There are some important parallels between the events leading to the building of Moses’ tabernacle on the one hand and Solomon’s temple on the other. As with Moses in the case of the tabernacle, David received the plans for the new temple directly from God (28:12ff). These he passed on to Solomon. Moses built the tabernacle from the offerings that the people brought of their own volition (Exodus 35:4-9). As it was with the tabernacle so now again the temple would be built from the voluntary offerings of the people (29:6). There is an important message here for how God wants to build his new temple, the church. God gives the plans, but we must give the resources to fulfil the plans. And the resources we give are simply those that God first gives to us (as David acknowledges in 29:16). The resources we must give are not just financial resources, though this is part of it. We ourselves are to be the materials from which the church is built. As Paul says: “And in [Christ] you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.” A church does not consist in a few professional ministers. We are all the building blocks of the church. A church is made up of a variety of people with a variety of gifts and capacity who all nevertheless offer something of those gifts and capacities to build up God’s church. God is asking you what you are prepared to offer for the building of his temple.
Reflect on what abilities and resources you can offer to God.
Read 1 Chronicles 28 and 29
