God with Us
Opening Prayer
Lord, may Your presence fill me today as I choose to serve and worship You.
Read Exodus 40:1–16,34–38
For additional translations of the passage, use this link to Bible Gateway.
Exodus 40:1-16
Then the Lord said to Moses: 2 “Set up the tabernacle, the tent of meeting, on the first day of the first month. 3 Place the ark of the covenant law in it and shield the ark with the curtain. 4 Bring in the table and set out what belongs on it. Then bring in the lampstand and set up its lamps. 5 Place the gold altar of incense in front of the ark of the covenant law and put the curtain at the entrance to the tabernacle.
6 “Place the altar of burnt offering in front of the entrance to the tabernacle, the tent of meeting; 7 place the basin between the tent of meeting and the altar and put water in it. 8 Set up the courtyard around it and put the curtain at the entrance to the courtyard.
9 “Take the anointing oil and anoint the tabernacle and everything in it; consecrate it and all its furnishings, and it will be holy. 10 Then anoint the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils; consecrate the altar, and it will be most holy. 11 Anoint the basin and its stand and consecrate them.
12 “Bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance to the tent of meeting and wash them with water. 13 Then dress Aaron in the sacred garments, anoint him and consecrate him so he may serve me as priest. 14 Bring his sons and dress them in tunics. 15 Anoint them just as you anointed their father, so they may serve me as priests. Their anointing will be to a priesthood that will continue throughout their generations.” 16 Moses did everything just as the Lord commanded him.
Exodus 40:34-38
34 Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. 35 Moses could not enter the tent of meeting because the cloud had settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.
36 In all the travels of the Israelites, whenever the cloud lifted from above the tabernacle, they would set out; 37 but if the cloud did not lift, they did not set out—until the day it lifted. 38 So the cloud of the Lord was over the tabernacle by day, and fire was in the cloud by night, in the sight of all the Israelites during all their travels.
New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
God’s glorious presence filled the Tabernacle. What would it be like to experience that today?The instructions for preparing the Tabernacle and then the implementation of those instructions fills the later pages of Exodus. Now, at the end of the book, we see the fulfillment of God’s plans: Tabernacle complete, furniture laid out according to plan, people and instruments anointed and set apart for holy use, and God’s glorious presence dwelling with his people.
There is now a whole priestly system to allow the people to be represented before the holy God. The people are now living in response to God’s presence and care for them. This is an exciting moment in our Bible reading. But would we want that today?
Actually, our situation is even better. Our High Priest is not a sinner who has to make offerings for himself, but a perfect High Priest who has made a once-and-for-all perfect sacrifice (Heb. 9:11–14; 10:11–25). God’s glorious presence is still in the midst of his people, but not separated from us by the Tabernacle ritual processes. Today God dwells by his Spirit within each of his people: we are a new temple (1 Cor. 3:16; Eph. 2:21). We get to live in response to God’s presence and care for us.
Apply
Do you ever feel doubtful about approaching God on certain topics? Lay those things before God now and receive his acceptance.
Closing prayer
Jesus, all that we have is ours because of You. Boldly I approach the eternal throne with direct access to You! Hallelujah, what a Savior!
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