Daily Devotion | Exodus 35:1–19 | January 5, 2026

Daily Devotion

Scripture: Exodus 35:1–19 (ESV)

Date: January 5, 2026

Speaker: Pastor Chen(陈约翰牧师)

Translated & annotated by: JosephWang(Yufan)

Dear brothers and sisters, peace to you. We thank God for His grace that we have come to a new day to study our daily devotion together. The passage we are studying today is Exodus chapter 35, verses 1 through 19.

Let us pray. O God, we ask You to have mercy on us and grant us wisdom to understand Your Word. Lord, how dull our hearts are, and how inclined they are toward this world. We pray that You would have mercy on us and show grace among us, that even this morning You would enable us to understand Your Word, and that You would fill us with Your Word, so that we may walk according to Your statutes and ordinances. We pray in the name of Christ. Amen.

Now let us look at the content of chapter 35.

In verses 1 through 3, Moses assembled all the congregation of the people of Israel and said to them that they were to keep the Sabbath. Six days work shall be done, but on the seventh day there shall be a holy day, a Sabbath of solemn rest to the LORD.

The Sabbath is repeatedly emphasized in the Mosaic law. This is because the Sabbath is a defining sign of the Mosaic covenant. One of the distinguishing characteristics of the Mosaic covenant is that it is marked by the Sabbath.

We can trace this pattern back through the covenants. In the Adamic covenant, the sign was the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil—you were not to eat of the latter. In the Noahic covenant, the sign was the rainbow. In the Abrahamic covenant, the sign was circumcision. And in the Mosaic covenant, the sign is the Sabbath.

Each covenant has its particular sign. This sign expresses the core emphasis of that covenant. This does not mean that other elements are unimportant. In fact, all these signs—the tree of life in the covenant of works, the rainbow in the Noahic covenant, circumcision in the Abrahamic covenant, and the Sabbath in the Mosaic covenant—are ultimately fulfilled in Jesus Christ.

Yet you will notice that each covenant highlights a particular focus. In the Mosaic covenant, the highlighted focus is the Sabbath.

Therefore, after the conclusion of chapter 34, and just before the construction of the tabernacle begins, verses 1 through 3 of chapter 35 once again emphasize the Sabbath. This shows clearly that the Mosaic covenant is marked by the Sabbath.

We have mentioned before why the Sabbath is so important. The Sabbath is a sign that we fear God, enjoy His blessings, and belong to Him as His people. How does one know that you are God’s people? One clear mark is that you keep the Sabbath.

Moreover, in the Sabbath we experience God and come to know Him. God has given us this time so that we may learn His statutes and ordinances, and better understand His will.

Therefore, brothers and sisters, we must understand the emphasis on the Sabbath within the Mosaic covenant. This ordinance continues today in the Christian observance of the Lord’s Day.

In fact, every covenantal sign continues to have application today. The Sabbath was not instituted after the fall as a remedial command, but was established at creation itself, as recorded in Genesis 1:1 through 2:3. It is part of the created order.

Thus, when we keep the Sabbath, we taste the goodness of the kingdom of heaven and enter into God’s presence.

I believe that every Christian who faithfully observes the Lord’s Day within the church will experience this sweetness. God has truly set this time apart as holy, and He delights to be specially present with His people during this time, granting spiritual nourishment and blessing.

Therefore, we must keep the Lord’s Day and follow the church’s arrangements well on that day, receiving the spiritual nourishment and blessings God provides.

This concludes the teaching concerning the Sabbath. The passage then moves on to the matter of offerings.

The LORD says that the people are to take a contribution for Him—gold, silver, bronze, and various materials—everything that is willingly offered.

When we read verses 4 through 9 of chapter 35, it is easy to read quickly and move on, but this carries a certain risk. If we pause and reflect carefully, many important questions arise that require thoughtful consideration.

The first question is this: although the design of the tabernacle was commanded by God and revealed to Moses, who was to provide all the materials and perform all the work? It was the people of Israel.

Here we see a pattern of divine–human cooperation. God reveals the blueprint and commands that it be done according to His design. But the materials come entirely from the offerings of the people, and the work is carried out by the people themselves.

This reflects how we relate to God within the covenant of grace. Jesus Christ has already accomplished redemption fully. The Holy Spirit applies Christ’s salvation to us. Yet for each Christian, we must live out God’s law in our daily lives. This is a real and concrete responsibility.

Although we cannot obey the law perfectly in this life, we are still called to strive with all our strength to obey it, so that God’s glory may be manifested on earth.

This process is very similar to the building of the tabernacle. God provides the design; the people provide the offerings and labor. This model clearly reflects the structure of the Westminster Larger Catechism and the Westminster Confession: first, what we are to believe; second, how we are to live.

This pattern—what you believe and how you are to live—must become a fixed framework in your mind as a Christian. If this pattern is firmly established, it will greatly benefit your spiritual life.

Likewise, in the construction of the tabernacle, the blueprint came from God, but the offerings and labor came from the people. This is the first major lesson we should draw from verses 4 through 9.

The second lesson concerns the nature of giving. All kinds of offerings were required. If you had simple materials—linen, goat hair, acacia wood, oil—you might give them readily. But what if you possessed precious stones or onyx? Would you still be willing to give?

This is a profound struggle. If the church calls for an offering and you earn a modest income, giving a portion may seem manageable. But if you possess great wealth, are you willing to give generously?

The Israelites themselves had obtained these treasures when they left Egypt. They were formerly slaves, yet by God’s providence they plundered the Egyptians (Exodus 12:36). These possessions were gifts from God.

Yet the question remains: when these treasures are now in your possession, do you regard them as yours, or as belonging to God?

Scripture does not record who offered the precious stones. It does not emphasize or even mention this detail. Yet under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we must ask ourselves: if I possessed such treasures, would I be willing to offer them?

God’s call tests every heart. Whether rich or poor, each person is called to give willingly for the building of God’s dwelling. The core issue is whether you truly believe that all you have comes from God.

Here lies a fundamental difference between believers and unbelievers. Unbelievers believe that everything they possess comes from their own effort. Therefore, they lack gratitude and refuse to worship the true God.

As Christians, we must ask ourselves whether we truly acknowledge that everything we have comes from God, and whether we are willing to offer our best to Him rather than giving Him what costs us little.

When one truly offers to God, God’s abundant grace and blessing follow. The real question is whether you desire God’s blessings, or the God who blesses.

God does not lack resources. His church will not lack what it needs. The question is whether God’s people are willing to use the gifts He has given them to serve the church and glorify His name.

Beginning in verse 10, the text moves from offerings to labor. Not only were materials required, but work was required as well. Everyone who was skilled was called to contribute to the construction—from the tent coverings to the furnishings of the sanctuary.

Even the priestly garments, including the ephod, were to be made. These were extremely valuable. Thus, the call was not only to give resources, but also to give labor and time.

Although Bezalel and Oholiab were appointed as chief craftsmen, the work itself was carried out by the people.

Here again we see the same pattern: God’s sovereignty and human responsibility. The blueprint is God’s; the labor and offerings are ours.

This principle extends to church life today. While we glorify God in our daily work, church ministry has an order of priority. Not a superiority of essence, but a priority of order.

The church is God’s household, and He has a special purpose within it. Therefore, the work of the church must take precedence in our ordering of time and energy.

Participation in worship, prayer meetings, Bible studies, and other ministries are means of grace. Through them, God shapes us to live lives filled with obedience to His law.

A faithful Christian is busy—not with worldly distractions, but with serving God in daily work and in the life of the church.

May God lead us to obey His law diligently in our lives, to labor and give willingly for His dwelling, and to glorify and testify to the life of Christ.

That concludes today’s sharing. Thank you, brothers and sisters.