S) "26 a beka a head (that is, half a shekel according to the shekel of the sanctuary), for each one who passed over to those who were numbered, from twenty years old and upward, for 603,550 men."
Exodus 38:26 (NASB)
O) This verse is specifically referring to how much gold was collected by the people for the free-will offering. So, I did a little bit of research, because this verse was so intriguing to me, and the general consensus is that a sanctuary shekel in the OT was about 10 grams. Solid gold weighs 19.3 grams per cubic centimeter (cc). That means a gold shekel of the sanctuary was a little more than half a cc of gold. To put some perspective to that, a US nickel is roughly 0.59cc. That means a sanctuary shekel of gold was about the size of a US nickel. But, in the above verse, we see that each person accounted for only half a sanctuary shekel. A US dime is roughly 0.34cc. So then, each man gave a gold coin smaller than a dime.
A) The thing that is so incredible to me about this small, but revealing verse, is how perfectly God prepares the way for things. When the Israelites were leaving Egypt, He told them to ask their Egyptian neighbors for gold and silver as they left Egypt. But, the beauty of doing this, was in the power of unity and numbers. It took a small donation per person as they left Egypt, and then it took even less of a donation from the people, per person. I have seen this first-hand at our church. Occasionally, our church will take up a free-will offering to support one ministry or another. It's a spontaneous, infrequent happening. The last time it happened, our Sunday morning congregation, which hovers around 3,000 per week, raised over $12,000 for our partners at CareNet (Kenmore, WA). I remember the morning we were asked to give, and I literally had no money on me, and no way to write a check, or anything. I was full of regret instantly, mostly for being utterly unprepared. I think the biggest takeaway from this scripture is to remember, even if my gift is only the size of a dime, I would be blessed to be a part I such a tremendous movement. God tells His people they should not appear before The LORD empty handed, and I've always taken that to be relative to tithing, but maybe it's more about being prepared to respond to The LORD.
P) Father, I will make this change. I will bring a free will offering to Your presence on Sunday mornings, even if it's as little as a nickel or as small as a dime. I want to be ready to answer any call. I am blessed to be used, and I don't want to be found empty handed ever again. Thank You, God, for bringing this out from me. In Jesus's name I pray. Amen.
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