Exodus 40:17-38
“And it came to pass in the first month in the second year, on the first day of the month, that the tabernacle was reared up. And Moses reared up the tabernacle, and fastened his sockets, and set up the boards thereof, and put in the bars thereof, and reared up his pillars. And he spread abroad the tent over the tabernacle, and put the covering of the tent above upon it; as the LORD commanded Moses.” (Exodus 40:17-19)
Israel had eaten the Passover meal on the fourteenth day of the first month the pervious year, leaving Egypt about daybreak the next morning. They had spent four and half months getting to the base of Mount Sinai and then about seven months getting the law and building the tabernacle. On the first day of the first month, eleven and a half months after they left Egypt they erected the Tabernacle for the first time.
God had instructed Israel that they were to celebrate the Passover on the fourteenth day of the first month, then follow it up with the seven day feast of unleavened bread to commemorate their freedom from Egypt. Exodus 12:16-18 commands, “And in the first day there shall be an holy convocation, and in the seventh day there shall be an holy convocation to you; no manner of work shall be done in them, save that which every man must eat, that only may be done of you. And ye shall observe the feast of unleavened bread; for in this selfsame day have I brought your armies out of the land of Egypt: therefore shall ye observe this day in your generations by an ordinance for ever. In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at even, ye shall eat unleavened bread, until the one and twentieth day of the month at even.”
Setting up the Tabernacle on the first day of the month gave them two weeks to dedicate it and practice the offerings sand sacrifices before celebrating the first Passover feast. It also gave them time to organize before entering Canaan.
“And he took and put the testimony into the ark, and set the staves on the ark, and put the mercy seat above upon the ark: And he brought the ark into the tabernacle, and set up the veil of the covering, and covered the ark of the testimony; as the LORD commanded Moses.
And he put the table in the tent of the congregation, upon the side of the tabernacle northward, without the veil. And he set the bread in order upon it before the LORD; as the LORD had commanded Moses. And he put the candlestick in the tent of the congregation, over against the table, on the side of the tabernacle southward. And he lighted the lamps before the LORD; as the LORD commanded Moses.
And he put the golden altar in the tent of the congregation before the veil: And he burnt sweet incense thereon; as the LORD commanded Moses. And he set up the hanging at the door of the tabernacle.
And he put the altar of burnt offering by the door of the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation, and offered upon it the burnt offering and the meat offering; as the LORD commanded Moses.
And he set the laver between the tent of the congregation and the altar, and put water there, to wash withal. And Moses and Aaron and his sons washed their hands and their feet thereat: When they went into the tent of the congregation, and when they came near unto the altar, they washed; as the LORD commanded Moses. And he reared up the court round about the tabernacle and the altar, and set up the hanging of the court gate. So Moses finished the work.” (Exodus 40:20-33)
The Tabernacle was set up exactly as God had commanded, with each piece of furniture in it’s proper place. Each time Moses or Aaron or one of the priests approached God, whether at the altar of burnt sacrifice or the holy place, they took time to wash demonstrating our need to confess our sin and be cleaned before we can do the Lord’s work. It is an area that so often seems unimportant, but is crucial to our being fit to do the work.
“Then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. And Moses was not able to enter into the tent of the congregation, because the cloud abode thereon, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.” (Exodus 40:34-35)
God visibly accepted the tabernacle as a place to meet with the people, sending a cloud to cover it and letting his glory fill it. Just as Moses had been unable to see the glory of God in full, he was unable to enter the tabernacle when the glory of God filled it.
Sometimes we get to trying to build something to impress and be suitable for God. While I am sure that the tabernacle was beautiful, it didn’t impress God at all. As Acts 17:24-25 states, “God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things.” The thing that pleased God was their obedience in building it, not the structure itself. If we are to please God, we need to follow his plan, not try to impress him with our ideas.
“And when the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the children of Israel went onward in all their journeys: But if the cloud were not taken up, then they journeyed not till the day that it was taken up. For the cloud of the LORD was upon the tabernacle by day, and fire was on it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys.” (Exodus 40:36-38)
They had followed the cloud and fire already, but from this time forward it would center over where the Tabernacle was to be, establishing it as the center of their lives, for as long as they were traveling around. Once they came to the land where they were to stay, they no longer had the clear guidance. That one lacks clear guidance usually indicates that one is to stay and focus on where they are.
“And it came to pass in the first month in the second year, on the first day of the month, that the tabernacle was reared up. And Moses reared up the tabernacle, and fastened his sockets, and set up the boards thereof, and put in the bars thereof, and reared up his pillars. And he spread abroad the tent over the tabernacle, and put the covering of the tent above upon it; as the LORD commanded Moses.” (Exodus 40:17-19)
Israel had eaten the Passover meal on the fourteenth day of the first month the pervious year, leaving Egypt about daybreak the next morning. They had spent four and half months getting to the base of Mount Sinai and then about seven months getting the law and building the tabernacle. On the first day of the first month, eleven and a half months after they left Egypt they erected the Tabernacle for the first time.
God had instructed Israel that they were to celebrate the Passover on the fourteenth day of the first month, then follow it up with the seven day feast of unleavened bread to commemorate their freedom from Egypt. Exodus 12:16-18 commands, “And in the first day there shall be an holy convocation, and in the seventh day there shall be an holy convocation to you; no manner of work shall be done in them, save that which every man must eat, that only may be done of you. And ye shall observe the feast of unleavened bread; for in this selfsame day have I brought your armies out of the land of Egypt: therefore shall ye observe this day in your generations by an ordinance for ever. In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at even, ye shall eat unleavened bread, until the one and twentieth day of the month at even.”
Setting up the Tabernacle on the first day of the month gave them two weeks to dedicate it and practice the offerings sand sacrifices before celebrating the first Passover feast. It also gave them time to organize before entering Canaan.
“And he took and put the testimony into the ark, and set the staves on the ark, and put the mercy seat above upon the ark: And he brought the ark into the tabernacle, and set up the veil of the covering, and covered the ark of the testimony; as the LORD commanded Moses.
And he put the table in the tent of the congregation, upon the side of the tabernacle northward, without the veil. And he set the bread in order upon it before the LORD; as the LORD had commanded Moses. And he put the candlestick in the tent of the congregation, over against the table, on the side of the tabernacle southward. And he lighted the lamps before the LORD; as the LORD commanded Moses.
And he put the golden altar in the tent of the congregation before the veil: And he burnt sweet incense thereon; as the LORD commanded Moses. And he set up the hanging at the door of the tabernacle.
And he put the altar of burnt offering by the door of the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation, and offered upon it the burnt offering and the meat offering; as the LORD commanded Moses.
And he set the laver between the tent of the congregation and the altar, and put water there, to wash withal. And Moses and Aaron and his sons washed their hands and their feet thereat: When they went into the tent of the congregation, and when they came near unto the altar, they washed; as the LORD commanded Moses. And he reared up the court round about the tabernacle and the altar, and set up the hanging of the court gate. So Moses finished the work.” (Exodus 40:20-33)
The Tabernacle was set up exactly as God had commanded, with each piece of furniture in it’s proper place. Each time Moses or Aaron or one of the priests approached God, whether at the altar of burnt sacrifice or the holy place, they took time to wash demonstrating our need to confess our sin and be cleaned before we can do the Lord’s work. It is an area that so often seems unimportant, but is crucial to our being fit to do the work.
“Then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. And Moses was not able to enter into the tent of the congregation, because the cloud abode thereon, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.” (Exodus 40:34-35)
God visibly accepted the tabernacle as a place to meet with the people, sending a cloud to cover it and letting his glory fill it. Just as Moses had been unable to see the glory of God in full, he was unable to enter the tabernacle when the glory of God filled it.
Sometimes we get to trying to build something to impress and be suitable for God. While I am sure that the tabernacle was beautiful, it didn’t impress God at all. As Acts 17:24-25 states, “God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things.” The thing that pleased God was their obedience in building it, not the structure itself. If we are to please God, we need to follow his plan, not try to impress him with our ideas.
“And when the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the children of Israel went onward in all their journeys: But if the cloud were not taken up, then they journeyed not till the day that it was taken up. For the cloud of the LORD was upon the tabernacle by day, and fire was on it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys.” (Exodus 40:36-38)
They had followed the cloud and fire already, but from this time forward it would center over where the Tabernacle was to be, establishing it as the center of their lives, for as long as they were traveling around. Once they came to the land where they were to stay, they no longer had the clear guidance. That one lacks clear guidance usually indicates that one is to stay and focus on where they are.
No comments:
Post a Comment