Exodus 25:2 Study Bible: "Speak to the children of Israel, that they take an offering for me. From everyone whose heart makes him willing you shall take my offering.

◄ Exodus 25:2 ►

"Tell the Israelites to bring Me an offering. You are to receive My offering from every man whose heart compels him.

Tell the Israelites
This phrase initiates a direct command from God to Moses, emphasizing the importance of communication between God and His chosen people. The Hebrew word for "tell" is "דַּבֵּר" (daber), which implies not just speaking, but conveying a message with authority and purpose. This highlights the role of Moses as a mediator between God and the Israelites, a theme that runs throughout the book of Exodus. Historically, this reflects the covenant relationship where God communicates His will to His people through appointed leaders.

to bring Me an offering
The Hebrew word for "offering" is "תְּרוּמָה" (terumah), which means a contribution or a gift set apart for a sacred purpose. This offering is not just a material contribution but a spiritual act of worship and obedience. The Israelites are called to participate in the construction of the Tabernacle, a dwelling place for God among them. This reflects the principle that worship involves giving back to God from what He has provided, acknowledging His sovereignty and provision.

From every man whose heart compels him
The phrase "whose heart compels him" is significant, as it indicates that the offering is to be voluntary, stemming from a willing heart. The Hebrew word "יְדִבֶּנּוּ" (yedibennu) suggests a spontaneous and generous act, driven by inner conviction rather than external compulsion. This highlights the importance of sincerity and willingness in worship, as God values the heart's intention over the mere act of giving. It underscores the biblical principle that God loves a cheerful giver (2 Corinthians 9:7).

you are to accept My offering
The directive "you are to accept" indicates that Moses and the leaders are to receive these offerings on behalf of God. The Hebrew root "לָקַח" (laqach) means to take or receive, suggesting a careful and respectful handling of what is given to God. The phrase "My offering" emphasizes that the contributions, though given by the people, ultimately belong to God. This reflects the understanding that all resources are God's provision, and giving is an act of stewardship and acknowledgment of His ownership.

Persons / Places / Events

1. The Israelites
The chosen people of God, descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who were delivered from slavery in Egypt and are now in the wilderness.

2. Moses
The leader of the Israelites, chosen by God to deliver His people from Egypt and to receive His laws and instructions, including the building of the Tabernacle.

3. The Tabernacle
The portable sanctuary that God instructed the Israelites to build as a place of worship and His dwelling among them.

4. God (Yahweh)
The one true God who delivered the Israelites from Egypt and is now giving them instructions for worship and community life.

5. The Offering
A voluntary contribution from the Israelites, consisting of materials needed for the construction of the Tabernacle, given by those whose hearts are moved to give.

Teaching Points

Voluntary Giving
God desires offerings that come from a willing heart, not out of compulsion. This principle encourages believers to give freely and joyfully.

Heartfelt Worship
True worship involves the heart. Our offerings, whether time, talents, or resources, should be motivated by love and devotion to God.

Community Contribution
The building of the Tabernacle required the collective effort of the community. Similarly, the church today thrives when each member contributes according to their ability and willingness.

God's Dwelling Among Us
The Tabernacle was a symbol of God's presence with His people. Today, believers are called to be living temples, offering themselves to God.

Spiritual Generosity
The act of giving is not just about material offerings but also about being generous in spirit, reflecting God's generosity towards us.

Bible Study Questions

1. What does it mean for an offering to be given from a heart that compels? How can we cultivate such a heart in our own lives?

2. How does the principle of voluntary giving in Exodus 25:2 challenge our current attitudes towards tithing and offerings in the church?

3. In what ways can we contribute to the building of God's "Tabernacle" today, both physically and spiritually?

4. How does the concept of God dwelling among His people in the Tabernacle relate to the New Testament teaching of believers being the temple of the Holy Spirit?

5. Reflect on a time when you gave willingly and joyfully. What impact did it have on your relationship with God and others? How can this experience guide your future acts of giving?

Connections to Other Scriptures

2 Corinthians 9:7
This verse emphasizes the importance of giving willingly and cheerfully, echoing the principle found in Exodus 25:2 about offerings being given from the heart.

1 Chronicles 29:9
The joy of the people in giving willingly for the building of the Temple under King David reflects the same spirit of voluntary giving as in Exodus 25:2.

Mark 12:41-44
The account of the widow's offering highlights the value of giving from the heart, regardless of the amount, similar to the principle in Exodus 25:2.

Sermons

God Loveth a Cheerful Giver	G.A. Goodhart	Exodus 25:1, 2
The Materials for the Sanctuary	D. Young	Exodus 25:1-7
A Divine Plan for Building	Great Thoughts	Exodus 25:1-9
Badgers' Skins	W. Brown.	Exodus 25:1-9
Brass	W. Brown.	Exodus 25:1-9
Design and Use of the Ceremonial Law	E. W. Hengstenberg, D. D.	Exodus 25:1-9
Gifts of Materials for the Construction of the Tabernacle	W. Brown.	Exodus 25:1-9
Goats' Hair	W. Brown.	Exodus 25:1-9
God Dwelling with Men	A. Raleigh, D. D.	Exodus 25:1-9
Gold	W. Brown.	Exodus 25:1-9
Means of Interpretation	E. E. Atwater.	Exodus 25:1-9
Nature and Design of the Tabernacle	R. Newton, D. D.	Exodus 25:1-9
Offerings Accompanied with Devotion	S. S. Chronicle	Exodus 25:1-9
Rams' Skins	W. Brown.	Exodus 25:1-9
Silver	W. Brown.	Exodus 25:1-9
Symbolism of Colour	E. E. Atwater.	Exodus 25:1-9
Symbolism of Minerals	E. E. Atwater.	Exodus 25:1-9
The Basis of Symbolism	E. P. Humphrey, D. D.	Exodus 25:1-9
The Colours	E. F. Willis, M. A.	Exodus 25:1-9
The Divine Purpose in the Erection of a Tabernacle	J. Ridgeway, M. A.	Exodus 25:1-9
The Edifice of the Tabernacle	E. E. Atwater.	Exodus 25:1-9
The Holy Tent	T. Champness.	Exodus 25:1-9
The Oneness of the Tabernacle	H. Macmillan, D. D.	Exodus 25:1-9
The Pocket Converted		Exodus 25:1-9
The Rearing of the Lord's Sanctuary	J. Urquhart	Exodus 25:1-9
The Tabernacle	W. Roberts, M. A.	Exodus 25:1-9
The Tabernacle a Symbol of Holier Things	R. E. Sears.	Exodus 25:1-9
The Tabernacle a Tent	G. Rodgers.	Exodus 25:1-9
The Tabernacle and Priesthood	D. C. Hughes, M. A.	Exodus 25:1-9
The Tabernacle Entire	W. Mudge.	Exodus 25:1-9
The Tabernacle of the Testimony	W. Seaton.	Exodus 25:1-9
Typical Import of Materials	H. W. Soltau.	Exodus 25:1-9
The Command to Build a Sanctuary	J. Orr	Exodus 25:1-10

People

Israelites, Moses, Shoham

Places

Mount Sinai

Topics

Bring, Contribution, Giveth, Heart, Heave-offering, Impelleth, Impulse, Makes, Maketh, Moves, Offering, Prompteth, Prompts, Raise, Receive, Sons, Speak, Willing, Willingly

Dictionary of Bible Themes

Exodus 25:2

     4648   goad
     5014   heart, human
     5015   heart, and Holy Spirit
     8297   love, for God
     8436   giving, of possessions

Exodus 25:1-2

7402 offerings

Exodus 25:1-3

4363 silver

Exodus 25:1-7

4312 bronze
4492 olive

Exodus 25:1-9

8421 equipping, physical

Exodus 25:1-16

4528 trees

Library

The Bread of the Presence
'Thou shalt set upon the table shew-bread before Me alway.'--EXODUS xxv. 30. I suspect that to many readers the term 'shew-bread' conveys little more meaning than if the Hebrew words had been lifted over into our version. The original expression, literally rendered, is 'bread of the face'; or, as the Revised Version has it in the margin, 'presence bread,' and the meaning of that singular designation is paraphrased and explained in my text: 'Thou shalt set upon the table, bread of the presence before …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

The Golden Lampstand
'Thou shalt make a candlestick of pure gold....' --EXODUS xxv. 31. If we could have followed the Jewish priest as he passed in his daily ministrations into the Inner Court, we should have seen that he first piled the incense on the altar which stood in its centre, and then turned to trim the lamps of the golden candlestick which flanked it on one side. Of course it was not a candlestick, as our versions misleadingly render the word. That was an article of furniture unknown in those days. It was a …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Eighth Day. Holiness and Indwelling.
And let them make me a holy place, that I may dwell among them.'--Ex. xxv. 8. 'And the tent shall be sanctified by my glory, and I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will be their God.'--Ex. xxix. 43, 45. The Presence of God makes holy, even when it descends but for a little while, as at Horeb, in the burning bush. How much more must that Presence make holy the place where it dwells, where it fixes its permanent abode! So much is this the case, that the place where God dwells …
Andrew Murray—Holy in Christ

April the Thirteenth Pure Gold
"Thou shalt overlay it with pure gold.... And there I will meet with thee." --EXODUS xxv. 10-22. I must put my best into my preparations, and then the Lord will honour my work. My part is to be of "pure gold" if my God is to dwell within it. I must not satisfy myself with cheap flimsy and then assume that the Lord will be satisfied with it. He demands my very best as a condition of His enriching Presence. My prayers must be of "pure gold" if He is to meet me there. There must be nothing vulgar …
John Henry Jowett—My Daily Meditation for the Circling Year

Concerning Jonathan, one of the Sicarii, that Stirred up a Sedition in Cyrene, and was a False Accuser [Of the Innocent].
1. And now did the madness of the Sicarii, like a disease, reach as far as the cities of Cyrene; for one Jonathan, a vile person, and by trade a weaver, came thither and prevailed with no small number of the poorer sort to give ear to him; he also led them into the desert, upon promising them that he would show them signs and apparitions. And as for the other Jews of Cyrene, he concealed his knavery from them, and put tricks upon them; but those of the greatest dignity among them informed Catullus, …
Flavius Josephus—The Wars of the Jews or History of the Destruction of Jerusalem

How Intent the Ruler Ought to be on Meditations in the Sacred Law.
But all this is duly executed by a ruler, if, inspired by the spirit of heavenly fear and love, he meditate daily on the precepts of Sacred Writ, that the words of Divine admonition may restore in him the power of solicitude and of provident circumspection with regard to the celestial life, which familiar intercourse with men continually destroys; and that one who is drawn to oldness of life by secular society may by the aspiration of compunction be ever renewed to love of the spiritual country. …
Leo the Great—Writings of Leo the Great

Solomon's Temple Spiritualized
or, Gospel Light Fetched out of the Temple at Jerusalem, to Let us More Easily into the Glory of New Testament Truths. 'Thou son of man, shew the house to the house of Isreal;--shew them the form of the house, and the fashion thereof, and the goings out hereof, and the comings in thereof, and all the forms thereof, and all the ordinances thereof, and all the forms thereof, and all the laws thereof.'--Ezekiel 43:10, 11 London: Printed for, and sold by George Larkin, at the Two Swans without Bishopgate, …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

The Work of the Holy Spirit in Prophets and Apostles.
The work of the Holy Spirit in apostles and prophets is an entirely distinctive work. He imparts to apostles and prophets an especial gift for an especial purpose. We read in 1 Cor. xii. 4, 8-11, 28, 29, R. V., "Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.... For to one is given through the Spirit wisdom; and to another the word of knowledge, according to the same Spirit; to another faith, in the same Spirit; and to another gifts of healings, in the one Spirit; and to another workings …
R. A. Torrey—The Person and Work of The Holy Spirit

The Kingdom Forming
Exodus Page Leviticus Page Deuteronomy Page EXODUS I. Pictorial Device. Originate one, or omit. II. III. IV. V. 1706 B.C. to 1490 B.C., making 216 years. VI. 1. 1 to 18. Israel Delivered. 2. 19 to 34. Israel Taught at Mount Sinai. 3. 35 to 40. Israel Prepared for Worship. VII. Chapter 20.2. VIII. God Delivering a Nation. IX. 12:13: "And when I see the blood I will pass over you." 15:11. X. 1. Bondage. 2. 3. Burning Bush. 7-11. 12. 14. Red Sea. 15. 16. Manna. 20. 25 and 35. The …
Frank Nelson Palmer—A Bird's-Eye View of the Bible

The Word
The third way to escape the wrath and curse of God, and obtain the benefit of redemption by Christ, is the diligent use of ordinances, in particular, the word, sacraments, and prayer.' I begin with the best of these ordinances. The word . . . which effectually worketh in you that believe.' 1 Thess 2:13. What is meant by the word's working effectually? The word of God is said to work effectually when it has the good effect upon us for which it was appointed by God; when it works powerful illumination …
Thomas Watson—The Ten Commandments

Man's Chief End
Q-I: WHAT IS THE CHIEF END OF MAN? A: Man's chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him for ever. Here are two ends of life specified. 1: The glorifying of God. 2: The enjoying of God. I. The glorifying of God, I Pet 4:4: That God in all things may be glorified.' The glory of God is a silver thread which must run through all our actions. I Cor 10:01. Whether therefore ye eat or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.' Everything works to some end in things natural and artificial; …
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity

An Advance Step in the Royal Programme
(Revelation, Chapters iv. and v.) "We are watching, we are waiting, For the bright prophetic day; When the shadows, weary shadows, From the world shall roll away. "We are watching, we are waiting, For the star that brings the day; When the night of sin shall vanish, And the shadows melt away. "We are watching, we are waiting, For the beauteous King of day; For the chiefest of ten thousand, For the Light, the Truth, the Way. "We are waiting for the morning, When the beauteous day is dawning, We are …
by S. D. Gordon—Quiet Talks on the Crowned Christ of Revelation

Exodus
The book of Exodus--so named in the Greek version from the march of Israel out of Egypt--opens upon a scene of oppression very different from the prosperity and triumph in which Genesis had closed. Israel is being cruelly crushed by the new dynasty which has arisen in Egypt (i.) and the story of the book is the story of her redemption. Ultimately it is Israel's God that is her redeemer, but He operates largely by human means; and the first step is the preparation of a deliverer, Moses, whose parentage, …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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