Episode 2527 - Lesson 13 - Wednesday Sep. 24: God's Presence in the Tabernacle

God’s Presence in the TabernacleRead Exodus 40:1-38. How did the Israelites discern God’s presence?The final chapter of Exodus (Exodus 40) describes the dedication of the tabernacle and the gift of the Decalogue. The tabernacle’s dedication was the culminating event of Israel at Sinai.God’s glory is His holiness, His character, and His loving presence, which is goodness itself (Exod. 3:5; Exod. 33:18-19). His presence filled the tabernacle and was visible as the cloud, the Shekinah glory. The book of Exodus ends with the emphasis on God’s guiding presence, in the cloud of the Lord by day, and in the cloud of fire by night. In a very real and powerful way, the Hebrew people were to experience not just the reality of God but also His close and abiding presence as He led them.Moses set up the tabernacle on the first day of the first month in the second year (Exod. 40:2-17). He also consecrated everything—including Aaron and his sons to the priesthood (Exod. 40:9-13-15)—with anointing oil. He went through the Most Holy Place, the Holy Place, and the courtyard, dedicating it all to the Lord. Through this process, he inaugurated the services for the whole sanctuary (also see Num. 7:1). Only during the inauguration of the tabernacle was Moses able to enter the Most Holy Place; thereafter, the high priest alone could minister there each year on the Day of Atonement (Lev. 16:2-17).On three occasions, the biblical text states that the work was finished: (1) at the end of Creation week, God underlines the completion of His creative works (Gen. 2:1-3); (2) on the completion of the tabernacle, the biblical text declares: "So Moses finished the work" (Exod. 40:33); and (3) it is also expressed when Solomon finished the work on the temple (1 Kings 7:51).This connection between the Creation and Israel’s sanctuary points to the cosmic dimension, the time when the Lord will dwell with the redeemed on the new earth in the New Jerusalem, which is "the Tabernacle of God" (Rev. 21:2-3; compare with Rev. 22:1-4).God’s filling the tabernacle with His presence (Exod. 40:34) was the grand climax to events that began with the birth of Moses and continued with the defeat of the Egyptian gods during the 10 plagues, with the escape from Egypt, with the defeat of the Egyptian army, and, finally, with God’s revelation on Mount Sinai.What are ways that, even now, you can experience the presence of God? Why is it important that you do so?