January 31
Exodus 40
On Mount Sinai, God instructed Moses to make Me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them. According to all that I show you (Exodus 25:8-9). After nine months, the building of the Tabernacle was completed (39:32; compare 19:1; 40:2). Moses did according to all that the Lord commanded him (40:16). This phrase emphasizes the supreme importance of obedience to the will of God (40:16-32). Moses' obedience was complete in every detail for making about 40 different items, including the tent, Altars, vessels, Laver, garments, pins, sockets, loops, posts, and furniture (25:40; 26:30; 39:42-43).
The first thing to be placed within the Tabernacle was the Ark of the Testimony which contained the Ten Commandments of God: On the first day of the first month you shall set up the Tabernacle of the Tent of the Congregation. And you shall put therein the Ark of the Testimony. . . . And he took and put the Testimony into the Ark . . . he brought the Ark into the Tabernacle . . . as the Lord commanded Moses (40:2-3,20-21).
Through the reading and study of the Scriptures, we have all the information that we need in order to do what God wants of us. When properly used and applied, God's Word provides all the wisdom, spiritual guidance, and strength necessary to live for Him. This should settle the question: "How vital is it that we, like Moses, do all that the Lord commands?"
Following this, we read: Moses finished the work. Then (suddenly) a cloud covered the Tent of the Congregation, and the glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle (40:33-34). God's presence was an expression of His approval of the completed Tabernacle. He had now come to dwell with His people just as He had promised (33:14). That is still His will today, when our bodies are transformed into His Holy Temples through the New Birth in Christ Jesus (see John 3:3,5; 14:23-24; I Corinthians 6:19-20).
After the Tabernacle was constructed, the cloud of His Presence (Exodus 13:21) and the Tabernacle were inseparable throughout the Israelites' journeys. If the cloud lifted and moved forward, the Tabernacle then followed; if the cloud stopped, the people remained until it moved again (40:36-37).
After Jesus ascended into Heaven, the Holy Spirit came to dwell in all who repent, confess their sin, and receive Jesus as Savior and Lord of their lives. Jesus made it possible for us to be the dwelling place of God, His Holy Temple . . . in whom you also are built together for a habitation of God (Ephesians 2:21-22). Therefore, from the moment the true child of God is filled with the Holy Spirit, he will live a much different life than the child of the world.
Soon, the glorious presence of God will again be seen on earth, as the Apostle John revealed while imprisoned on Patmos, when he wrote: I John saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of Heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of Heaven saying, Behold, the Tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be with them, and be their God (Revelation 21:2-3).
Word Studies:
40:3 cover the ark = install the veil as a partition; 40:7 laver = bowl used for washing; 40:8 hanging = curtains; 40:9 hallow = set apart, consecrate, dedicate; 40:10 sanctify = set apart for God; 40:11 his foot = its stand, base.
Government Official: Rep. Richard Gephardt (MO) · Pray for Walk Thru The Bible and Bruce Wilkinson, President · Pray for the Bible Pathway International Radio Broadcast sponsored by Mrs. Connie Morris · Country: Syria (13 million) in southwestern Asia · Major languages: Arabic and Kurdish · Limited religious freedom for Christians · 90% Muslim; 4% Eastern Orthodox; 2% Roman Catholic; .25% Protestant · Prayer Suggestion: Let your faith in the Word of God overrule all fears (Psalms 18:30).
Optional Reading:
Mark 3
Memory Verse for the Week:
Psalms 16:11