The Voluntary Offering of the Wise Women

The Voluntary Offering of Wise Women – Preaching

Preaching Outline on Exodus 35:25-26 – And all the wise-hearted women spun with their hands and brought the spun, the blue cloth, the purple, the crimson and the fine linen. And all the women whose hearts moved them to wisdom spun goats’ hair.

Women in Israel

Contrary to what is seen among those who don’t know the Scriptures and their disparaging references to the position and work of women in the church, in ancient times, by the Mosaic law and public opinion among the Jews, women enjoyed great honor and distinction. Marriage was considered sacred in their relationship as husband and wife – Prov. 18:22, 31:10 – 12, Mal. 2:14 – 16.

Women were present in every task in ancient society, such as leading the flocks, harvesting the crops, presiding over household chores – Prov. 31:27 and instructing children in the doctrines of the Word – Prov. 31:1, 1:8, 1 Tim. 5:14. All these activities enabled women in Israel to play an important role in structuring all the institutions that gave shape to the nation, the state and the Israeli homeland as we know it today.

The voluntary offer

Moses summons the congregation to bring voluntary offerings to the Lord for the construction of the tabernacle. The church, spiritual Israel, is moved by the Holy Spirit to build up the Body. The voice is general, but compliance is individual, because it is based on “a willing heart”. The same foundation that sustains the work in every sense.

Women’s efforts

The women “spun with their hands and brought back what they had spun”. Today, a lot of value is placed on manufactured products because they attest to the authenticity and specificity of the goods. In industry, mass production marks an impersonal and automatic work that does not contain the nuances of variations, emotions and sensitivities of the human hands that conceived it.

The work on the site is individualized, in other words, it comes from a personal experience. It is the result of a particular effort where the determinants and variables directly influence the beauty of the work. How much did a revelation cost? Only the worker (the servant who achieved it) can estimate. Every product for teaching comes as a result of service. The messages are not the essence of the work, but the result of it.

The priests’ garments

“And they brought what they had spun”. The work inside the church, such as caring for the sick, pregnant women, the elderly, those new to the faith, flowers… They are the spinning, the seams that are made, constituting the upholstery (the interlining, the lining) of the curtains of the tabernacle. A part that strengthens the garment, but does not appear, like the service of the sisters. Everywhere in the tabernacle, in the curtains, in the priestly vestments, in the atrium, there was the padding that the women brought. The work was silent and discreet in the church and secret in the home. The colors were the mark of Jesus’ action.

Moved them in skill (wisdom)

Through the “skill”, grace and wisdom with which the Lord has enriched his servants, making it possible to bring to the ministry all the wealth of resources that the Lord is providing in the faithfulness of this work… If this work is interrupted, the life of the church falls into a great void…