E
X O D U S
CHAP. XL.
In
this chapter, I. Orders are given for the setting up of the tabernacle and the
fixing of all the appurtenances of it in their proper places (ver. 1-8), and
the consecrating of it (ver. 9-11), and of the priests, ver. 12-15. II. Care
is taken to do all this, and as it was appointed to be done, ver. 16-33. III.
God takes possession of it by the cloud, ver. 34, &c.
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The
Rearing of the Tabernacle.
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B.
C. 1491.
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1 And the LORD
spake unto Moses, saying, 2 On the first day of the first month
shalt thou set up the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation.
3 And thou shalt put therein the ark of the testimony, and cover the ark with
the vail. 4 And thou shalt bring in the table, and set in order
the things that are to be set in order upon it; and thou shalt bring in the
candlestick, and light the lamps thereof. 5 And thou shalt set the
altar of gold for the incense before the ark of the testimony, and put the
hanging of the door to the tabernacle. 6 And thou shalt set the
altar of the burnt offering before the door of the tabernacle of the tent of
the congregation. 7 And thou shalt set the laver between the tent
of the congregation and the altar, and shalt put water therein. 8
And thou shalt set up the court round about, and hang up the hanging at the
court gate. 9 And thou shalt take the anointing oil, and anoint
the tabernacle, and all that is therein, and shalt hallow it, and all
the vessels thereof: and it shall be holy. 10 And thou shalt
anoint the altar of the burnt offering, and all his vessels, and sanctify the
altar: and it shall be an altar most holy. 11 And thou shalt
anoint the laver and his foot, and sanctify it. 12 And thou shalt
bring Aaron and his sons unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation,
and wash them with water. 13 And thou shalt put upon Aaron the
holy garments, and anoint him, and sanctify him; that he may minister unto me
in the priest's office. 14 And thou shalt bring his sons, and
clothe them with coats: 15 And thou shalt anoint them, as thou
didst anoint their father, that they may minister unto me in the priest's
office: for their anointing shall surely be an everlasting priesthood
throughout their generations.
The materials and furniture of the tabernacle had been viewed severally and
approved, and now they must be put together. 1. God here directs Moses to set
up the tabernacle and the utensils of it in their places. Though the work of
the tabernacle was finished, and every thing ready for rearing, and the
people, no doubt, were very desirous to see it up, yet Moses will not erect it
till he has express orders for doing so. It is good to see God going before us
in every step, Ps. xxxvii. 23. The time for doing this is fixed to the
first day of the first month (v. 2), which wanted but fourteen days
of a year since they came out of Egypt; and a good year's work there was done
in it. Probably the work was made ready but just at the end of the year, so
that the appointing of this day gave no delay, or next to none, to this good
work. We must not put off any necessary duty under pretence of waiting for
some remarkable day; the present season is the most convenient. But the
tabernacle happening to be set up on the first day of the first month
intimates that it is good to begin the year with some good work. Let him that
is the first have the first; and let the things of his kingdom be first
sought. In Hezekiah's time we find they began to sanctify the temple on the
first day of the first month, 2 Chron. xxix. 17. The new moon (which by
their computation was the first day of every month) was observed by them with
some solemnity; and therefore this first new moon of the year was thus made
remarkable. Note, When a new year begins, we should think of serving God more
and better than we did the year before. Moses is particularly ordered to set
up the tabernacle itself first, in which God would dwell and would be served (v.
2), then to put the ark in its place, and draw the veil before it (v.
3), then to fix the table, and the candlestick, and the altar of incense,
without the veil (v. 4, 5), and to fix the hanging of the door before
the door. Then in the court he must place the altar of burnt offering, and the
laver (v. 6, 7); and, lastly, he must set up the curtains of the court,
and a hanging for a court-gate. And all this would be easily done in one day,
many hands no doubt being employed in it under the direction of Moses. 2. He
directs Moses, when he had set up the tabernacle and all the furniture of it,
to consecrate it and them, by anointing them with the oil which was prepared
for the purpose, ch. xxx. 25, &c. It was there ordered that this
should be done; here it was ordered that it should be done now, v.
9-11. Observe, Every thing was sanctified when it was put in its proper place,
and not till then, for till then it was not fit for the use to which it was to
be sanctified. As every thing is beautiful in its season, so is every thing in
its place. 3. He directs him to consecrate Aaron and his sons. When the goods
were brought into God's house, they were marked first, and then servants were
hired to bear the vessels of the Lord; and those must be clean who were put
into that office, v. 12-15. The law which was now ordered to be put in
execution we had before, ch. xxix. Thus in the visible church, which is
God's tabernacle among men, it is requisite that there be ministers to keep
the charge of the sanctuary, and that they receive the anointing.
16 Thus did Moses:
according to all that the LORD
commanded him, so did he. 17 And it came to pass in the first
month in the second year, on the first day of the month, that
the tabernacle was reared up. 18 And Moses reared up the
tabernacle, and fastened his sockets, and set up the boards thereof, and put
in the bars thereof, and reared up his pillars. 19 And he spread
abroad the tent over the tabernacle, and put the covering of the tent above
upon it; as the LORD
commanded Moses. 20 And he took and put the testimony into the
ark, and set the staves on the ark, and put the mercy seat above upon the
ark: 21 And he brought the ark into the tabernacle, and set up the
vail of the covering, and covered the ark of the testimony; as the LORD
commanded Moses. 22 And he put the table in the tent of the
congregation, upon the side of the tabernacle northward, without the vail.
23 And he set the bread in order upon it before the LORD;
as the LORD
had commanded Moses. 24 And he put the candlestick in the tent of
the congregation, over against the table, on the side of the tabernacle
southward. 25 And he lighted the lamps before the LORD;
as the LORD
commanded Moses. 26 And he put the golden altar in the tent of the
congregation before the vail: 27 And he burnt sweet incense
thereon; as the LORD
commanded Moses. 28 And he set up the hanging at the door
of the tabernacle. 29 And he put the altar of burnt offering by
the door of the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation, and offered upon
it the burnt offering and the meat offering; as the LORD
commanded Moses. 30 And he set the laver between the tent of the
congregation and the altar, and put water there, to wash withal.
31 And Moses and Aaron and his sons washed their hands and their feet
thereat: 32 When they went into the tent of the congregation, and
when they came near unto the altar, they washed; as the LORD
commanded Moses. 33 And he reared up the court round about the
tabernacle and the altar, and set up the hanging of the court gate. So Moses
finished the work.
When the tabernacle and the furniture of it were prepared, they did not put
off the rearing of it till they came to Canaan, though they now hoped to be
there very shortly; but, in obedience to the will of God, they set it up in
the midst of their camp, while they were in the wilderness. Those that are
unsettled in the world must not think that this will excuse them in their
continued irreligion; as if it were enough to begin to serve God when they
begin to be settled in the world. No; a tabernacle for God is a very needful
and profitable companion even in a wilderness, especially considering that our
carcases may fall in that wilderness, and we may be fixed in another world
before we come to fix in this.
The rearing of the tabernacle was a good day's work; the consecrating of it,
and of the priests, was attended to some days after. Here we have an account
only of that new-year's-day's work. 1. Moses not only did all that God
directed him to do, but in the order that God appointed; for God will be
sought in the due order. 2. To each particular there is added an express
reference to the divine appointment, which Moses governed himself by as
carefully and conscientiously as the workmen did; and therefore, as before, so
here it is repeated, as the Lord commanded Moses, seven times in less
than fourteen verses. Moses himself, as great a man as he was, would not
pretend to vary from the institution, neither to add to it nor diminish from
it, in the least punctilio. Those that command others must remember that their
Master also is in heaven, and they must do as they are commanded. 3. That
which was to be veiled he veiled (v. 21), and that which was to be used
he used immediately, for the instruction of the priests, that by seeing him do
the several offices they might learn to do them the more dexterously. Though
Moses was not properly a priest, yet he is numbered among the priests (Ps.
xcix. 6), and the Jewish writers call him the priest of the priests;
what he did he did by special warrant and direction from God, rather as a
prophet, or law-giver, than as a priest. He set the wheels a going, and then
left the work in the hands of the appointed ministry. (1.) When he had placed
the table, he set the show-bread in order upon it (v. 23); for God will
never have his table unfurnished. (2.) As soon as he had fixed the
candlestick, he lighted the lamps before the Lord, v. 25. Even
that dark dispensation would not admit of unlighted candles. (3.) The golden
altar being put in its place, immediately he burnt sweet incense thereon
(v. 27); for God's altar must be a smoking altar. (4.) The altar of the
burnt-offering was no sooner set up in the court of the tabernacle than he had
a burnt-offering, and a meat-offering, ready to offer upon it, v.
29. Some think, though this is mentioned here, it was not done till some time
after; but it seems to me that he immediately began the ceremony of its
consecration, though it was not completed for seven days. (5.) At the laver
likewise, when he had fixed that, Moses himself washed his hands and feet.
Thus, in all these instances, he not only showed the priests how to do their
duty, but has taught us that God's gifts are intended for use, and not barely
for show. Though the altars, and table, and candlestick, were fresh and new,
he did not say it was a pity to sully them; no, he handselled them
immediately. Talents were given to be occupied, not to be buried.
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The
Tabernacle Filled with Glory.
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B.
C. 1491.
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34 Then a cloud covered
the tent of the congregation, and the glory of the LORD
filled the tabernacle. 35 And Moses was not able to enter into the
tent of the congregation, because the cloud abode thereon, and the glory of
the LORD
filled the tabernacle. 36 And when the cloud was taken up from
over the tabernacle, the children of Israel went onward in all their
journeys: 37 But if the cloud were not taken up, then they
journeyed not till the day that it was taken up. 38 For the cloud
of the LORD
was upon the tabernacle by day, and fire was on it by night, in the
sight of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys.
As when, in the creation, God had finished this earth, which he designed for
man's habitation, he made man, and put him in possession of it, so when Moses
had finished the tabernacle, which was designed for God's dwelling-place among
men, God came and took possession of it. The shechinah, the divine
eternal Word, though not yet made flesh, yet, as a prelude to that event, came
and dwelt among them, John i. 14. This was henceforward the place of his
throne, and the place of the soles of his feet (Ezek. xliii. 7);
here he resided, here he ruled. By the visible tokens of God's coming among
them to take possession of the tabernacle he testified both the return of his
favour to them, which they had forfeited by the golden calf (ch. xxxiii.
7), and his gracious acceptance of all the expense they had been at, and all
the care and pains they had taken about the tabernacle. Thus God owned them,
showed himself well pleased with what they had done, and abundantly rewarded
them. Note, God will dwell with those that prepare him a habitation. The
broken and contrite heart, the clean and holy heart, that is furnished for his
service, and devoted to his honour, shall be his rest for ever; here
will Christ dwell by faith, Eph. iii. 17. Where God has a throne and an altar
in the soul, there is a living temple. And God will be sure to own and crown
the operations of his own grace and the observance of his own appointments.
As God had manifested himself upon mount Sinai, so he did now in this
newly-erected tabernacle. We read (ch. xxiv. 16) that the glory of
the Lord abode upon mount Sinai, which is said to be like devouring
fire (v. 17), and that the cloud covered it on the outside,
and the glory of the Lord filled it within, to which, probably there is
an allusion in Zech. ii. 5, where God promises to be a wall of fire round
about Jerusalem (and the pillar of cloud was by night a pillar of fire) and
the glory in the midst of her.
I. The cloud covered the tent. That same cloud which, as the chariot or
pavilion of the shechinah, had come up before them out of Egypt and led
them hither, now settled upon the tabernacle and hovered over it, even in the
hottest and clearest day; for it was none of those clouds which the sun
scatters. This cloud was intended to be, 1. A token of God's presence
constantly visible day and night (v. 38) to all Israel, even to those
that lay in the remotest corners of the camp, that they might never again make
a question of it, Is the Lord among us, or is he not? That very cloud
which had already been so pregnant with wonders in the Red Sea, and on mount
Sinai, sufficient to prove God in it of a truth, was continually in sight
of all the house of Israel throughout all their journeys; so that they
were inexcusable if they believed not their own eyes. 2. A concealment of the
tabernacle, and the glory of God in it. God did indeed dwell among them, but
he dwelt in a cloud: Verily, thou art a God that hidest thyself.
Blessed be God for the gospel of Christ, in which we all with open face
behold as in a glass, not in a cloud, the glory of the Lord. 3. A
protection of the tabernacle. They had sheltered it with one covering upon
another, but, after all, the cloud that covered it was its best guard. Those
that dwell in the house of the Lord are hidden there, and are safe under the
divine protection, Ps. xxvii. 4, 5. Yet this, which was then a peculiar favour
to the tabernacle, is promised to every dwelling-place of mount Zion (Isa. iv.
5); for upon all the glory shall be a defence. 4. A guide to the camp
of Israel in their march through the wilderness, v. 36, 37. While the
cloud continued on the tabernacle, they rested; when it removed, they removed
and followed it, as being purely under divine direction. This is spoken of
more fully, Num. ix. 19; Ps. lxxviii. 14; cv. 39. As before the tabernacle was
set up the Israelites had the cloud for their guide, which appeared sometimes
in one place and sometimes in another, but henceforward rested on the
tabernacle and was to be found there only, so the church had divine revelation
for its guide from the first, before the scriptures were written, but since
the making up of that canon it rests in that as its tabernacle, and there only
it is to be found, as in the creation the light which was made the first day,
centred in the sun the fourth day. Blessed be God for the law and the
testimony!
II. The glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle, v. 34, 35. The shechinah
now made an awful and pompous entry into the tabernacle, through the outer
part of which it passed into the most holy place, as the presence-chamber, and
there seated itself between the cherubim. It was in light and fire, and (for
aught we know) no otherwise, that the shechinah made itself visible;
for God is light; our God is a consuming fire. With these the
tabernacle was now filled, yet, as before the bush was not consumed, so now
the curtains were not so much as singed by this fire; for to those that have
received the anointing the terrible majesty of God is not destroying. Yet so
dazzling was the light, and so dreadful was the fire, that Moses was not
able to enter into the tent of the congregation, at the door of which he
attended, till the splendour had a little abated, and the glory of the Lord
retired within the veil, v. 35. This shows how terrible the glory and
majesty of God are, and how unable the greatest and best of men are to stand
before him. The divine light and fire, let forth in their full strength, will
overpower the strongest heads and the purest hearts. But what Moses could not
do, in that he was weak through the flesh, has been done by our Lord
Jesus, whom God caused to draw near and approach, and who, as the forerunner, has
for us entered, and has invited us to come boldly even to the mercy-seat.
He was able to enter into the holy place not made with hands (Heb. ix. 24);
nay, he is himself the true tabernacle, filled with the glory of God (John i.
14), even with the divine grace and truth prefigured by this fire and light.
In him the shechinah took up its rest for ever, for in him dwells all the
fulness of the godhead bodily. Blessed be God for Jesus Christ!
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