Deeper Commentary
Exo 40:1 Yahweh spoke to
Moses, saying-
We must remember in interpreting what follows that this was all
spoken personally to Moses.
Exo 40:2 On the first day of the first month you shall raise up the
tabernacle of the Tent of Meeting-
The components of the tabernacle had been made and brought to Moses,
and he was to assemble it by hand. Jewish tradition has it that Moses was
Divinely empowered in assembling it all in one day, and therefore didn't
do it with his own hands. Heb. 9:11 appears to allude to this and
deconstruct it: "Christ having become a high priest of the good things to
come, through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with
hands". The tabernacle was indeed made or assembled with hands, unlike the
spiritual tabernacle of the house of believers which is being put together
by the Spirit of the Lord Jesus. Moses pitched the tent, but the spiritual
tabernacle has been pitched without hands, by the Spirit of Jesus (Heb.
8:2). The Lord Jesus alluded to these things by saying that He could raise
up a new temple through His death and resurrection, without hands (Jn.
2:19-21). "Raise up", used here of raising or assembling the tabernacle,
was interpreted by the Lord as implying resurrection. The idea was that
the tabernacle looked ahead to the new system of believers which the Lord
was to bring about through His sacrifice.
Exo 40:3 You shall put the ark of the testimony in it, and you shall
screen the ark with the veil-
The “testimony” refers to the tables of the covenant,
the ten commandments, which were within the ark; the connection between
the ark and the “testimony” is very strong in the record. The ark was
symbolic of Christ, in whom dwelt the word and covenant of God.
Exo 40:4 You shall bring in the table, and set in order the things that
are on it. You shall bring in the lampstand, and light its lamps-
The candlestick was on the south end of the holy place,
shedding light "opposite" (Heb., NEV "in front of it"), i.e. towards the
northern end where the veil was, and where the table of shewbread was,
symbolizing fellowship with God. This is the purpose of our witness; to
direct people towards fellowship with God and entry to the most holy
place.
Exo 40:5 You shall set the golden altar for incense before the ark of the
testimony, and put the screen of the door to the tabernacle-
Exo 40:6 You shall set the altar of burnt offering before the door of the
tabernacle of the Tent of Meeting-
Sacrifice is necessary before we can enter God’s
presence. Sacrifice doesn’t simply mean giving material things to God; it
refers to giving up to God that which is personal and valuable to us.
We’re not involved with God simply in order to get from Him; in this case,
spirituality would be purely selfish, as it is in many religions.
Authentic relationship with God depends upon our having the spirit of
sacrifice; not in the sense that we can only get to God if we give
something, for that too would be too primitive and a denial of grace as
the basis of our relationship with God. But His grace and the wonder of
fellowship with Him cannot be accepted by us passively nor with
indifference; our natural response, if we believe it, is to want to give
to Him.
Exo 40:7 You shall set the basin between the Tent of Meeting and the
altar, and shall put water therein-
This would imply a change of perspective in the description, which so
far has been from the most holy place and outwards, whereas this is now
from the perspective of someone approaching from the outside. Either that,
or the mention of the basin / laver is not placed in order. Possibly the
idea is to emphasize the critical importance of washing the priests before
entering the holy place, pointing forward to the importance of baptism.
Exo 40:8 You shall set up the court around it, and hang up the screen of
the gate of the court-
For Moses alone to do this all in one day would have perhaps required
superhuman help; see on :1,2.
The weight of some of the items would have surely been too much for
him to carry or manipulate alone.
Exo 40:9 You shall take the anointing oil, and anoint the tabernacle, and
all that is in it, and shall make it holy, and all its furniture; and it
will be holy-
The anointing process takes our Christian minds to the Christ, the
anointed one, and we who are anointed through being in Him (2 Cor. 1:21).
Exo 40:10 You shall anoint the altar of burnt offering, with all its
vessels, and sanctify the altar; and the altar will be most holy-
We wonder why the altar is here called "most holy" although it stood
outside of the tent of meeting. All the tabernacle was called "most holy"
(Ex. 30:29), but here there seems an especial note made that the altar was
to be made "most holy". It was in the court, not in the holy place nor
most holy place. The idea may be that the God who dwells in the most holy
place between the cherubim is so pleased with sacrifice, that He accepts
even the place outside the tabernacle as most holy.
Exo 40:11 You shall anoint the basin and its base, and sanctify it-
This may represent the need for the washing of
baptism in order to come to Christ, the altar (Heb. 13:10). This was
required if they didn’t want to die (Ex. 30:20).
Exo 40:12 You shall bring Aaron and his sons to the door of the Tent of
Meeting, and shall wash them with water-
The laver was situated just in front of the door of the tent, so
presumably this was done in the laver.
Exo 40:13 You shall put on Aaron the holy garments; and you shall anoint
him, and sanctify him, that he may minister to Me in the priest’s office-
It is hard to imagine how Moses could have erected the tabernacle and
done all this on one day. It confirms the suggestion on :2 that he could
only have done this with Divine help. However it could be that this
anointing of Aaron and his sons was deferred and not done until the time
of Lev. 8:1 ff.
Exo 40:14 You shall bring his sons, and put coats on them-
See on :13. Ex. 28:40 adds that these clothes were "for glory and for
beauty". The idea is not that the clothes should be beautiful and
glorious; they were "for" the manifestation of the glory and beauty of
God's saving ways, once their significance was perceived. The naked flesh
of man was to be covered over with a glory and beauty which was to come
from God, looking forward to the idea of imputed righteousness which Paul
explains in Romans. Glory and beauty were to be the features of all Israel
in their role as priests / teachers of the Gentile world (Dt. 26:19 s.w.).
Again we see repeated the ideal intention that all Israel were to be a
nation of priests, and not just resign the work of witness to the priestly
tribe.
Exo 40:15 You shall anoint them, as you anointed their father, that they
may minister to Me in the priest’s office. Their anointing shall be to
them for an everlasting priesthood throughout their generations-
The Levitical priesthood was “the covenant of an
everlasting priesthood” (Ex. 40:15; Num. 25:13), but “the priesthood being
changed (by Christ’s work), there is made of necessity a change also of
the law” (Heb. 7:12). There was an “everlasting covenant” between God and
Israel to display the shewbread in the Holy Place (Lev. 24:8). This
“everlasting covenant” evidently ended when the Mosaic Law was dismantled.
But the same phrase “everlasting covenant” is used in 2 Samuel 23:5
concerning how Christ will reign on David’s throne for literal eternity in
the Kingdom. In what sense, then, is God using the word olahm,
which is translated “eternal”, “perpetual”, “everlasting” in the Old
Testament? James Strong defines olahm as literally meaning “the finishing
point, time out of mind, i.e. practically eternity”. It was God’s purpose
that the Law of Moses and the associated Sabbath law were to continue for
many centuries. To the early Israelite, this meant a finishing point so
far ahead that he couldn’t grapple with it; therefore he was told that the
Law would last for ever in the sense of “practically eternity”. For all of
us, the spectre of ultimate infinity is impossible to intellectually
grapple with. We may glibly talk about God’s eternity and timelessness,
about the wonder of eternal life. But when we pause to really come to
terms with these things, we lack the intellectual tools and linguistic
paradigms to cope with it. Therefore there is no Hebrew or Greek word used
in the Bible text to speak of absolute infinity. We know that death has
been conquered for those in Christ, therefore we have the hope of immortal
life in his Kingdom. But God speaks about eternity very much from a human
viewpoint.
Likewise the Sabbath is described as a perpetual, eternal ordinance between God and His people (Ex. 31:16). Yet in the New Testament we read that the Old Covenant has been done away; and the Old Covenant clearly included the ten commandments (Dt. 4:13), one of which was concerning the Sabbath. For this reason the New Testament is at pains to explain that Sabbath keeping is not now required of God’s people (Col. 2:14-17; Rom. 14:1-3). Indeed, the whole Law of Moses is described as an everlasting covenant (Is. 24:5; Dt. 29:29), but it has now been done away (Heb. 8:13). The feasts of Passover and Atonement were to be “an everlasting statute unto you” (Lev. 16:34; Ex. 12:14); but now the Mosaic feasts have been done away in Christ (Col. 2:14-17; 1 Cor. 5:7).
Exo 40:16 Moses did so. According to all that Yahweh commanded him, so he
did-
There is huge emphasis upon the exact obedience of
Moses to the commandments.
And yet his careful obedience to the letter regarding the "house" or
tabernacle is commented upon in Heb. 3:2-5. The idea is that all that
obedience to commandment was still nothing compared to that of the Lord
Jesus. For He was not only obedient to commandment, but more positively
achieved a personality and character which was to be the basis of an
eternal spiritual house.
Exo 40:17 It happened in the first month in the second year, on the first
day of the month, that the tabernacle was raised up-
As discussed on :1,2, this meant that Moses assembled the tabernacle
alone in one day- and surely required Divine help to do so.
Exo 40:18 Moses raised up the tabernacle, and laid its sockets, and set up
its boards, and put in its bars, and raised up its pillars-
The rabbis like to note that there are three references to Moses'
assembly of the tabernacle (:2,17,18), which they see as pointing forward
to the three temples [the third yet to be built by Messiah].
Exo 40:19 He spread the covering over the tent, and put the roof of the
tabernacle above on it, as Yahweh commanded Moses-
"As Yahweh
commanded Moses" is a phrase runs as a refrain throughout the
chapter, as an appropriate ending to the book. See on Ex. 36:31.
Exo 40:20 He took and put the testimony into the ark, and set the poles on
the ark, and put the mercy seat above on the ark-
The ark was always ready to be moved on. The continual mention of
rings and poles is because all the tabernacle had to be portable, as
Israel were constantly on the move. This is proof enough that much of the
"law of Moses" was only relevant to the wilderness generation. God's
desire to be continually on the move, dwelling in a tent, was still
evident at the time when Israel settled in the land. For He told David
that He didn't want a temple because He was dynamic, always moving on. But
the way of religion is to have a permanent, stable closed system, rather
than the dynamic way of the Spirit and true spirituality. "Rings" in
Hebrew is literally 'that which sinks in', and refers to a signet ring. If
a literal ring was solely in view, a different word would have been used.
It was as if this mobile, ever moving onwards style of the tabernacle was
the signature or hallmark of God.
Exo 40:21 He brought the ark into the tabernacle, and set up the veil of
the screen, and screened the ark of the testimony, as Yahweh commanded
Moses-
There may be a reference here to the two veils (cp. Heb. 9:3 "the
second veil" ), one over the entrance to the holy place, and the other
over the entrance to the most holy
Exo 40:22 He put the table in the Tent of Meeting, on the side of the
tabernacle northward, outside of the veil-
"Side" is literally "thigh", and constantly we find language
appropriate to the human body used in describing the tabernacle. It was
all a hint that it was looking ahead to a greater and more perfect
tabernacle (Heb. 9:11) in a person, Messiah, the Lord Jesus.
Exo 40:23 He set the bread in order on it before Yahweh, as Yahweh
commanded Moses-
"Before Yahweh" may imply that by this point, there was some presence
of God already in the most holy place beyond the veil. Or perhaps an Angel
was standing with Moses as he assembled the tabernacle.
Exo 40:24 He put the lampstand in the Tent of Meeting, opposite the table,
on the side of the tabernacle southward-
"The north side" is literally "the left side". As noted
on Ex. 26:18, the south side was "to the right". Semitic thought is often
expressed from the perspective of a person facing east. The left hand side
was considered the side of lesser favour (Gen 48:13-20). This perhaps was
why the candlestick was placed on the right or south side of the tent (Ex.
40:24).
Exo 40:25 He lit the lamps before Yahweh, as Yahweh commanded Moses-
"Before Yahweh" may imply that by this point, there was some presence
of God already in the most holy place beyond the veil. Or perhaps an Angel
was standing with Moses as he assembled the tabernacle.
Ex. 27:20 recorded that "You shall command the children of Israel, that
they bring to you pure olive oil beaten for the light". "Pure olive oil" apparently refers to olive juice which bursts
naturally from the first ripe olives. But we enquire where Israel obtained
olive oil from in the wilderness, especially such "pure" olive oil to such
great amounts as required here? I suggest that this was God's ideal intention, and many of these laws were
applicable only in contexts when obedience to them was possible. God's law
is not therefore at all a reflection of a God who is a literalist or
legalist. For by its nature, the law of Moses shows that He was not like
that.
Exo 40:26 He put the golden altar in the Tent of Meeting before the veil-
The incense altar is called "the golden altar" because the incense
represents prayer, and gold is the symbol of faith. And prayer "works" by
faith. It was before the veil which screened the most holy place, because
the smell of the incense would have entered there, even if man cannot.
Just as our prayers enter heaven itself.
Exo 40:27 and he burnt incense of sweet spices on it, as Yahweh commanded
Moses-
“A pleasant / sweet aroma” is a very common phrase. This concept is important
to God. It first occurs in Gen. 8:21 where it means that God accepted
Noah's sacrifice and vowed that the pole of saving mercy in His character
was going to triumph over that of necessary judgment. Under the new
covenant, it is persons and not sacrifices or incense which are accepted
as a "pleasant aroma" (Ez. 20:41). The word for "pleasant" means strong
delight; this is how God's heart can be touched by genuine sacrifice.
Those pleasing offerings represented us, the living sacrifices (Rom.
12:1). And so it is applied to us in 2 Cor. 2:15- if we are in Christ, we
are counted as a pleasant aroma to God. The offering of ourselves to Him
is nothing of itself, but because we are in Christ and counted as Him, we
are a delight to God. Hence the colossal importance of being “in Christ”.
Exo 40:28 He put up the screen of the door to the tabernacle-
The New Testament therefore speaks of "the second veil" (Heb. 9:3)
which screened the most holy place. This was of the same material as the
veil which covered the door into the holy place, but was more elaborate,
including the cherubim motif whereas the first veil didn't. Perhaps the
idea is that it is through the Lord Jesus, represented by the veil, that
we enter into the community of believers; He is the door and by Him alone
a sheep can enter the fold. But it is likewise also through Him,
displaying an even greater glory and beauty, that we shall enter into the
presence of God Himself.
By entering into Him we in prospect enter into the salvation presence of
God personally; we are saved in prospect, we live the eternal life, as
John's Gospel stresses.
Exo 40:29 He set the altar of burnt offering at the door of the tabernacle
of the Tent of Meeting, and offered on it the burnt offering and the meal
offering, as Yahweh commanded Moses-
This may refer specifically to the offerings Moses was to make during
the seven days of the rituals for the consecration of Aaron and his sons.
The daily burnt offering was from then on to be offered by Aaron.
Exo 40:30 He set the basin between the Tent of Meeting and the altar, and
put water therein, with which to wash-
Before we can come to offer acceptable sacrifice and
do God’s work, we must firstly wash in baptism.
Exo 40:31 Moses, Aaron, and his sons washed their hands and their feet
there-
The Lord alludes to this in Jn. 13:10 and implies it applies to all
His people. Baptism is in essence ongoing, as the Lord progressively
sanctifies us for His service in practice.
Exo 40:32 When they went into the Tent of Meeting, and when they came near
to the altar, they washed, as Yahweh commanded Moses-
The altar of sacrifice would have therefore been walked passed in
order to wash in the laver, and then they would have returned to offer at
the altar. 'Coming near' the altar is therefore used to refer to offering
sacrifice, rather than in any literal sense.
Exo 40:33 He raised up the court around the tabernacle and the altar, and
set up the screen of the gate of the court. So Moses finished the work-
Jesus had this in mind when just before His death He
said that He had finished the work God had given Him to do (Jn. 17:4); and
He died saying “It is finished” (Jn. 19:30). He felt His work had been to
build a dwelling place for God- not in a literal tabernacle, but in the
hearts of willing men and women whose weakness and sin He had enabled to
be overcome through His sacrifice.
What God did at creation, He can do at any time. When Moses “finished the work” of the tabernacle (Ex. 40:33), there is clear allusion to God ‘finishing the work’ of creation (Gen. 2:2). The whole phrase “Behold I have given you…” (Gen. 1:28) occurs later when the Priests are told what God has given them (Ex. 31:6; Lev. 6:10; Num. 18:8,21; Dt. 11:14).
Exo 40:34 Then the cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and the glory of
Yahweh filled the tabernacle-
This was "the cloud" which had covered Sinai (s.w. Ex. 24:15,16).
Both holy place and most holy were filled. The glory of
Yahweh filled the tabernacle when it was erected (Ex. 40:34), as it would
later fill the temple (2 Chron. 7:1). But it was God's intention that His
glory should fill all the earth; the same words are used in Num. 14:21.
The apparently intense manifestation of Himself in a specific place was
only a foretaste of what He wished to bring about in "all the earth". And
yet Judaism misread this as meaning that His glory was there alone in a
specific holy place. They failed to perceive that it was merely a
localized foretaste of His intention to make this a universal experience,
and the tearing down of the veil at the Lord's death was evidence enough
of the progression of this plan. When exiled from the sanctuary, David in
his Psalms often perceives that God's glory fills and shall fill all the
earth (Ps. 72:19; Hab. 2:14).
Exo 40:35 Moses wasn’t able to enter into the Tent of Meeting, because the
cloud stayed on it, and Yahweh’s glory filled the tabernacle-
This implied that Moses wished to enter but couldn't, perhaps
preparing him for his later experience of being unable to enter the
promised land as he wished. But typically these things look ahead to how
Moses and the legal system associated with him created a desire to enter
into God's glory, and into the Kingdom- but failed to achieve it. And so
they looked ahead to the achievement of the Lord Jesus. Likewise the glory
in the later temple precluded the priests from entering it (1 Kings 8:11;
2 Chron. 5:14; 7:2).
Exo 40:36 When the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the
children of Israel went onward, throughout all their journeys-
"Onward" is Heb. 'to pull up', alluding to the pulling up of tent pegs.
The process of moving onward would have been a major, regular upheaval.
They would've preferred to stay where they were. And this is a feature of
our wilderness journey after our Red Sea baptism; we are always being
moved on further, in various ways. And this goes right against the
conservatism which is such a major part of the human condition.
Exo 40:37 but if the cloud wasn’t taken up, then they didn’t travel until
the day that it was taken up-
They didn’t know their itinerary ahead of time, each
day and night they would’ve wondered whether they’d be called to move on
or not. Their lives in this sense had no stability. If the Red Sea
crossing represents our baptisms (1 Cor. 10:1,2) then this speaks of our
lives afterwards being under God’s leadership and guidance, we in that
sense cannot map out how we would wish our journey to be.
Exo 40:38 For the cloud of Yahweh was on the tabernacle by day, and there
was fire in the cloud by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel,
throughout all their journeys-
Practically this meant that they were shielded from the desert heat
in the day time, and kept warm at night. Such was (and is) Yahweh's
sensitivity to His people in their wilderness journey towards the Kingdom.
Ex.
13:21 also says that there was a pillar of cloud in the day time and a pillar
of fire by night. But at the time of the Exodus, there was a pillar of
cloud for the Egyptians and a pillar of fire to give light in the night
for the Israelites (Ex. 14:20,24). Could this mean that the meaning of
time was collapsed at this time? It was night for the Israelites but
daytime for the Egyptians? Is. 42:16, amidst many exodus / Red Sea
allusions, speaks of how God makes the darkness light before His exiting
people. The many Johanine references to the Lord Jesus being a light in
the darkness for His followers would then be yet more elaborations of the
idea that the Lord Jesus is the antitype of the Angel that led Israel out
of Egypt (Jn. 8:12; 12:35,46). Num. 9:21 says that the pillar of cloud was
with the Israelites at night, and sometimes it was taken up in the
night and they therefore had to move on. Does this mean that there were
times when the meaning of time was collapsed during their journey, and the
night was made as the day (perhaps Ps. 139:12 alludes to this experience)?
When Yahweh came down on Sinai, He was enveloped in a cloud of
fire- suggesting that there was no day and night for Him (Ex.
24:15-17; Dt. 5:22).
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