Sanctuary
Tithes and Offerings
The Lord requires that we return to Him in tithes and offerings a portion of the goods He has lent us. He accepts these offerings as an act of humble obedience on our part and a grateful acknowledgment of our indebtedness to Him for all the blessings we enjoy. Then let us offer willingly, saying with David: “All things come of Thee, and of Thine own have we given Thee.” Withholding more than is meet tends to poverty. God will bear long with some, He will test and prove all; but His curse will surely follow the selfish, world-loving professor of truth. God knows the heart; every thought and every purpose is open to His eye. He says: “Them that honor Me I will honor, and they that despise Me shall be lightly esteemed.” He knows whom to bless and who are deserving of His curse. He makes no mistakes, for angels are keeping a record of all our works and words.
When the people of God were about to build the sanctuary in the wilderness, extensive preparations were necessary. Costly materials were collected, and among them was much gold and silver. As the rightful owner of all their treasures, the Lord called for these offerings from the people; but He accepted only those that were given freely. The people offered willingly, until word was brought to Moses: “The people bring much more than enough for the service of the work, which the Lord commanded to make.” And the proclamation was made to all the congregation: “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.”
Had some men of limited ideas been on the ground they would have opened their eyes in horror. Like Judas they would have asked: “To what purpose is this waste?” “Why not make everything in the cheapest manner?” But the sanctuary was not designed to honor man, but the God of heaven. He had given specific directions how everything was to be done. The people were to be taught that He was a being of greatness and majesty, and that He was to be worshiped with reverence and awe.
The house where God is worshiped should be in accordance with His character and majesty. There are small churches that ever will be small because they place their own interests above the interests of God’s cause. While they have large, convenient houses for themselves,
5T 267-268
“In character-building it is of the greatest importance that we dig deep, removing all the rubbish, and building on the immovable, solid Rock, Christ Jesus. The foundation firmly laid, we need wisdom to know how to build. When Moses was about to erect the sanctuary in the wilderness, he was cautioned, “See ... that thou make all things according to the pattern showed to thee in the mount.” In his law God has given us a pattern, and it is after this pattern that we are to build. The law is the great standard of righteousness. It represents the character of God, and is the test of our loyalty to his government.”
YI February 19, 1903,
