CHAPTER 40 Feb.26 
The Tabernacle Is Erected
Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 2On the first day of the first month you shall raise up the tabernacle of the Tent of Meeting. 3You shall put the ark of the testimony in it, and you shall screen the ark with the veil. 4You 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. 5You shall set the golden altar for incense before the ark of the testimony, and put the screen of the door to the tabernacle. 6You shall set the altar of burnt offering before the door of the tabernacle of the Tent of Meeting. 7You shall set the basin between the Tent of Meeting and the altar, and shall put water therein. 8You shall set up the court around it, and hang up the screen of the gate of the court. 9You 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. 10You shall anoint the altar of burnt offering, with all its vessels, and sanctify the altar; and the altar will be most holy. 11You shall anoint the basin and its base, and sanctify it. 12You shall bring Aaron and his sons to the door of the Tent of Meeting, and shall wash them with water. 13You 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. 14You shall bring his sons, and put coats on them. 15You 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. 16Moses did so. According to all that Yahweh commanded him, so he did. 17It happened in the first month in the second year, on the first day of the month, that the tabernacle was raised up. 18Moses raised up the tabernacle, and laid its sockets, and set up its boards, and put in its bars, and raised up its pillars. 19He spread the covering over the tent, and put the roof of the tabernacle above on it, as Yahweh commanded Moses. 20He took and put the testimony into the ark, and set the poles on the ark, and put the mercy seat above on the ark. 21He 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. 22He put the table in the Tent of Meeting, on the side of the tabernacle northward, outside of the veil. 23He set the bread in order on it before Yahweh, as Yahweh commanded Moses. 24He put the lampstand in the Tent of Meeting, opposite the table, on the side of the tabernacle southward. 25He lit the lamps before Yahweh, as Yahweh commanded Moses. 26He put the golden altar in the Tent of Meeting before the veil; 27and he burnt incense of sweet spices on it, as Yahweh commanded Moses. 28He put up the screen of the door to the tabernacle. 29He 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. 30He set the basin between the Tent of Meeting and the altar, and put water therein, with which to wash. 31Moses, Aaron, and his sons washed their hands and their feet there. 32When they went into the Tent of Meeting, and when they came near to the altar, they washed, as Yahweh commanded Moses. 33He 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.
God’s Glory Fills the Tabernacle
34Then the cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and the glory of Yahweh filled the tabernacle. 35Moses wasn’t able to enter into the Tent of Meeting, because the cloud stayed on it, and Yahweh’s glory filled the tabernacle. 36When the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the children of Israel went onward, throughout all their journeys; 37but if the cloud wasn’t taken up, then they didn’t travel until the day that it was taken up. 38For 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.

Commentary

40:3 Ark of the testimony- 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.
40:6 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.
40:19 As Yahweh commanded Moses- This phrase runs as a refrain throughout the chapter, as an appropriate ending to the book. See on 36:31.
40:30 Before we can come to offer acceptable sacrifice and do God’s work, we must firstly wash in baptism.
40:33 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.
40:37 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.