You can trust God to provide more than enough to do what He called you to do! Yes, the Lord will make sure you have what you need to succeed. But you play an important role, which I will explain in this 13-minute lesson.

Revised: Thursday, November 30, 2023

More Than Enough; Three Keys: Faith, Obedience, and Patience

God will provide more than enough to do what He called you to do!

STM Bible Lesson

Lesson focus: Exodus 36:6-7. Bible lesson background Exodus 36:2-7: Certain skilled people are selected to build the Tabernacle. Two things make this task unique:
1. The people freely bring more than what is needed for the work.
2. Moses had to tell them to stop giving.

Exodus 36:6-7 [read Exodus 36:2-7 (6-7)]: Then Moses sent this command throughout the camp: “No man or woman should make anything else as a gift for the Holy Tent.” So the people were kept from giving more. What they had was already more than enough to do all the work. (ICB); KJV: And Moses gave commandment, and they caused it to be proclaimed throughout the camp, saying, Let neither man nor woman make any more work for the offering of the sanctuary. So the people were restrained from bringing. 7 For the stuff they had was sufficient for all the work to make it, and too much.; Think about this: How many times have you heard this from a pastor or televangelist? Asking people to stop giving because they have more than they need.

The Lord said to Moses

Exodus 25:1-3 [read Exodus 25:1-9 (1-3)]: “Tell the people of Israel to bring me their sacred offerings. Accept the contributions from all whose hearts are moved to offer them. 3 Here is a list of sacred offerings you may accept from them: (NLT); KJV: 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. 3 And this is the offering which ye shall take of them; gold, and silver, and brass,; Go to and read Exodus 25:4-7 to see the list. You will see that the Lord was very specific.
Exodus 25:8-9 [read Exodus 25:1-9 (8-9)]: “Have the people of Israel build me a holy sanctuary so I can live among them. 9 You must build this tabernacle and its furnishings exactly according to the pattern I will show you. (NLT); KJV: And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them. 9 According to all that I show thee, after the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall ye make it.

God provides…

Next, we will focus on the building efforts. The emphasis is on how willing the people were to give as well as God’s role in the process.

The Lord gave them the skills

Note: all are from the ICB and the KJV (as labeled) [read Exodus 36:1-7 (1-4)].
Exodus 36:1: “So Bezalel, Oholiab and every skilled person will do the work the Lord has commanded. The Lord gave these people the wisdom and understanding to do all the skilled work needed to build the Holy Tent.”; KJV: Then wrought Bezaleel and Aholiab, and every wise hearted man, in whom the LORD put wisdom and understanding to know how to work all manner of work for the service of the sanctuary, according to all that the LORD had commanded.
Exodus 36:2: Moses assembled the willing workers.; Then Moses called Bezalel, Oholiab, and all the other skilled people to whom the Lord had given skills. And they came because they wanted to help with the work.; KJV: And Moses called Bezaleel and Aholiab, and every wise hearted man, in whose heart the LORD had put wisdom, even every one whose heart stirred him up to come unto the work to do it:
Exodus 36:3: The people gave and gave.; They received from Moses everything the people of Israel had brought as gifts to build the Holy Tent. The people continued to bring gifts each morning because they wanted to.; KJV: And they received of Moses all the offering, which the children of Israel had brought for the work of the service of the sanctuary, to make it withal. And they brought yet unto him free offerings every morning.

More Than Enough;

“We have more than enough.” A clear example of faith, obedience, and patience working!
Exodus 36:4-5 [read Exodus 36:2-7 (4-5)]: So all the skilled workers working on the holy tent stopped what they were doing. 5 They said to Moses, “The Lord commanded us to do the work. And the people are bringing more than enough for us to do it.” (NIRV); KJV:
Exodus 36:6-7 [read Exodus 36:2-7 (6-7)]: “Stop giving.”; Then Moses gave an order. A message was sent through the whole camp. It said, “No man or woman should make anything else and offer it for the holy tent.” And so the people were kept from bringing more offerings. 7 There was already more than enough to do all the work. (NIRV; KJV: And Moses gave commandment, and they caused it to be proclaimed throughout the camp, saying, Let neither man nor woman make any more work for the offering of the sanctuary. So the people were restrained from bringing. 7 For the stuff they had was sufficient for all the work to make it, and too much.

Three Keys: Patience, Faith, and Obedience

When we do exactly as God says, like Moses, then we will have more than enough to get the job done. Many, many years ago, I asked God to prepare me for His work. To make it so, I would not have to rely on tithes and offerings to live or fulfill His calling. Patiently, I followed His lead, doing as told. God has supplied and continues to supply all I need. [Read Exodus 25:1-9; 35:4-19].

Now we will look at the three keys, or the role that Moses played. This is what I meant at the beginning, “you play an important role”:

1. Faith – Build on and by faith

The foundation on which we build is, or should be, Faith. Without it, we will not succeed in our primary goal, i.e., pleasing God. Moses was a man of faith.

Moses, by faith, declined to be referred to as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter.
Hebrews 11:25-26 [read Hebrews 11:23-29 (25-26)]: He chose to be mistreated with God’s people instead of having the temporary pleasures of sin. 26 He thought that the abuses he suffered for Christ were more valuable than the treasures of Egypt, since he was looking forward to the reward. (CEB); KJV: Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; 26 Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt, for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward.
The faith of Moses: According to Hebrews 11:23-29, Moses demonstrates what it means to live by faith. We should have the same level of trust in God.

2. Obedience

Strict obedience to God leads to living right (Romans 6:16). And living to please God (which is the same as “living right”) leads to all types of rewards. This is the next role that the chosen person must play. We must obey God.
Exodus 40:16 [read Exodus 40:1-33 (16)]: Moses did all that the Lord told him to do. (NLV); KJV: Thus did Moses: according to all that the Lord commanded him, so did he.
Moses sets up the dwelling: I encourage you to read Exodus 40 to better understand the depth of what he had to do. Obviously, he did obey God and follow instructions perfectly, as stated in Exodus 40:16.

3. Patience

You must let patience rescue you when your faith is tested. And if you do, then God will be pleased with you [James 1:4]! Yes, we must learn to wait on the faithful and on-time God.
James 1:3-4 [read James 1:2-8 (3-4)]: You know that when your faith is tested, you learn to be patient in suffering. 4 If you let that patience work in you, the end result will be good. You will be mature and complete. You will be all that God wants you to be. (ERV); KJV: Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. 4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.
A good example: Nelson’s Illustrated Bible Dictionary: Moses led the people toward Mount Sinai, in obedience to the word of God spoken to him at the burning bush (Exodus 3:1-12). During the long journey through the desert, the people began to murmur because of the trials of freedom, forgetting the terrible trials of Egyptian bondage. Through it all, Moses was patient, understanding both the harshness of the desert and the blessings of God’s provision for them.

Trust God

Have faith that God can provide for all of your needs. He will if you follow His instructions. Just as He did for Moses, you will also have to tell the people to stop giving because you have more than you need [Exodus 25:1-9 and Exodus 36:1-7].

Philippians 4:18-19 [read Philippians 4:10-20 (18-19)]: I have everything I need. {Abound} I have even more than I need. I have all I need because Epaphroditus brought your gift to me. Your gift is like a sweet-smelling sacrifice offered to God. God accepts that sacrifice and it pleases him. 19 My God will use his glorious riches to give you everything you need. He will do this through Christ Jesus. (ERV); KJV: But I have all, and abound^G4052: I am full, having received of Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you, an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, wellpleasing to God. 19 But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
Perisseuo – abound: G4052 περισσεύω perisseuo (pe-riys-sev’-ō) v. to abound, overflow, i. e. to be abundantly furnished with, to have in abundance, abound in (a thing): absolutely (A. V. to abound), to be in affluence (an abundance of wealth).

To please God

God selected Moses to give instructions to those who would build the tabernacle [shelter, dwelling]. He demonstrated that to satisfy God, one must continue to have faith, obedience, and patience. As stated earlier, Moses trusted God to provide:

1. The workers.

2. Also, to equip them with the:

a. knowledge – workable understanding.

b. skills – expertise.

c. abilities – the quality of being able to do something.

3. The people to donate the materials.

This is an excellent example for pastors and all whom God has called to ministry. If you trust God, He will provide more than enough to do what He called you to do! You won’t need to use deceitful schemes or practices, e.g., tithes, to support your work! Thank you for taking the time to read this Bible lesson. I urge you to make full use of it. Blessings to you and your loved ones—♥ Tim. ☺