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A Temple Built by Sacrifice, July 6
Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring me an offering:
of every man that giveth it willingly with his heart ye shall take
my offering.
Exodus 25:2
.
God Himself gave to Moses the plan of that structure [the sanctu-
ary], with particular directions as to its size and form, the materials
to be employed, and every article of furniture which it was to contain.
The holy places made with hands were to be “figures of the true” (
He-
brews 9:24
), “patterns of things in the heavens” (
Hebrews 9:23
)—a
miniature representation of the heavenly temple where Christ, our great
high priest, after offering His life as a sacrifice, was to minister in the
sinner’s behalf....
For the building of the sanctuary, great and expensive preparations
were necessary; a large amount of the most precious and costly material
was required; yet the Lord accepted only freewill offerings. “Of every
man that giveth it willingly with his heart ye shall take my offering,” was
the divine command repeated by Moses to the congregation. Devotion
to God and a spirit of sacrifice were the first requisites in preparing a
dwelling place for the Most High.
All the people responded with one accord. “They came, every one
whose heart stirred him up, and every one whom his spirit made willing,
and they brought the Lord’s offering to the work of the tabernacle of the
congregation, and for all his service, and for the holy garments. And
they came, both men and women, as many as were willing hearted, and
brought bracelets ... : and every man that offered offered an offering of
gold unto the Lord.”
Exodus 35:21, 22
....
The people, old and young—men, women, and children—continued
to bring their offerings, until those in charge of the work found that they
had enough, and even more than could be used....
All who love the worship of God, and prize the blessing of His
sacred presence, will manifest the same spirit of sacrifice in preparing a
house where He may meet with them.
If there was ever a time when sacrifices should be made, it is now.
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