Daily Lesson for Monday 22nd of September 2025

An abundance of various precious materials was needed to build the tabernacle, and it was accomplished by generous donations from God’s people, who gave from the bottom of their hearts, willingly and with joy.

Image © Review & Herald Publishing at Goodsalt.com

They gave gold, silver, bronze, fine linen, precious stones, unique fabrics, acacia wood, olive oil, spices, and many other needed items. People also donated their labor because many specific objects needed to be crafted through their artistic and diligent work on the tent or its furniture. Also, tailors had to weave garments for the priests, who would be ministering in the tabernacle, and for the high priest, whose very elaborate garments included a breastplate and turban.

God had abundantly blessed the Israelites through the gifts that the Egyptians had given them on their departure from Egypt. Now it was their opportunity to give offerings of gratitude for God’s merciful and mighty leadership, and their hearts were moved to accomplish this work to His glory.

The people were giving with such joy and abundance that Moses was told: “ ‘The people are bringing more than enough’ ” (Exodus 36:5, NIV). So, Moses had to stop their donations “because what they already had was more than enough to do all the work” on the tabernacle (Exodus 36:7, NIV).

Through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, God equipped and em­powered the people to accurately build the tabernacle. Bezalel, Aholiab, and ­others were “filled . . . with the Spirit of God” (Exodus 35:31, NKJV), which means that they were endowed with skills, wisdom, and artistic knowledge to perfectly do all the work. It was an enormous project and had to be created exactly according to the model God showed Moses.

It is significant that the gift of the Holy Spirit was related to people’s different abilities and skills, which needed to be employed in building the tabernacle. To be filled with the Spirit is not a magical process and does not mean that special spiritual forces are within humans. To advance God’s cause and fulfill His mission, God empowers His followers to accomplish His objectives and to do it well.

<–Sunday Tuesday–>

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/25c-13-offerings-and-the-spirit/

Daily Lesson for Sunday 21st of September 2025

However much those opposed to the seventh-day Sabbath argue, falsely, that it was for the Jews only (the seventh day was set apart and sanctified in Eden [see Genesis 2:1-3]); or they argue, falsely, that the Jews first heard about it at Sinai (the Jews were keeping the Sabbath before Sinai [see Exodus 16:22-29])—there is no question that the Sabbath was very much a part of the life of the Hebrew people from the start.

Image © Review & Herald Publishing at Goodsalt.com

The Sabbath and its message was, is, and always will be about God—who He is and what His mighty works are. The Sabbath reminds us of His creative and salvific acts and focuses our attention on God, who wants to dwell with His people. In this way, the Sabbath and the sanctuary point in the same direction: God’s presence in our lives.

The Sabbath of the Old Testament church conveys a manifold message. One may summarize its essence in five crucial points:

1. God is the Creator, and the Bible opens with this stunning and cornerstone proclamation (Genesis 1:1). The vivid memorial of God’s creation is the Sabbath (Genesis 2:2-3; Exodus 20:8-11). From this truth—God as our Creator—all other biblical truths flow.

2. The Messiah will come, and this hope centers on God’s promise of the Seed, who would overcome the serpent (Satan) and bring victory over evil.

3. God will establish His kingdom, and the Sabbath is its foretaste.

4. Salvation comes from the Lord, and God’s people testify that God is their Savior and Redeemer and that salvation comes as a result of His grace and His grace alone.

5. God is the ultimate Judge of all people. Those who persistently defy and deny Him will have no future, but He freely gives eternal life to those who follow Him.

<–Sabbath Monday–>

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/25c-13-the-sabbath-of-the-lord/