near East, building projects for deities were typically funded through taxation or forced labor. Kings would conscript workers and confiscate materials. But here? Moses has to tell people to stop giving.
The original audience would have been stunned by this reversal. They knew what it was like to have their labor exploited in Egypt – remember, they just spent 400 years building Pharaoh’s store cities with no choice in the matter. Now they’re choosing to build, choosing to give, choosing to participate in something that’s theirs.
Did You Know?
Archaeological evidence shows that ancient construction projects often included inscriptions boasting about the king’s wealth and power. The tabernacle had no such inscriptions – just the repeated refrain that this was built by people who gave “willingly” and crafted by those who were “wise of heart.”
There’s also this beautiful irony that wouldn’t have been lost on them. In Egypt, they cried out because their burdens were too heavy. Now they’re bringing so much that Moses has to restrain their giving. It’s the same Hebrew root (rav) used for “too much” in both contexts – but what a difference in meaning!
Wrestling with the Text
Here’s something that puzzles me: why does the text spend so much time on the details of curtain-making and socket-fitting? I mean, we get measurements down to the cubit, descriptions of every loop and clasp. Why does God care so much about interior decorating?
But maybe that’s exactly the point. God doesn’t just care about our hearts in some abstract way – He cares about how our hearts translate into the physical world. Every loop sewn with careful attention, every socket fitted with precision, becomes an act of worship. The Israelites were learning that there’s no sacred/secular divide when you’re building something for God.
Wait, That’s Strange…
Verse 6 says Moses had to issue a proclamation to stop the giving, but there’s no record of anyone complaining about this order. In a culture where people typically grumbled about Moses’ leadership decisions, the silence here is deafening – and beautiful. Sometimes restraint is the kindest form of leadership.
The repetitive nature of the construction account might seem tedious to modern readers, but it would have been deeply satisfying to the original audience. They lived in an oral culture where repetition created rhythm, where details mattered, where the very act of retelling was a form of meditation and worship.
How This Changes Everything
This chapter flips our entire understanding of religious obligation on its head. We’re so used to churches having to beg for funds, to pledge drives and guilt-inducing sermons about tithing. But here’s a community so captured by God’s vision that their generosity becomes a problem that needs managing.
What created this transformation? It wasn’t manipulation or pressure – it was vision. The people could see what they were building toward. They understood that this wasn’t just a building project; it was an invitation for the Creator of the universe to dwell among them.
“When God’s people catch a vision of His presence, generosity becomes not a burden but a joy – sometimes even a problem that needs gentle restraint.”
And notice this: the giving wasn’t just about money or materials. People brought their skills, their time, their creativity. The women spun thread, the men worked gold, the skilled crafted intricate designs. Everyone found a way to contribute according to their ability and calling.
This is what church should look like – not people grudgingly fulfilling obligations, but a community so excited about what God is doing that leadership has to say, “Okay, that’s enough for now!” When was the last time you heard a pastor say that?
Key Takeaway
True generosity flows from vision, not obligation. When people see clearly what God is building, they don’t need to be convinced to participate – they need to be gently restrained from giving too much too fast.
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