...remain faithful to Christ!...

“16 Moses did everything just as the Lord had commanded him. 17 In the first month in the second year, on the first day of the month, the tabernacle was set up. 18 Moses set up the tabernacle; he laid its bases, and set up its frames, and put in its poles, and raised up its pillars; 19 and he spread the tent over the tabernacle, and put the covering of the tent over it; as the Lord had commanded Moses. 20 He took the covenant and put it into the ark, and put the poles on the ark, and set the mercy-seat above the ark; 21 and he brought the ark into the tabernacle, and set up the curtain for screening, and screened the ark of the covenant; as the Lord had commanded Moses. 22 He put the table in the tent of meeting, on the north side of the tabernacle, outside the curtain, 23 and set the bread in order on it before the Lord; as the Lord had commanded Moses. 24 He put the lamp-stand in the tent of meeting, opposite the table on the south side of the tabernacle, 25 and set up the lamps before the Lord; as the Lord had commanded Moses. 26 He put the golden altar in the tent of meeting before the curtain, 27 and offered fragrant incense on it; as the Lord had commanded Moses. 28 He also put in place the screen for the entrance of the tabernacle. 29 He set the altar of burnt-offering at the entrance of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting, and offered on it the burnt-offering and the grain-offering as the Lord had commanded Moses. 30 He set the basin between the tent of meeting and the altar, and put water in it for washing, 31 with which Moses and Aaron and his sons washed their hands and their feet. 32 When they went into the tent of meeting, and when they approached the altar, they washed; as the Lord had commanded Moses. 33 He set up the court around the tabernacle and the altar, and put up the screen at the gate of the court. So Moses finished the work.

The Cloud and the Glory

34 Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. 35 Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud settled upon it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. 36 Whenever the cloud was taken up from the tabernacle, the Israelites would set out on each stage of their journey; 37 but if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not set out until the day that it was taken up. 38 For the cloud of the Lord was on the tabernacle by day, and fire was in the cloud by night, before the eyes of all the house of Israel at each stage of their journey” Exodus 40:16-38.

Dear friends, this chapter concludes Exodus with the glory of the Lord filling the tabernacle! How would an invisible God show His people that He had indeed come to dwell among them as they so earnestly desired? How would God demonstrate that He was fully in covenant relationship with them, willing to go with them wherever He led them? How would God show the Israelites that the rift between Yahweh and His people had been fully healed by reason of God's gracious love for His people, and the result of Moses' faithful intervention with Yahweh on behalf of the people? The answer is that God visibly went into His house! He left Mount Sinai and came to dwell among the encampment of his people, just as he had promised he would (33:14–17). His people had built his house for him just as he commissioned it!

The cloud was not the glory of God, but a visible embrace of God’s glory. God's glory occurred when God caused it to be visible, at least through its piercing of the darkness of the cloud. God’s brilliance was contained in part within the cloud so as not to be impossible to look upon. Once built, the tabernacle became the symbol of Yahweh's presence among his people; and his glory cloud atop the tabernacle, a further symbol of his presence and also of his guidance. The book of Exodus comes to an end here, with each of us implicitly invited to appreciate that a new grand chapter in the history of the Israelites was about to get underway — their travels toward Sinai as their God would lead them. 

In each of our lives, there are chapters, endings and new beginnings. God’s promise to lead us is so important for us to remember, and for each of us to continue to follow Christ no matter what the new chapters of our lives bring us! Don’t ever give up on Christ! Stay close to him and remain as faithful to Christ as possible.

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, have mercy on me a sinner.