This portion, T'rumah has much meat to help us in a practical way in our walk with God. Its meaning is far beyond trying to reconstruct the physical Ochel or Tent of Meeting since this would take a vast stretch of the imagination since God never gave us a full description which would enable us to do that. The word, t'rumah means an offering (material prima) of basic raw material denoting wholeness and purity.

In Ex 25:8 God says okvtb ytnksv sdqm yl vsiv "Make me a sanctuary so that I can (shachanti betochem) dwell among them". The word shachanti has the same root as shechinah, and betochem is not singular but plural, pointing to the fact that His presence would dwell in us.

Without being too literal making us too narrow minded to see God's greatness, what is God trying to teach us here?

Vs 2b we read vxqt vbl vnbdy rsa sya lk "you will accept a contribution from every man who (yidvenu) gives willingly with his heart." Yidvenu gives the idea of getting excited, being motivated…more than simply being voluntary. No one is pushing them; it comes from the heart.

Today I want us to look at this message in a more allegorical fashion focusing at present on the word Yidvenu vnbdy which encompasses the following 3 main points not in the Hellenistic way but in the holistic way:
1) We offer ourselves voluntarily, motivated, surrendered to him, from our heart…which leads us to be…
2) Willing to be used or available not forced... and thus we can then
3) Listen and obey God by doing what He asks (shomer).

One naturally follows the other and is the practical way to live our lives with God is dwelling (shachanti) in us, among us. It is a process. At the moment that he calls us, we respond, he transforms our hearts and then we are ready, willing and available to serve Him.

We are all t'rumah in the hands of God; basic, raw material from whom God is going to build his Temple bringing us to the idea of the finished work. Verse 9 God said to Moses "and the design for the furnishings which I shall now show you"…

God gave Moses the vision of the real Temple where G-d would one day dwell with us. Moses had to be with God in order to see it. He described this to the people who were filled with the Ruach ha Kodesh as God guided them to accomplish the work. As G-d's raw material we are only useful when used by God. For example, gold has more value when it has been worked into a finished product. Gold is best used as 10-18 carats. 24 carat gold would be too soft, too pure.

When God calls you and make you His, we are no longer a "free Willy". God uses us according to His will, not ours. Yeshua said, "Your will Lord, not mine".
If we are truly transformed there is a direct connection between us and that is how we can walk with Him. It is not that we are doing things to be better or surer, but it is God who is directing us from within.

The problem with material, it is not always willing to do what it is asked to do. Like wood being full of knots or impure oil producing smoke, we need to refined, strained. God starts doing this in us before he begins to use us. One day we simply begin to realize that we are different because God has intervened and we can see the changes in our lives. God is asking us to die to ourselves. The problem is that we refuse to die because dying means that we lose control. He equips us, builds us and brings us to where we are glad to be. If we are constantly struggling because we think that we are in the wrong place, most of the time the problem is not the place it is us. We have not surrendered to God.

We wonder at times, "What am I good for"? We think that if we are good at something, this is where God will use us however it is sometimes, the opposite. Why? If we are too confident in any area, will we need to trust in God?

Ask yourself where your position is in G-d's Temple. Make a list of the ways that God can use you, then erase all those things and ask Him where He can use you. Don't ask why God uses you in areas where you think you are not good.

My question to you today is have you allowed God to use you, are you motivated, available and obedient to his calling? Are you being an obstacle in allowing God to use you?

The cross that we need to bare is our own selfishness. Once we surrender to Him, he will help us to bear it. We need to live for Him now, no longer for us. Remember, we are the t'rumah…the offering before God. The beauty is simply that we are each material that God uses to build His Temple or Body.

 

 

 

 

Copyright February 9, 2008

This hour-long exciting message can be better appreciated when listened to live. To order in its entirety on CD simply email us or mail in a check for $10 including shipping and handling made out to Kehilat She'ar Yashuv and ask for the Drash T'rumah. We also accept major credit cards.

     Rabbi Percy Johnson
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