There are some amazing videos of Amish barn raisings on YouTube. In a three-minute time lapse you can see a huge barn go up as scores of workers scramble over the work site. In the middle of the video everyone disappears for several seconds, probably to go eat lunch, then they get right back to work.

Who wouldn’t want to be part of that? It’s hard work, but there’s also a lot of fun and socializing there all day. Whoever isn’t involved in the construction is cooking, laying the tables with tons of good food, cleaning up and tending the children together. It’s work, but it’s also a party.

Carts and Oxen 

The Israelites got together to do a tabernacle-raising. They worked hard and when it was finished they came together again for its dedication. It was like attending a housewarming, except in this case they brought tabernacle-warming gifts.

The first thing needed for the tabernacle was a way to transport it. The tribal leaders pooled their resources and brought twelve oxen and six oxcarts to Moses.

There’s always a danger that a gift will get returned because it just doesn’t work in the new place, but when Moses asked God about this gift, the Lord said, “Accept these from them, that they may be used in the work of the tent of meeting. Give them to the Levites as each man’s work requires.” Numbers 7:4-5

Distribution of Labor

Moses assigned the oxen and carts to the priests according to their responsibilities in the tabernacle. The Gershonites received four carts and eight oxen. The Merarites got two carts and four oxen. The Kohathites didn’t get any carts or oxen.

Who were the Gershonites, Merarites and Kohathites? They were descendants of the three sons of Levi: Gershon, Merari and Kohath. Each clan had a different responsibility when it was time to take down or set up the tabernacle.

The Gershonites took care of the curtains, hangings, ropes, and tent coverings. They only needed two carts to carry these items once they were folded up.

The Merarites were responsible for all of the frames for the tabernacle and courtyard. This included posts, crossbars, post bases, tent pegs, etc. They needed four carts to carry all of that.

The Kohathites took care of the Ark, the furnishings of the holy place, and the bronze washbasin and altar of burnt sacrifices in the courtyard. They didn’t have carts because they carried all of these things on poles that rested on their shoulders.

The Kohathites’ items were treasures from the holiest parts of the tabernacle so they required the most careful attention. They were also extremely heavy so it’s likely that columns of priests accompanied each item and switched places with the carriers on a regular basis as they traveled.

Aaron, the high priest, and his sons were Kohathites. When God chose Aaron and his sons to serve in the holy places inside the tabernacle, their clan became responsible for everything inside it.

The Gifts of the Tribes

In the twelve days following the dedication each of the twelve tribes brought gifts for the tabernacle. They were useful gifts, but they were also valuable. Each tribe brought:

• A silver plate weighing about 3 ¼ lbs., filled with fine flour and olive oil
• A silver sprinkling bowl weighing about 1 ¾ lbs, also filled with fine flour and olive oil
• A gold dish weighing about 4 ounces, filled with incense
• A young bull
• A ram
• A one-year-old male lamb for a burnt offering
• A male goat for a sin offering
• Two oxen, five rams, five male goats and five one-year-old male lambs to be sacrificed as a fellowship offering

Each of the tribes brought identical gifts and they presented them individually, one day at a time. This twelve-day presentation highlighted the unity and equality among the tribes.

Gifts that Agree with God

With their gifts the tribes also signaled their agreement with God and his requirements for the tabernacle. They affirmed that God’s dwelling had great value when they brought silver and gold. They agreed that gifts of fine flour, pure olive oil, and incense were appropriate offerings, and the animals they brought showed that they agreed with God’s requirement for blood sacrifices.

These gifts were a free-will offering. Soon the people would bring a host of other offerings in keeping with God’s Law, but at this time the twelve tribes came with gifts simply to acknowledge God as their sovereign.

Lessons in Giving

What do the twelve tribes teach us today about giving?

First, the Israelites were very public about their giving. In our churches today we do a lot of individual giving and mostly we don’t talk about what we give. We don’t meet together to discuss what we should all do to honor God with our resources. If we did, tithing would almost certainly rise.

Two, the Israelites were careful not to outdo each other in giving. They didn’t allow one tribe to give more just because it was wealthier. Nor did they shame a poorer tribe by asking too much of them. The tribal leaders came to agreement about what was appropriate to give and the amount was right for everyone.

Third, each tribe had their day to honor the Lord with gifts. It was a public display that encouraged everyone and laid the foundation for future offerings. It was a celebration of giving to the Lord.

God is Pleased

God showed his pleasure with Israel by maintaining his presence over the tabernacle. When Moses entered the Holy of Holies, he heard God’s voice speaking to him from between the two cherubim above the Ark of the Covenant. God had settled in to dwell with Israel and he was going to lead them on to Canaan.

But first they had to learn more about the requirements of his Law.

For the next twenty-four days or so we will also be studying the Law. It’s the same Law that Jesus studied and obeyed, and that he lived and died to fulfill.

Try to keep Jesus in mind as you read through the Law. How did he come to terms with its many requirements? Jesus didn’t argue with the Law, he accepted it and chose to live by it. Ask him to help you keep an open mind as you read.