Breadcrumb: By their own free will

In yesterday's essay, I talked about the expensive materials that were to go into the tabernacle. Where did these materials come from? In Ex. 25:2-7, God tells Moses to ask the people for an offering, that each person should "giveth it willingly with his heart." (KJV) Somehow, I suspect that in the desert, at the base of Mount Sinai, the willing offering might have been slightly less willing and slightly more forced. After all, when a vengeful god is staring down at you, in spitting distance from your camp, you should probably play nice.