Exodus 25:2

Bring me an offering. The divine will had been revealed to Israel in the Decalogue, the laws and “judgments” of the “book of the covenant” had been given to Moses, and the covenant between God and His people had been ratified. But no permanent form of worship had as yet been instituted. Thus far, only an “altar” had been introduced and certain directions given concerning it (Exodus 20:24-26), but no complete system had been arranged whereby the worship of the one true God might become an effective means of bringing the people close to Him in fellowship and obedience, and of safeguarding them against the worship of the many gods of the heathen. The people were to have the privilege of participating in the construction of the place that was to be God’s dwelling among them.

Giveth it willingly. Literally, “whose heart impels him.” God desired only those gifts that came from the heart, not merely from the hands or purse. He would accept only those that were freely and “willingly” given (2 Corinthians 9:6, 7). Only he who gives with his heart has his name inscribed in the inventory of God, for he alone gives in the spirit of the church of Macedonia (2 Corinthians 8:1-5). That the people responded in this fashion is evident from Exodus 35:21-29 and 36:3-7. So fully did they respond that they had to be “restrained from bringing.” Thus, the tabernacle was the result of freewill offerings. A like spirit was witnessed in David’s time when the Temple was built (1 Chronicles 29:1-9), and again when the exiles returning from the Babylonian captivity with Zerubbabel rebuilt the Temple (Ezra 2:68, 69; Haggai 1:12-14).