Tell the sons of Israel to raise a contribution for Me; from every man whose heart moves him you shall raise My contribution (Exodus 25:2).

God told Moses to collect a contribution from the people to supply the needed raw materials to build the tabernacle. Unlike the tithe, which had an exact reckoning, this contribution was to be without compulsion, given as each person felt moved to give. 

While there is no command for Christans to tithe, giving is encouraged, for itinerant ministers and for impoverished Christians in need. With respect to this latter group, Paul writes,

Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver (2 Corinthians 9:7).

Notice the similarity in the nature of this giving to the giving for the tabernacle of God. It was to be without compulsion and as each person felt moved to give. 

Friends, why is there so little, and I would suggest nothing, about salaries for local church ministers in the New Testament? It is because it was the invention of people and not from the Lord. Jesus commanded His disciples not to carry money bags but to simply live on the hospitality of the home that hosted them (cf. Luke 10:5-7). I believe Christianity would have been better served if churches throughout the centuries took this to heart.

Paul would pick up on the Lord's instructions to defend support for itinerant ministers like himself, a support that He adamantly refused to accept because of the danger that doing so could pose to the effectiveness of his ministry:

Nevertheless we have not used this right, but endure all things lest we hinder the gospel of Christ (1 Corinthians 9:12).

What is my reward then? That when I preach the gospel, I may present the gospel of Christ without charge, that I may not abuse my authority in the gospel (1 Corinthians 9:18).

In fact, while he admitted that the Lord's instructions to His disciples left room for support for itinerant ministers, he everywhere refused pay for ministry and taught local ministers to work to pay for their own living expenses and to give to the poor in the congregations to whom they ministered:

You yourselves know that these hands of mine have supplied my own needs and the needs of my companions. In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive'" (Acts 20:34-35).

For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example. We were not idle when we were with you, nor did we eat anyone’s food without paying for it. On the contrary, we worked night and day, laboring and toiling so that we would not be a burden to any of you. We did this, not because we do not have the right to such help, but in order to offer ourselves as a model for you to imitate (2 Thessalonians 3:7-9).

How could Paul, who said that for him "to live is Christ," not embrace Christ's instructions to accept pay for his ministry?! I believe it was because Paul understood that any such allowance was not a command but permission. It was like God's allowance for divorce. He did not command it. He simply permitted it. In fact, the Bible says God hates divorce, but He allowed it because of the hardness of people's hearts. By design, God desires all to stay married for life. And by design, I believe God desires His ministers to preach the Gospel for free, trusting Him alone to supply their needs without demanding salaries, honorariums, and any number of other financial compensations. 

Another problem with modern-day giving through tithes, capital campaigns and salaries to ministers is this. It has the effect of releasing God's people from the personal responsibilityof engaging in the support and ministry of those in need, to both believers and unbelievers alike. They simply give money to the church and expect it to hire the professionals and buy the materials to perform the ministry for them. 

Friends, God could have had Jesus come down in a grand display, filling the whole world with the news and light of His presence. But He did not. He came to an obscure town and was born in a dirty manger. He chose to spread the Gospel by word of mouth rather than through grand displays. If it were us, we would have probably chosen a more ostentatious entrance, but God chose humility, simplicity, and personal witness. Why are we ignoring His example and following the dictates of this world system with respect to the preaching of the Gospel?

God is not concerned with the numbers of the saved, for these were aleady decided before the foundation of the world:

For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight (Ephesians 1:4).

All who dwell on the earth will worship him, everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain (Revelation 13:8; cf. Revelation 17:8).

He is concerned that we be faithful in our calling, that we follow the leading of His Spirit and the dictates of His Word. Yes, we are to be witnesses, but not necessarily through every technological medium, marketing ploy, or business construct. These are at best extra-biblical means. The Bible simply says to speak and live Christ. 

Therefore, friends, I pray that you will not allow yourselves to be pressured into tithing or giving money to this ministry or that building project. There is no biblical or moral basis for such compulsion. Give or not give as you are moved in your heart to give.

Now, there is both precedent and instruction to look out for the truly needed among believers. I pray that, as you are moved to give from your heart, you will give to minister particularly to these kinds of needs. It is as we supply these kinds of needs that the world at large will see Christ in us, even as we love one another in this way:

By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another (John 13;35).

I thought I would bring to light one example of some details given with respect to the construction of the Ark of the Covenant that will become significant in understanding a later event:

You shall cast four gold rings for it and fasten them on its four feet, and two rings shall be on one side of it and two rings on the other side of it. You shall make poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. You shall put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark, to carry the ark with them. The poles shall remain in the rings of the ark; they shall not be removed from it.  (Exodus 25:12-15).

Notice, the ark had four rings on each corner. Two poles were to be put through these rings in order to carry the ark. These poles were never to be removed. Later on we learn that when moving the ark, it must first be covered by the priests (of Aaron) and only the Kohathites, a major subgroup of the Levites, were specifically designated to carry the ark, but they could not touch any of it directly on penalty of death (thus, the need for the coverings) (cf. Numbers 4:1-15).

Now, consider this incident later in Israel's history under the monarchy of King David.

David again brought together all the able young men of Israel—thirty thousand. He and all his men went to Baalah in Judah to bring up from there the ark of God, which is called by the Name, the name of the Lord Almighty, who is enthroned between the cherubim on the ark. They set the ark of God on a new cart and brought it from the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill. Uzzah and Ahio, sons of Abinadab, were guiding the new cartwith the ark of God on it, and Ahio was walking in front of it. David and all Israel were celebrating with all their might before the Lord, with castanets, harps, lyres, timbrels, sistrums and cymbals. When they came to the threshing floor of Nakon, Uzzah reached out and took hold of the ark of God, because the oxen stumbled. The Lord’s anger burned against Uzzah because of his irreverent act; therefore God struck him down, and he died there beside the ark of God (2 Samuel 6:1-7).

Talk about a celebration spoiler! At first appearance, it seems that someone is killed because he tried to do a good deed. However, what is not explained in this context was the several violations of God's Law in the transport of the ark.

First, it was transported on a cart. But the Law required it be carried by poles, which were to be permanently affixed to the four rings along the side of the ark.

Second, it appears the ark was not covered, and Uzzah, accidentally or otherwise, touched it. But the Law required that it be covered, and none (except the Aaronic priests), not even the Kohathites, were to touch it on penalty of death.

Third, though less clearly, Uzzah and Ahio may not have been Levites, thus, they would not be Kohathites. The Law required that only the Kohathites, a subgroup of the Levites, were permitted to carry the ark. (Note: Some assume they were Levites because of their father (or grandfather) Abinadab, who had charge over the ark for a long time before it was moved, but the Bible never indicates that Abinadab was a Levite, although the Jewish historian, Josephus, asserts it. What is more, in 1 Chronicles 15:1-14 David's words suggest that Uzzah and Ahio were not Levites.)

God is holy, and as wonderful as David's celebration over the ark was, it was not a substitute for carefully obeying the commands of God. David would later acknowledge this:

Then David summoned Zadok and Abiathar the priests... It was because you, the Levites, did not bring it up the first time that the Lord our God broke out in anger against us. We did not inquire of him about how to do it in the prescribed way.” So the priests and Levites consecrated themselves in order to bring up the ark of the Lord, the God of Israel. And the Levites carried the ark of God with the poles on their shoulders, as Moses had commanded in accordance with the word of the LORD (1 Chronicles 15:11-15).

What lesson might we learn from this?

First, I we should understand that even "boring" construction details can be important to understanding the "less boring" sections of Scripture.

Second, we get a sense of the holiness of God in regard to His commands. It was no joke then, and it is no joke now. This should remind us to reverence His Word with the utmost consideration and obedience.

Third, we should understand that good intentions are no substitute for carefully following the Word of God.

Friends, the description of the Tabernacle may be a bit confusing to understand. It seems so far removed from things that we are familiar with today; however, this does not make it any less important for us to understand. The Tabernacle was a "copy and shadow of what is in heaven," and was a pre-Christ, earthly reflection of what was accomplished in heaven for us through Christ. 

They serve at a sanctuary that is a copy and shadow of what is in heaven. This is why Moses was warned when he was about to build the tabernacle: “See to it that you make everything according to the pattern shown you on the mountain" (Hebrews 8:5).

I have added four articles from J.Vernon McGee that look at the different aspects of the tabernacle as they reflect the different aspects of the Christian experience in Christ. It is the most biblical representation that I've read to date. While he looks at the typology in the tabernacle, he does not err by going beyond the biblical boundaries, as some do, by taking every detail as symbolic of some "spiritual" truth. If you really want a better understanding of how the different aspects of the tabernacle looks forward to Christ, I recommend you read these four articles that I have included on this site in the Resources > Online Articles section (or simply click here).