The Faith and Trust of Overflowing Generosity

Let, then, Bezalel and Oholiab and all the skilled persons whom GOD has endowed with skill and ability to perform expertly all the tasks connected with the service of the sanctuary carry out all that GOD has commanded. Moses then called Bezalel and Oholiab, and every skilled person whom GOD had endowed with skill, everyone who excelled in ability, to undertake the task and carry it out. They took over from Moses all the gifts that the Israelites had brought, to carry out the tasks connected with the service of the sanctuary. But when these continued to bring freewill offerings to him morning after morning, every single one of the artisans who were engaged in the tasks of the sanctuary came from the task in which they were engaged, and said to Moses, “The people are bringing more than is needed for the tasks entailed in the work that GOD has commanded to be done.” Moses thereupon had this proclamation made throughout the camp: “Not a single man or woman should make further effort toward gifts for the sanctuary!” So the people stopped bringing: their efforts had been more than enough for all the tasks to be done. Then all the skilled among those engaged in the work made the tabernacle of ten strips of cloth, which they made of fine twisted linen, blue, purple, and crimson yarns; into these they worked a design of cherubim. The length of each cloth was twenty-eight cubits, and the width of each cloth was four cubits, all cloths having the same measurements. They joined five of the cloths to one another, and they joined the other five cloths to one another. They made loops of blue wool on the edge of the outermost cloth of the one set, and did the same on the edge of the outermost cloth of the other set: they made fifty loops on the one cloth, and they made fifty loops on the edge of the end cloth of the other set, the loops being opposite one another. And they made fifty gold clasps and coupled the units to one another with the clasps, so that the tabernacle became one whole. They made cloths of goats’ hair for a tent over the tabernacle; they made the cloths eleven in number. The length of each cloth was thirty cubits, and the width of each cloth was four cubits, the eleven cloths having the same measurements. They joined five of the cloths by themselves, and the other six cloths by themselves. They made fifty loops on the edge of the outermost cloth of the one set, and they made fifty loops on the edge of the end cloth of the other set. They made fifty copper clasps to couple the tent together so that it might become one whole. And they made a covering of tanned ram skins for the tent, and a covering of dolphin skins above. They made the planks for the Tabernacle of acacia wood, upright. The length of each plank was ten cubits, the width of each plank a cubit and a half. Each plank had two tenons, parallel to each other; they did the same with all the planks of the Tabernacle. Of the planks of the Tabernacle, they made twenty planks for the south side, making forty silver sockets under the twenty planks, two sockets under one plank for its two tenons and two sockets under each following plank for its two tenons; and for the other side wall of the Tabernacle, the north side, twenty planks, with their forty silver sockets, two sockets under one plank and two sockets under each following plank. And for the rear of the Tabernacle, to the west, they made six planks; and they made two planks for the corners of the Tabernacle at the rear. They matched at the bottom, but terminated as one at the top into one ring; they did so with both of them at the two corners. Thus there were eight planks with their sockets of silver: sixteen sockets, two under each plank. They made bars of acacia wood, five for the planks of the one side wall of the Tabernacle, five bars for the planks of the other side wall of the Tabernacle, and five bars for the planks of the wall of the Tabernacle at the rear, to the west; they made the center bar to run, halfway up the planks, from end to end. They overlaid the planks with gold, and made their rings of gold, as holders for the bars; and they overlaid the bars with gold. They made the curtain of blue, purple, and crimson yarns, and fine twisted linen, working into it a design of cherubim. They made for it four posts of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold, with their hooks of gold; and they cast for them four silver sockets. They made the screen for the entrance of the Tent, of blue, purple, and crimson yarns, and fine twisted linen, done in embroidery; and five posts for it with their hooks. They overlaid their tops and their bands with gold; but the five sockets were of copper.

Exodus 36:1-20 records a remarkable moment: the artisans building the tabernacle had to ask Moses to tell the people to stop bringing their freewill offerings, because there was already more than enough. This overflow did not come from pressure or guilt; it came from hearts moved by faith and aligned with trust in God's presence among them.