offering to the LORD

Kuyper's Cafe on Thursday was awesome! I had a chance to speak with Professor Wolters afterwards on the topic of much debate in my own mind: intellectual and creative pursuits in regards to the eternal purpose of God for his children. Last night the Lord directed me to the Book of Exodus, chapters 35 (verses 4-35) and 36 (1-7). The children of Israel are commanded to bring creative materials as an offering to the building of the Lord's sanctuary. Perhaps this is akin to the material which can be used in building His Kingdom today. Art and academia--if directed by Him--can be as offerings of sweet incense before His throne. But creative and intellectual endeavours must never be done in the spirit of pride, only for the glory of our King (the glory of the One from whom they spring). May it never be said, "What can I do for God?" but "How might I better allow God to work through me--with the gifts He's graciously given me?" May our collective cry of repentence go up through all the land: "Humble us, LORD, that your Glory might be manifest in us!"

And Moses spoke to all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying, "This is the thing which the LORD commanded, saying: 'Take from among you an offering to the LORD. Whoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it as an offering to the LORD: gold, silver, and bronze; blue, purple, and scarlet thread, fine linen, and goats' hair; ram skins dyed red, badger skins, and acacia wood; oil for the light, and spices for the anointing oil and for the sweet incense; onyx stones, and stones to be set in the ephod and in the breastplate. [notice how God's children are to bring offerings of their ARTISTIC materials]
All who are gifted artisans among you shall come and make all that the LORD has commanded....Then everyone came whose heart was stirred, and everyone whose spirit was willing, and they brought the LORD's offering for the work of the tabernacle of meeting, for all its service, and for the holy garments. They came, both men and women, as many as had a willing heart, and brought earrings and nose rings, rings and necklaces, all jewelry of gold, that is, every man who made an offering of gold to the LORD. And every man, with whom was found blue, purple, and scarlet thread, fine linen, and goats' hair, red skins of rams, and badger skins, brought them. Everyone who offered an offering of silver or bronze brought the Lord's offering. And everyone with whom was found acacia wood for any work of the service, brought it.
All the women who were gifted artisans spun yarn with their hands, and brought what they had spun, of blue, purple, and scarlet, and fine linen. And all the women whose hearts stirred with wisdom spun yarn of goats' hair. The rulers brought onyx stones, and the stones to be set in the ephod and in the breastplate, and spices and oil for the light, for the anointing oil, and for the sweet incense. The children of Israel brought a freewill offering to the LORD, all the men and women whose hearts were willing to bring material for all kinds of work which the LORD, by the hand of Moses, had commanded to be done.
And Moses said to the children of Israel, "See, the LORD has called by name Bezelel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah; and He has filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom and understanding, in knowledge and all manner of workmanship, to design artistic works, to work in gold and silver and bronze, in cutting jewels for setting, in carving wood, and to work in all manner of artistic workmanship. And He has put in his heart the ability to teach, in him and Aholiab the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan. He has filled them with skill to do all manner of work of the engraver and the designer and the tapestry maker, in blue, purple, and scarlet thread, and fine linen, and of the weaver--those who do every work and those who design artistic works.
And Bezalel and Aholiab, and every gifted artisan in whom the LORD has put wisdom and understanding, to know how to do all manner of work for the service of the sanctuary, shall do according to all that the LORD has commanded."
Then Moses called Bezalel and Aholiab, and every gifted artisan in whose heart the LORD has put wisdom, everyone whose heart was stirred, to come and do the work. And they received from Moses all the offering which the children of Israel had brought for the work of the service of making the sanctuary. So they contunued bringing to him freewill offerings every morning. Then all the craftsmen who were doing all the work of the sanctuary came, each from the work he was doing, and they spoke to Moses, saying, "The people bring much more than enough for the service of the work which the LORD commanded us to do." So Moses gave a commandment, and they caused it to be proclaimed throughout the camp, saying, "Let neither man nor woman do any more work for the offering of the sanctuary." And the people were restrained from bringing, for the material they had was sufficient for all the work to be done--indeed too much(!).

Stir up the hearts of your people, Father; rise up a nation of artisan-workers willing to make and bring pleasing offering to your Kingdom. Let it be said of this generation that the material we bring for all the work to be done is sufficient--indeed too much.