[Exodus 40] The Tabernacle is Erected, and the Cloud Descends. In the final chapter of Exodus, Moses washes Aaron and his sons to prepare them for service. The Ark and other items of sacred furniture are set up. Then the cloud descends to remain with and guide the people through the wilderness. All of this speaks of the cloud of God’s glory that dwells in your heart through the provisions of the shed blood of Calvary.
[Exo 40:1-38 KJV] 1 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 2 On the first day of the first month shalt thou set up the Tabernacle of the tent of the congregation. 3 And thou shalt put therein the Ark of the testimony, and cover the Ark with the vail. 4 And thou shalt bring in the table, and set in order the things that are to be set in order upon it; and thou shalt bring in the candlestick, and light the lamps thereof. 5 And thou shalt set the altar of gold for the incense before the Ark of the testimony, and put the hanging of the door to the Tabernacle. 6 And thou shalt set the altar of the burnt offering before the door of the Tabernacle of the tent of the congregation. 7 And thou shalt set the laver between the tent of the congregation and the altar, and shalt put water therein. 8 And thou shalt set up the court round about, and hang up the hanging at the court gate. 9 And thou shalt take the anointing oil, and anoint the Tabernacle, and all that [is] therein, and shalt hallow it, and all the vessels thereof: and it shall be holy. 10 And thou shalt anoint the altar of the burnt offering, and all his vessels, and sanctify the altar: and it shall be an altar most holy. 11 And thou shalt anoint the laver and his foot, and sanctify it. 12 And thou shalt bring Aaron and his sons unto the door of the Tabernacle of the congregation, and wash them with water. 13 And thou shalt put upon Aaron the holy garments, and anoint him, and sanctify him; that he may minister unto me in the priest’s office. 14 And thou shalt bring his sons, and clothe them with coats: 15 And thou shalt anoint them, as thou didst anoint their father, that they may minister unto me in the priest’s office: for their anointing shall surely be an everlasting priesthood throughout their generations. 16 Thus did Moses: according to all that the LORD commanded him, so did he. 17 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. 18 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. 19 And he spread abroad the tent over the Tabernacle, and put the covering of the tent above upon it; as the LORD commanded Moses. 20 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: 21 And he brought the Ark into the Tabernacle, and set up the vail of the covering, and covered the Ark of the testimony; as the LORD commanded Moses. 22 And he put the table in the tent of the congregation, upon the side of the Tabernacle northward, without the vail. 23 And he set the bread in order upon it before the LORD; as the LORD had commanded Moses. 24 And he put the candlestick in the tent of the congregation, over against the table, on the side of the Tabernacle southward. 25 And he lighted the lamps before the LORD; as the LORD commanded Moses. 26 And he put the golden altar in the tent of the congregation before the vail: 27 And he burnt sweet incense thereon; as the LORD commanded Moses. 28 And he set up the hanging [at] the door of the Tabernacle. 29 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. 30 And he set the laver between the tent of the congregation and the altar, and put water there, to wash [withal]. 31 And Moses and Aaron and his sons washed their hands and their feet thereat: 32 When they went into the tent of the congregation, and when they came near unto the altar, they washed; as the LORD commanded Moses. 33 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. 34 Then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of the LORD filled the Tabernacle. 35 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. 36 And when the cloud was taken up from over the Tabernacle, the children of Israel went onward in all their journeys: 37 But if the cloud were not taken up, then they journeyed not till the day that it was taken up. 38 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.
We now come to the final chapter of Exodus. To begin here is a summary of the book and what we have covered in these 40 chapters:
Exodus begins where Genesis 50 leaves off with the descendants of Jacob sojourning in Egypt. Four centuries passed from Genesis 50 to Exodus one, and a Pharaoh comes to power who enslaves the Israelites to build his treasure cities. God raises up a leader by the name of Moses, who convinces the slave nation of his mission to deliver them by signs and wonders. He confronts Pharaoh who refuses to let the people go. Ten plagues ensue, culminating with the death of all the firstborn in Egypt. The people then go free pursued by the armies of Egypt who are destroyed in the process.
The people then commence a wilderness trek toward Canaan, receiving water from the rock for their thirst and manna every morning to satisfy their hunger. They often complain of the rigors of nomadic life and are chastened by Moses and by God for their many disobediences. They soon arrive at the mount of God, and Moses receives the tablets of the law engraved in stone by the hand of God. Moses returns several times to the summit of the Sinai, and after a long delay returning from the mount, the people rebel again being chastened once more by Jehovah.
The remainder of the book describes the construction of the elaborate ceremonial tent of worship and the artifacts fabricated to be contained therein. Finally, in chapter 40, we will see Moses sets up the tent and the objects contained therein and commences the public worship of Jehovah God.
The children of Israel were in the wilderness six months before construction of the Tabernacle began, and it took them another six months to build it and fabricate the artifacts therein. Now with all in readiness, God commands the Tabernacle to be erected and the ceremonial protocols put in place to facilitate His presence above the Mercy Seat in the Holy of Holies (vs. 1-10).
Once the tent was erected, the next thing commanded was not regarding the Brazen altar or the articles of the Holy Place. Instead, the Ark of the covenant was placed inside the Holy of Holies, and the veil was put in place. This veil would figure prominently in the narrative of Jesus’ crucifixion as Matthew records.
[Mat 27:50-52 KJV] 50 Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. 51 And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; 52 And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose,
This veil that was rent in two at the moment of Jesus’ death was not a sheer gossamer curtain. By all accounts, it was 9 cm or 3.5 inches thick. The force it would take to rent it in two in a moment of time was far beyond any technology available to the first century. To Paul, writing in the book of Ephesians, the rending of this veil indicated the abolition of all separation between Jew and Gentile, God and man.
[Eph 2:14-15 KJV] 14 For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition [between us]; 15 Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, [even] the law of commandments [contained] in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, [so] making peace;
Regarding the order in which the Tabernacle was erected, the Holy of Holies coming first speaks to us again about the process foreshadowing God’s priorities in our life and the manner in which He plugs you into His purpose:
Ark of the Covenant: (represents God establishing intimacy with the born again believer
Table of Shewbread: (God bringing healing, and provision to His people).
Candlestick: (illumination, understanding through His Word and the preaching of His word).
Altar of Incense: (The prerequisite of prayer offered up by repentance believers).
Altar of Burnt Offering: (Speaks of consecration in the Burnt Offering and forgiveness in the Sin Offerings).
Laver: (The personal cleansing of the preponderance of the word of God in our hearts).
Having put these things in place, they are each anointed with the sacred oil. Not just any oil would do. The formula and ingredients were prescribed by God himself. These ingredients speak to us of God’s heart toward us and the disposition of spirit with which He desires us to approach Him:
Myrrh: (Meaning to flow. There is nothing static about our relationship with God. We are to be malleable and ever yielded to the leading of His Spirit in our hearts).
Cinnamon: (Meaning to burn with zeal. God is not interested in tepid acquiescence to His place in our lives. He desires to experience our passionate devotion to Him not just in worship services but in everything we do.)
Calamus: (The original word means “Power to Recover.” God doesn’t want us to be eternal victims, languishing in emotional woundedness. He wants us to be quick to forgive, putting the past behind us as we move forward in faith.)
Cassia: (Meaning “To Bow Down – Humility.” Pride is an offense to God’s nature. He wants us to live with shamefacedness before Him in all sobriety.)
Olive Oil: (Meaning “to shine, to cover.” As Moses’ face shined with God’s glory, so Stephen’s face shined at the moment of His death. There is something tangible about the Holy Spirit’s indwelling that God wills to be manifest in our very countenance.)
In vs. 12-20, after the articles and sacred furniture are installed and anointing, Aaron and his sons are prepared and consecrated. They are first washed with water by Moses himself, prefiguring Jesus washing the disciples’ feet (John 13:4-10). When Peter was washed, he asks Jesus to wash him from head to toe, but Jesus states that only his feet need washing. The feet speak of our way of life, and our manner of life. It matters not if we know in our head the theological understanding of piety and godliness if there no evidence of it in our lives.
Thomas a’ Kempis in Imitation of Christ wrote:
What good does it do to speak learnedly about the Trinity if, lacking humility, you displease the Trinity? Indeed it is not learning that makes a man holy and just, but a virtuous life makes him pleasing to God. I would rather feel contrition than know how to define it. For what would it profit us to know the whole Bible by heart and the principles of all the philosophers if we live without grace and the love of God? Vanity of vanities and all is vanity, except to love God and serve Him alone.
When Moses washed Aaron and his son’s feet in the laver between the Brazen Altar and the Holy Place entrance, this was representative of the cleansing influence of God’s word. Paul tells us that Jesus, even so, washes us in the precepts of His word through preaching and teaching:
[Eph 5:26 KJV] 26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,
The washing is the washing of the word of God. We are to be immersed in the word; the Greek here is RHEMA, which implies the prophetic word, the present truth word that Peter in his second letter said must be established in our hearts and reflected in our lives.
[2Pe 1:12 KJV] 12 Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know [them], and be established in the present truth.
We need both the LOGOS (scriptures) and the RHEMA. The Rhema washes us because it keeps us focused on the immediate task of seeking the kingdom and not being distracted by the enemy (just go ahead and seek the kingdom). The scriptures help us keep the “main thing the main” thing, so we don’t wander off into extremism and fanatic unscriptural beliefs.
After washing, they were clothed and anointed, just as the articles of sacred furniture were anointed. This anointing is not only on Aaron as a type of Christ but his sons as well speaking of you and me as believers. The same anointing that was on Jesus’ in His earth walk is the very same anointing of the Holy Spirit on us and in us to enable us to full His expectations communicated through His Word that we should live sober, mature and godly lives.
In v. 20, Moses approaches the Ark of the Covenant and places the Mercy Seat as a lid on top of it. Then he supervises the Ark being put in its place in the Holy of Holies. Never forget that the mercy seat figured prominently in all of this. Even in the ministration of the law of sin and death, God’s mercy was heavily emphasized. God is a God of verity and judgment. Punishment for sin is real and, for many, will be eternal. This is all true, but at the same time, the centrality of the Mercy Seat tells us that God’s highest ethic is compassion and mercy. Evangelist A.A. Allen once said that some people are more critical than God. We need to remember mercy in all our understandings and dealings with people in the kingdom.
In v. 31 Moses, Aaron and his sons wash again, this time, their hands and feet. Throughout all these proceedings, they continued to wash over and over. First, Moses washed them; then, they washed themselves. This is important to notice. At some point, what Moses did for them they would be expected to do for themselves. In other words, we start out being cared for by our leaders then we learn to be self-maintaining. As you mature in God, you are placed on your own recognizance, expected to do for yourself what you relied on others to do for you (pray, teach, disciple) in your days of immaturity.
As they washed, the cloud descended. We tend to wait idly by just holding on until we perceive God is doing something. This was not the case with Aaron and his sons. We are also priests, according to the New Testament. As we wash in the logos and the rhema of God, the cloud of glory descends into our lives. The kingdom doesn’t come randomly. The economy of God and the hand of God are motion activated by steps of faith and piety on the part of the believer in everything that they do. You are in your person the Tabernacle of God, and He will FILL you as you draw near to Him and wash in his word and his truth.
The cloud came from atop Mt. Sinai arcing over the encampment and descending into the Holy of Holies to remain with the people always. The cloud that came served as a means of timing and guidance, provision, and protection from that day forward the whole time they traveled in the wilderness. This cloud is a figure of God’s glory in you that Col. 1:26,27 speaks of, guiding, provisioning, and protecting you in your daily life as well.
