Exodus 40

Exodus 40:1

H. Erection of the Tabernacle (Chap. 40)40:1-8 God commanded that the tabernacle be set up on the first day of the year (vv. 1, 2); this was about a year after the Exodus and eight and a half months after Israel’s arrival at Sinai. He also described where each piece of furniture should be placed, as follows: 40:9-17 In verses 9-15, instructions were repeated for anointing . . . the tabernacle, its furnishings, and the high priest and his sons. The instructions were carried out on the first day of the first month, almost one year after the Israelites had left Egypt (vv. 16, 17). 40:18-33 So Moses raised up the tabernacle . . . This paragraph tells how the great lawgiver carried out all the detailed instructions as the LORD had commanded Moses for each part of the structure itself, as well as for each item of furniture. Last of all Moses raised up the court all around the tabernacle. Then come the climactic words of completion of an important task well done: So Moses finished the work.40:34-38 The glory cloud descended on and filled the tabernacle so that Moses was not able to enter. This cloud was to accompany the people on their journeys. They were to move only when the cloud moved. When it stopped, they were to stop also (vv. 34-38). As a member of the tribe of Levi, Moses was apparently qualified to perform priestly functions until Aaron and his sons were invested with this responsibility (Lev. 8). And so Exodus is the history of God’s people during the year between their deliverance from Egypt and the erection of the tabernacle at Mount Sinai. The book is filled with beautiful pictures of Christ and His moral perfections. It is our responsibility to worship this Christ of glory and to live in the light of His holiness.