“On the day when Moses had finished setting up the tabernacle and had anointed and consecrated it with all its furnishings and had anointed and consecrated the altar with all its utensils, the chiefs of Israel, heads of their fathers’ houses who were the chiefs of the tribes, who were over those who were listed approached and brought their offerings before the Lord, six wagons and twelve oxen, a wagon for every two of the chiefs, and for each one an ox. They brought them before the tabernacle. Then the Lord said to Moses “Accept these from them, that they may be used in the service of the tent of meeting…” Numbers 7:1-5a
I may be reading this passage completely incorrectly, but as I read this, Moses wasn’t expecting these offerings. He wasn’t expecting these offerings for the tent of meeting, which means that he hadn’t commanded them. Not only did the tribes bring these of their own accord, or maybe of the prompting of the Lord, but then the Lord instructed Moses to accept their offerings and how to use them. We have seen the Israelites being generous before: “The people bring much more than enough for doing the work that the LORD has commanded us to do…” Exodus 36:5b. But this is the first time that the people have come up with and then executed a sacrifice of worship and service to the Lord without the prompting of Moses or any of the priests. And the Lord not only honors that sacrifice, but uses it to bless the Levites who are now set apart. They are not going to be able to take care of themselves the same way as the other tribes but they are at the mercy of the 12 tribes by partaking in the sacrifices that are given to God. This is a sacrifice of goods and God shares them with his Levites, giving them to them so that they may use them in his service, in the service of the Tabernacle.
My favorite part of the passage though is the fact that God takes what at face value is just a valuable gift, and makes use of it. He takes what we can give him, no matter what it is, and uses it for his purpose and for his glory. No gift is more elaborate than another, no gift is more useful than another. The Levites needed these goods in order to serve the Lord. A tithe in the church is just as important as a pastor. The gift of a vehicle, or the use of a building is just as important as an usher, greeter, or Sunday school teacher. God can use whatever we are willing to offer to him. It doesn’t have to be asked for, it doesn’t have to fit the need that the church thinks it has. God will use what we are willing to give. And sometimes we need to be willing to give more than we think God can use. I think sometimes we get stuck in the “one ministry, 10% tithe” world of our American churches. We think - oh, I’m a greeter - or I’m teaching the children - or I’m on the worship team - so I’m doing my part. And - I’m giving 10% of my income - so I’m doing my part. God wants us to be dedicated in our service and our giving. But he also wants us to be generous. Maybe this year you can afford to give more than 10% - then do so! Maybe this month you can afford to volunteer more than once, or in more than one area - do so! God will never let a sacrifice, of time, money, energy, etc go to waste. He will always use them to his purpose and advantage. Even if the leadership isn’t expecting them and doesn’t know what to do.
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