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| Volume 1:C | Kérugma®
Bulletin A Newsletter to the Conquerors in Christ |
SEPTEMBER 1999 |
|---|
| 'And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, "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 ... And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them" ' (Ex. 25:1-2,8). |
- Ignatius A le Roux
Since the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on that special day of Pentecost, God's dwelling place here on earth has been the hearts of his children. Deep in each believer's heart, yes, deep down in each one's spirit, He lives and works through his Holy Spirit. Through their lives He makes Himself known to the world. This, however, was not always the case. Before Pentecost when the Lord Jesus poured out the Holy Spirit, the Lord used his people, the Israelites, to reveal Himself to the world. That was his purpose for living amongst his people. First in the tabernacle and later in the temple He lived in the midst of his nation. Both the tabernacle and the temple first had to be built before God could descend to occupy it (Ex. 40:33-34; 2 Chron. 5:14;7:1-3). For the construction and building thereof, He gave specific instructions.
It is interesting to note that part of these instructions in fact dealt with the specific manner laid down by the Lord for the financing of these projects. The same ruling applied to both the construction of the tabernacle (Ex. 25:2, 35:5) as the building of the temple (1 Chron. 29:1-9). It was this: each member of Israel whose heart was moved by the Lord to do this, had to bring a freewill offering.
We have mentioned to you before, that Lord willing, we would like to produce various videos about the tabernacle, each of the five offerings Israel had to bring (Lev. 1-7 ), as well as the Great Day of Atonement (Lev. 16). Naturally a great amount of research and preparation has to be done before a project such as this can be launched. While we are working on some other projects, we are also researching more about the tabernacle and everything accompanying it.
The story surrounding the bringing of the freewill offerings and the construction of the tabernacle is so inspiring that we would like to share it with you. The whole principle that unfolds from Scripture regarding that which lives in God's heart about the giving of freewill offerings is so comprehensive that we decided to use this edition of the Bulletin for it, as well as some forthcoming editions. We trust that the truth locked inside will be of great blessing to you. Much more than the mere financing of the tabernacle and temple was achieved by the giving of freewill offerings. It was an integral part of Israel's worship of the Lord.
THE THREE GREAT FEASTS
During their journey through the wilderness, the Lord instructed Israel to celebrate three great feasts once they have taken possession of the promised land.
| "Three times in a year all your males shall appear before the Lord, your God ... at the Feast of Unleavened Bread (the Passover) and at the Feast of Weeks (the Pentecost) and at the Feast of Booths (Tabernacles), and they shall not appear before the LORD empty-handed. Every man shall give as he is able according to the blessing of the LORD your GOD which He has given you." (Deut. 16:16,17) |
Each of these three festivals had its own unique meaning. The Lord gave clear instructions for celebrating it as well as for that which each family had to take to the various feasts. There were specific offerings that had to be brought (e.g. Lev 23 and Deut. 16:1-17).
There was, however, one specific item that each family had to take to each of the feasts. That was their freewill offering. It is interesting that it is also taught in the New Testament that it should be normal for every Christian to regularly give such a freewill offering. It is an important matter, though many of the Lord's children do not know about it. This ignorance is due to the fact that where this teaching of freewill offerings occur in the New Testament, it is easily misunderstood. So it can happen that a person who has no knowledge about what is taught in the Old Testament concerning this matter, will interpret the information concerning it in the New Testament in a totally different light. There are many concepts in the New Testament that have their origin in the Old Testament. These concepts can only be understood correctly when they are read in the light of the Old Testament. Thus there are concepts in the New Testament which at first glance, look as if they point towards the giving of tithes. When it is understood this way, it sounds as if the Lord has changed the giving thereof to something that one can now give "as he has purposed in his heart", or that he only needs to give that which he can give "cheerfully" (see e.g. 2 Cor. 9:7). Sections in the New Testament that are full of Old Testament concepts regarding the freewill offerings include for example Philippians 4:10-20, 1 Corinthians 9:6-14,16:1-4 and 2 Corinth-ians 8 and 9. When the Old Testament meaning of these concepts are taken into account, it is clear that these sections in the New Testament in fact deal with the giving of freewill offerings. The following comparison shows some of these similarities:
| OLD TESTAMENT | NEW TESTAMENT | * Every man...according to the blessing of the LORD (Deut. 16:17). * from every man whose heart moves him (Ex. 25:2). * Take from among you a contribution ...every man who had in his possession ...brought them (Ex.35:5,23). * Then the people rejoiced...for they made their offering to the LORD with a whole heart (1 Chron. 29:9). | * Each one of you...as he may prosper (1 Cor. 16:2). * Let each one do just as he has purposed in his heart (2 Cor. 9:7). * ...it is acceptable according to what a man has, not according to what he does not have (2 Cor. 8:12). * God loves a cheerful giver (2 Cor. 9:7). |
The Old Testament texts in this diagram are all taken from sections that specifically deal with freewill offerings. From looking at only these few portions it is evident that the freewill offering is something that plays an important role in the Scriptures. In the same way it should form an integral part in the life of every believer. The correct understanding of the freewill offerings normally causes abundant fruit in our lives.
It is such a wonderful part of God's decree for the world that the study thereof takes one on a great voyage of discovery through the Bible. The putting into practice thereof in our lives can become a great adventure - something so glorious that it can fill our lives with new meaning. Yes, it is God's plan for reaching the world through his children.
To summarise, it has to do with the instruction that the Lord gave his people not to appear before Him empty-handed when they went to the festivals. When Deut. 16:16 states that "they shall not appear before the Lord empty-handed " it is not to be understood as a law that forces people in any way. Rather, it is said as an inspiration to God's children in His Word. It is meant as an encouragement to spontaneously show their thankfulness for His blessing in their lives. They furthermore do this because of their longing for Him to give eternal life to others as well. For us living at this time, it is something each one has to spontaneously and whole-heartedly obey. In doing this, the church of the Lord Jesus would truly be a church in order that the world would hear and believe the good news of the gospel. An interesting phenomenon is that there are children of the Lord who sometimes give freewill offerings without knowing what the Bible teaches in this regard. Spontaneously it comes forth as fruit of the new nature they received at their rebirth. By the Holy Spirit they are driven to do this.
To properly understand the freewill offering and comprehend what role it played in the life of the Israelite, it is necessary to know to which three festivals they had to take it. It is also necessary to understand what tithing and the giving of other offerings meant to Israel. In Deuteronomy 16 the three feasts are fully described and it is spelt out what had to be done at the festivals.
The passover was the first great feast of the year. It was also known as the Feast of unleavened bread (Deut. 16:16). The reason for this was that Israel had to eat unleavened bread for seven days after the passover. Each family had to take a lamb to the festival which they had to slaughter and eat the night they celebrated their exodus from Egypt. Together with that they had to eat unleavened bread. Their flight in the night from Egypt happened so quickly that there was no time to leaven their dough for bread (Ex. 12:34,39). Therefore Deuteronomy 16:3 speaks of the "bread of affliction". They had to eat it every year during this feast:
| "For you came out of the land of Egypt in haste, in order that you may remember all the days of your life the day when you came out of the land of Egypt. " |
The Lord, however, ordained even before their flight from Egypt, that they were to eat unleavened bread at this time (Ex. 12:8,15). Although practically it is so that it helped them to prepare the bread quickly with unleavened dough, it also had a spiritual implication.
Leaven or yeast points to the old life in Egypt. They have parted with that enjoyment of the sinful world; the flesh. Never again were they to long back to the world and its pleasures. The seventh day after the Passover, the last of the unleavened bread, especially had to be a "solemn assembly to the Lord, your God". One specifically marks your salvation from Egypt, the world - and one rejoices. To this festival at the beginning of the year, the Israelite had to take his freewill offering.
Pentecost or the "Feast of Weeks" was the second great feast of the year. In Acts 2:1-2 we read the account of how the Holy Spirit was poured out specifically on the day of the year when this festival was celebrated:
| "And when the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent, rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting." |
This festival is also called the Feast of the Harvest (Ex. 23:16). The reason for this is that they had to celebrate Pentecost exactly fifty days after the Passover. To correctly understand Pentecost, it is necessary to be aware of something special Israel did every year as preparation at the time of the Passover for the coming Pentecost. With their departure to Jerusalem for passover they had to put the sickle to the young wheat in the field for the first time that year. One sheaf had to be harvested and taken along to the festival. On the day after the passover - it being the first day of the week, the Sunday - they had to give this sheaf of the first fruit of their harvest to the priest (Lev. 23:10-11).
He had to take it and wave it before the Lord for those who brought it to be "accepted". In this manner they dedicated the rest of their harvest to the Lord. After the Passover they had the following seven weeks (49 days) to harvest.
On the fiftieth day after the Passover the feast of Pentecost was celebrated at Jerusalem (Lev. 23:15 -16). It was one great thanksgiving feast to praise the Lord for the harvest. It is called the Day of Pentecost because the word Pentecost stems from the word fiftieth. This fiftieth day after the Passover was a Sunday, the first day of the week.
The Israelites especially should not have gone to Pentecost empty-handed. Although they had to take freewill offerings to each of the three feasts, it is noticed that where the festivals are described in Deuteronomy 16, mention is made specifically about it referring to Pentecost (Deut. 16:10).
The feast of Booths; Tabernacles or the feast of ingathering (Ex. 23:16) was the third largest festival of the year. It was the feast "at the end of the year when you gather in the fruit of your labours from the field". As Pentecost was celebrated after the harvesting of the wheat, the Feast of Booths followed the harvesting of the vines. During this feast each family had to set up camp in a tent or booth outside Jerusalem for seven days. They had to do this in remembrance that the Lord led them out of Egypt. At their departure and during their journey through the wilderness they lived in tents (Lev. 23:42-43).
This third festival of the year is also called the "feast of the Lord" because it is the Lord who brought them out by His grace. It is He who made them stay in the tents. For their fruit and vine harvest they had to thank Him. They humble themselves once again by identifying themselves as the nation who used to live in tents. They are thankful to Him in the first instance not for the harvest, but that He has recorded their names in the book He has written. (Ex. 32:32-33, see also Luke 10:20)
To this feast also they were not to go empty-handed.
The three great feasts which the whole of Israel had to celebrate every year in Jerusalem were thus the Passover, Pentecost and the Festival of the Booths. To all of these feasts they had to go and they were not to appear before the Lord empty-handed. These festivals were prescribed by the Lord in order to be thanksgiving feasts. In all three instances it had to do with thankfulness for the Lord's gracious deliverance out of Egypt. It is He who saved them out of the slavery of iniquity. He brought them out. He also led them through the wilderness. He was the One who looked after them throughout their wilderness journey in spite of their sin, rebellion and disobedience. And now He blesses them with everything in the promised land. Therefore when they went to the feasts, they filled their hands with much more than He prescribed in the Law out of thankfulness to Him. Apart from the tithe of their harvest that they took to Him according to His command, they were also thankful to Him who chose them out of all nations, and languages of the world to be His people. They were excited about His care and blessings upon their work, but especially because of the privilege to be part of the people through whom He would reveal Himself to the world. Thus they overflowed with gladness because they were able to know Him, but also because of the privilege that they could be part of his plan to reach the world.
Therefore as they went to the festivals, they took His tithe of their harvest to Him out of thankfulness to Him. They additionally wanted to give Him something of their own accord-a freewill offering. The question now arises: What is a freewill offering? In Deuteronomy 16:10,16,17 we find the answer. According to verse 17 everyone had to give:
| "... according to the blessing of the Lord your God which He has given you." |
The criterion for this was their prosperity. It was not something that they scraped off somewhere. It was something that they gave spontaneously and with pleasure, not out of their shortage, but of that which the Lord had blessed them with.
When Israel took possession of the promised land, each family received a piece of land. With these festivals, everyone had to bring a freewill offering according to the blessing the Lord gave their harvest.
Those who did not possess land and therefore had no prosperity could not bring such an offering. There were for example the slaves, the Levites, the non-Jews or gentiles, the orphans and the widows who could not easily bring such offerings. No, but they could partake of the offerings as it was distributed to them. The freewill offering is not something that someone gives who really has nothing to give (2 Cor. 8:12). Even if they really wanted to give, they were under no obligation. After all these wonderful truths a tragedy occurs at the end of the Old Testament. The Lord strongly admonishes his people as they, as He sees it, "robbed" Him. They robbed Him by not having brought their "tithes and offerings" (Mal. 3:8). The offerings spoken of here are the freewill offerings. It would have been an offer as it belonged to them and they could have spent it on themselves, but now they sacrificed it to give that there might be plenty in his Kingdom. Just think of the special blessings that the Lord promised to Israel in Malachi 3. If only they would give Him their tithes. How much more would He not want to bless them if they would additionally, whole-heartedly give Him their freewill offerings?
How does one know when and how to give a freewill offering? We find the answer to this in the Old Testament account of the building of the tabernacle. By looking at the manner in which each one contributed to it, we can learn how much and what we should give. In addition to this, this portion teaches us about how a new project like the construction of a building or equipment needed for the work of the Lord, should be financed.
The heading for Exodus 25 is Offerings for the Sanctuary. In verses 1-9 that which is needed for the construction of the tabernacle is described, but also how each one would know if he had to contribute some of these items:
| "And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, "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. And this is the offering which ye shall take of them; gold, and silver, and brass, and blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and goats' hair, and rams' skins dyed red, and badgers' skins, and shittim wood, oil for the light, spices for anointing oil, and for sweet incense, onyx stones, and stones to be set in the ephod, and in the breastplate. and let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them. 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". " |
From that which is mentioned here, it is evident that the Israelites "robbed" the Egyptians pretty well on the night of their departure (Ex. 12:35-36). They carried this silver, gold and clothes that they requested from the Egyptians with them all the time. No wonder they moaned and groaned all the way.
And now the Lord instructs Moses to command the people to give of these items for the construction of the tabernacle. We read about it in Exodus 35:4-5.
| "And Moses spake unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying, This is the thing which the LORD commanded, saying, 5 Take ye from among you an offering unto the LORD: whosoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it, an offering of the LORD; gold, and silver, and brass ... " |
Moses then quotes everything the Lord commanded them to bring. The reaction to this is recorded in verses 20-22,29:
| "And all the congregation of the children of Israel departed from the presence of Moses. And they came, every one whose heart stirred him up, and every one whom his spirit made willing, and they brought the LORD'S offering to the work of the tabernacle of the congregation, and for all his service, and for the holy garments. And they came, both men and women, as many as were willing hearted, and brought bracelets, and earrings, and rings, and tablets, all jewels of gold: and every man that offered offered an offering of gold unto the LORD ... The children of Israel brought a willing offering unto the LORD, every man and woman, whose heart made them willing to bring for all manner of work, which the LORD had commanded to be made by the hand of Moses." |
In this manner they continued until a halt was called:
| "And all the wise men, that wrought all the work of the sanctuary ... spake unto Moses, saying, "The people bring much more than enough for the service of the work, which the LORD commanded to make". And Moses gave commandment, and they caused it to be proclaimed throughout the camp, saying, "Let neither man nor woman make any more work for the offering of the sanctuary". So the people were restrained from bringing. For the stuff they had was sufficient for all the work to make it, and too much (Ex. 36:4-7)." |
Is it not a wonderful account? A similar story is told in 1 Chronicles 29 where David calls for the building of the temple. Please read it for yourself.
Have you not experienced that after you have given your part to the Lord during the month, a thought came to send a certain amount to a specific organisation or person? Maybe you thought about it and spoke to the Lord concerning it. Eventually you sent it to the people and just knew that it was the right thing to do. You gave it additionally to your normal tithe, but just had peace about it and gave it willingly and happily.
It can for instance happen that you invite someone to church and while you recommend a certain book at the table to this person, you know that you have to give it to him and pay for it yourself. Or you realize that a friend of yours needs a specific cassette or a series of sermons and you give it to him. So it can happen that a person who does not even know that the Bible teaches it, will give a freewill offering.
Do you know this? Has the Lord spoken to you in this manner? Does He direct you in this way? I believe that He does it in the lives of his children, but we have to ask ourselves if we always listen when He speaks to us in this way. Maybe we do not listen because we do not know what the Bible, and especially the New Testament, teaches about the giving of freewill offerings.
Maybe, while you were reading this, you remembered that you were disobedient once when the Lord wanted to lead you to bring such an offer. If this is the case, confess it to the Lord and ask Him to teach you what He says in his Word concerning it. Ask Him, also, to henceforth lead you clearly in connection with the giving of freewill offerings. Where Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 8 precisely about freewill offerings, he mentions in verse 9 how the Lord Jesus gave Himself as an offering in our stead:
| "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for our sake He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich. " |
It is He who works this attitude today in every child of God by His Spirit; this attitude of self-denial of the Lord Jesus (see Phil. 2:5-8).
When you hear of other children of the Lord who are suffering or going through difficulties, or of mission work that has to be done or some project that has been undertaken or of something that has to be bought for the work of the Lord and you become aware deep in your heart that you want to give towards it, then it is possible that God the Holy Spirit is revealing this attitude of the Lord Jesus Christ in you. Test it to see if it is the Lord's will by speaking to him about it. Maybe a certain amount comes to your mind. Pray and ask the Lord to cleanse you with his blood. His blood has the power to blot out that which is not of Him. His blood cleanses us from that which is of the flesh or of Satan. His blood, however, will never take away that which the Holy Spirit communicates to you. When you pray like this, you might experience that the thought to give that amount vanishes. It might also happen that the amount keeps coming to the fore. When you speak to the Lord in this manner, and the idea repeats itself again later, then take it as His confirmation to you. Go then and do that which He tells you to do. Do it in full surrender, and give with the expectation that his blessing will rest upon it. Give it cheerfully.
You see, it is not only those who have been called by God to full time service who give themselves wholly to the Lord. The Lord longs for the whole life of every child of His with everything he owns and everything he does. Let us be obedient in everything He gives us to do. In both the tabernacle and the temple God moved in when it was finished according to His plan. According to His promise in Ezekiel 36:26-27 He now lives in the hearts of everyone who belongs to him. These are hearts of people who are not perfect, but are washed completely in the blood of His Son. By His sacrifice on the cross, He bought us as property belonging to our Father. Let us then surrender ourselves to live only according to his plan and will. Let us be obedient to him in everything.
To be continued Tip: We trust that this article will be of great blessing to you. A lot more concerning this topic can be found in the Word of the Lord. If it pleases Him, we will look at it in the forthcoming editions of the Bulletin. Maybe you will benefit more if you read this article, but this time by reading simultaneously every text or part referred to in your Bible.
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