Beyond Christmas: Giving That Supersedes Season

This morning, the first day of 2019, I read the account of Moses and his two different 40-day stints on Mount Sinai.  The parallels AND the differences are mind-boggling.

Christians and Jews know that Moses was a man whom the scriptures tell us met with God, face to face.  More than once, he and the Lord of heaven communed together on the mountain. During the first extended visit of 40 days and 40 nights, Moses took Joshua with him.  God wrote the commandments, which he had previously given to Moses orally, with his own finger on tablets of stone.

When Moses and Joshua descended from the mountain this first time, they found Israel in chaos.  The waiting, the unknown, had taken its toll on the impatient, stiffnecked nation.  They’d been warned to not ascend the mountain (Ex. 19:23-25) upon penalty of death, so sending a search party was out of the question.  So, they did what generations of humans have done when God isn’t moving fast enough for their own purposes—they took matters into their own hands, and fashioned something that, for the moment, satisfied their desire to pin their spiritual focus SOMEwhere.  Forget about Moses telling them verbally (Exodus 20:4) that they weren’t to make any graven image.  He wasn’t there to repeat it, so they conveniently forgot what the prophet said when their own impatience got in the way.

Moses and Joshua came down the mountain to a horrifying sight:  the people of Israel in full-blown party mode.  They started with good intentions by the standards of most.  They started with sin offerings.  But the day concluded with debauchery and wickedness.  

As far as I can see, the main sins of the people were impatience, and self-centeredness.  They wanted God to speak into their lives, but on their own terms, and on their own timetable.   And this misplaced focus cost them dearly, for the judgment of God swept through the camp, and 3,000 men or more died that day.

The next time God called Moses up, it was a very different story.  A total reset on their priorities had taken place following the prior debacle, and it did something to the people.  This time, they seemed to have a wholly different mindset.  This time, the waiting didn’t consume them with self-righteous impatience.  I imagine they were far more sober in their attitudes, far more humble in their expectations.  They’d come face-to-face with their own arrogance, and painfully aware of their fleshly nature.

Talk about a paradigm shift.

When Moses returned this time, he glowed.  Literally.  His face was shining with wattage that practically blinded those around him.  40 days with the Creator had transformed an already devout and powerful leader into a human lightbulb, radiant with the manifest presence of Almighty God.  They were so aware of their own shortcomings in the presence of holiness, he had to wear a vail, so they could even be in his presence.

This time, when Moses spoke to the children of Israel about God’s pattern of worship, and the things that would be required, they responded in a big way, and with an entirely different attitude.  Exodus records it as them having willing hearts.

They began giving.  Giving from their abundance.  Giving from their stores.  Giving of their skills and talents.  Giving without reservation, without grudge of any kind, without thought of return.

The catchy chorus of “What Have You Done for Me Lately” wasn’t resting on one person’s lips.

Isn’t it amazing that, when our attitudes and priorities are in the right place, giving isn’t a problem?  Instead of resisting, instead of resenting, it becomes a JOY to to pour out an offering in selfless abundance.

Exodus records that God equipped the artisans to be “wise-hearted”—he granted them skills beyond their own ability to do cunning work of craftsmanship.  And beyond that, Exodus 36 also records that they had to tell the people to STOP GIVING.  All that they had was “sufficient for all the work to make it, and TOO MUCH.”

Too much!  TOO.  MUCH.  Excess.  Abundance.  Willing hearts and joyful offerings.  Hearts that couldn’t do enough to see the work of God move forward.  And that season of giving started another season, that culminated in the glory of God resting upon the congregation in an unprecedented way.

When we give ourselves to God and His plans, we experience harmony and blessing and unity and joy unlike any other.  If we would stop hanging on to the things we’ve acquired with a vise-like grip, and realize that he has blessed us to bless the Kingdom,  we would have no problem being a willing vessel, with generosity and gratitude pushing us to new heights.  No man of God would ever have to beg his congregation ever again for an offering.  Like Moses, he would simply present a need, and sit back and watch the people respond with a nearly reckless abandon.  What could the Kingdom accomplish with hearts so in tune with its primary purpose?  

The sky is the limit.  Actually, the heavens are the limit..which means there is NO LIMIT.

And that is absolutely appropriate for a limitless God.