Exodus 36:5, 7 And they spake unto Moses, saying, The people bring much more than enough for the service of the work, which the Lord commanded to make…For the stuff they had was sufficient for all the work to make it, and too much.
God had asked the people to bring offerings of their personal wealth and material goods for the service of the sanctuary. They responded generously to the extravagant grace of God by bringing more than enough and too much. They brought so much in offerings that the people had to be restrained from bringing. This awesome response is truly remarkable. They were slaves and serfs who didn’t have much, yet they gave to the Lord’s service more than enough.
Many churches today would love to have this kind of problem, where the people have to told to stop offering so much. This kind of extravagant response should really be the normal for every Christian congregation. Since God has been extravagant in His Creation and Redemption, mankind’s response would be commensurate with what we have received. After all, how many stars do human really need? Too many? How much abundant and eternal life does God give? Too much! Responding with more than enough is merely appropriate. We remember the saying: “You can’t outgive God!” God is always the biggest giver.