The Divine Economy of Abundance Text: Exodus 36:1-7
Introduction: Scarcity vs. Superfluity
We live in a world that is governed by the iron law of scarcity. The central problem of modern economics, we are told, is how to allocate limited resources to meet unlimited wants. This assumption is the engine of all our striving, our anxieties, our marketing, and our politics. It creates a world of zero-sum games, where your gain must be my loss. It is the lie that whispers from the heart of our fallen, grasping culture: "there is not enough." There is not enough time, not enough money, not enough status, not enough oil, not enough anything. And so we must worry, and hoard, and tax, and regulate, and fight.
But the kingdom of God operates on a completely different economic principle. It is not an economy of scarcity, but an economy of glorious, overflowing, superfluous abundance. Our God is not a God of "just enough," but a God of "more than enough." He is the God whose first miracle was turning water into far too much of the best wine at a wedding. He is the God who feeds five thousand with a few loaves and fish, and ends up with more in leftovers than He started with. He is the God who says, "Bring the full tithe into the storehouse... and thereby put me to the test... if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need" (Malachi 3:10). The world says, "Clench your fist." God says, "Open your hand."
This passage in Exodus is a stunning, practical demonstration of this divine economy. It is a direct polemic against the scarcity mindset of Egypt, from which Israel had just been delivered. In Egypt, building projects were accomplished through the whip, through slave labor, through coerced extraction. Pharaoh built his monuments by grinding the people down. But when God decides to build His house, His tent of meeting, He does it with a completely opposite set of principles. The materials are not seized; they are given freely. The labor is not compelled; it is offered willingly. And the supply is not scarce; it is so abundant that it has to be stopped. This is not just a quaint story about building a tent. This is a foundational lesson in how the Kingdom of God is built in every generation. It is built by God's gifts, through God's people, in God's glorious, unrestrained abundance.
The Text
Now Bezalel and Oholiab and every person wise at heart, to whom Yahweh has given wisdom and discernment to know how to do all the work of the service of constructing the sanctuary, shall do in accordance with all that Yahweh has commanded. Then Moses called Bezalel and Oholiab and every person wise at heart to whom Yahweh had given wisdom, everyone whose heart stirred him, to come to the work to do it. And they received from Moses the entire contribution which the sons of Israel had brought to do the work in the service of the sanctuary. And they still continued bringing to him freewill offerings every morning. And all the wise men who were doing all the work of the sanctuary came, each from the work which he was doing, and they said to Moses, "The people are bringing much more than enough for the service of the work which Yahweh commanded us to do." So Moses commanded and a proclamation was passed throughout the camp, saying, "Let no man or woman any longer do the work for the contributions of the sanctuary." Thus the people were restrained from bringing any more. Indeed, the material they had was sufficient and more than enough for all the work, to do it.
(Exodus 36:1-7 LSB)
God's Gifts for God's Work (v. 1-2)
We begin with the divine provision of skilled labor.
"Now Bezalel and Oholiab and every person wise at heart, to whom Yahweh has given wisdom and discernment to know how to do all the work... shall do in accordance with all that Yahweh has commanded." (Exodus 36:1)
Notice the origin of all skill. It is not native talent. It is not the result of a superior vo-tech program in the wilderness. It is a direct gift from Yahweh. "To whom Yahweh has given wisdom and discernment." In our secular age, we think of skill as a purely horizontal phenomenon. A man is a good carpenter because he learned from his father, or because he has a natural knack for it. The Bible's view is profoundly different. All skill, all wisdom, all ability to bring order and beauty out of raw material is a gift from the Creator God. This is true for the unbeliever as much as the believer, for God sends rain on the just and the unjust. But here, the gift is explicitly covenantal. God is equipping His people for His project.
The phrase "wise at heart" is key. This is not abstract, theoretical knowledge. The heart, in Hebrew thought, is the center of the will, the intellect, the entire inner person. A "wise heart" means having the practical, embodied skill to take God's commands and work them out in wood, and metal, and fabric. It is theological wisdom made tangible. These men were not just craftsmen; they were theologians whose medium was gold and acacia wood. Their work was an act of worship, a translation of divine truth into physical beauty. And their work was constrained by revelation: they were to do all "in accordance with all that Yahweh has commanded." True creativity in the kingdom does not mean making it up as you go along. It means working skillfully within the glorious boundaries that God has set.
Then Moses acts on this divine provision.
"Then Moses called Bezalel and Oholiab and every person wise at heart to whom Yahweh had given wisdom, everyone whose heart stirred him, to come to the work to do it." (Exodus 36:2)
Here we see the beautiful interplay of divine sovereignty and human responsibility. God gives the wisdom, but Moses calls the workers. And notice the qualification for answering the call: "everyone whose heart stirred him." God's sovereign gifting is met by a willing, stirred human heart. This is not the grudging compliance of a slave. This is the eager desire of a son who wants to build his father's house. The Holy Spirit does not just gift us with abilities; He gifts us with the desire to use those abilities for His glory. He stirs the heart. When you feel that inner compulsion, that holy desire to serve, to build, to create for the kingdom, that is not just your personality. That is the Spirit of God hovering over your heart, just as He hovered over the waters of creation, preparing to bring forth life and order.
An Avalanche of Generosity (v. 3-5)
What follows is one of the most remarkable capital campaigns in history.
"And they received from Moses the entire contribution... And they still continued bringing to him freewill offerings every morning." (Exodus 36:3)
The people had already brought a massive contribution. But their hearts were so stirred that they couldn't stop. They kept showing up, morning after morning, with more. This is what happens when a people truly grasp grace. Just a few chapters earlier, these same people were melting down their gold to make a calf to worship. Their hearts were stirred to idolatry. But now, having been brought through that sin, having been shown mercy, their hearts are stirred in the opposite direction. They are now melting down their gold for the glory of Yahweh. True repentance doesn't just stop sinning; it redirects the passions that drove the sin toward righteous ends.
This torrent of generosity creates a problem that most church finance committees can only dream of.
"And all the wise men who were doing all the work of the sanctuary came... and they said to Moses, 'The people are bringing much more than enough...'" (Exodus 36:4-5)
The workers, the men on the ground, have to stop their work to go and report that the supply chain is overwhelmed. The givers are out-pacing the builders. This is the polar opposite of how the world works. In the world, the cry is always for more. The budget is always tight. The needs always outstrip the resources. But in God's economy, when the hearts of the people are stirred by grace, the resources outstrip the needs. This is a picture of the postmillennial hope. The gospel will so triumph in the world that the generosity and fruitfulness of God's people will create a glorious surplus for the work of the kingdom.
Restrained from Giving (v. 6-7)
Moses' response is as remarkable as the people's giving.
"So Moses commanded... 'Let no man or woman any longer do the work for the contributions of the sanctuary.' Thus the people were restrained from bringing any more." (Exodus 36:6)
Can you imagine this? A leader having to issue a command to stop the offerings. A people having to be "restrained" from their own generosity. This is not done through guilt or manipulation. There are no fundraising thermometers in the camp, no tear-jerking appeals. There is simply a clear declaration of God's command, a willing response from a redeemed people, and a resulting super-abundance. Moses doesn't see this surplus as an opportunity to build a bigger, better tabernacle than God commanded, or to put the rest in an endowment fund for future projects. The goal is obedience to God's plan, not the endless accumulation of resources. When the need is met, the giving is complete. There is a holy satisfaction in "enough."
The final verse is the glorious summary of this divine economic principle.
"Indeed, the material they had was sufficient and more than enough for all the work, to do it." (Exodus 36:7)
Sufficient and more than enough. This is the signature of our God. He does not give grudgingly. He is not the celestial minimalist. He is the lavish, extravagant, open-handed Father. This is the God who prepared a table for David in the presence of his enemies, causing his cup to run over (Psalm 23:5). This is the God who promises that if we seek first His kingdom, all these other things will be added to us (Matthew 6:33). This is not a promise of personal wealth, but a promise of covenantal provision. For the work He commands, He will provide the resources in glorious abundance, and He will do it through the stirred hearts of His people.
Building the True Temple
This entire episode is a magnificent type, a shadow of a greater reality. The Tabernacle was the place where God would dwell with man. It was a picture of Christ, who "tabernacled among us" (John 1:14). But now, in the new covenant, the dwelling place of God is not a tent made with hands, but the Church, the people of God (1 Corinthians 3:16).
And how is this true temple being built? It is being built in exactly the same way. God the Father, through the Holy Spirit, gives gifts to His people. "To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good" (1 Corinthians 12:7). He gives wisdom, knowledge, faith, teaching, administration, mercy. He makes some men Bezalels and others Oholiabs. He gifts us not just with spiritual abilities, but with practical skills, financial resources, and creative talents.
And then, the Spirit stirs the heart. We, who were once rebels making golden calves of our own lusts and ambitions, are redeemed by grace. Our hearts, having been forgiven much, now love much. And that love stirs us to bring our gifts, our time, our resources, our very selves, as a freewill offering to the work. We come to the work, not because we are coerced by law, but because we are compelled by love.
And what is the result? The Church is built up. And as the gospel goes forth, we will see this principle of abundance again and again. The world, with its scarcity mindset, looks at the task of discipling the nations and says it is impossible. The resources are too few, the opposition too great. But God loves to work with impossible odds. He is building His church, and the gates of Hell will not prevail against it. He will stir the hearts of His people, and they will bring their offerings, and there will be more than enough to do the work. The knowledge of the glory of the Lord will cover the earth as the waters cover the sea. This is not because we are so great, but because our God is a God of glorious, overflowing, superfluous abundance, and He loves to build His house.