40:1.
“And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,”
40:2.
“On the first day of the first month shalt thou set up the tabernacle of the
tent of the congregation.”
40:3.
“And thou shalt put therein the ark of the testimony, and cover the ark with
the veil.”
40:4.
“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.”
40:5.
“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.”
40:6.
“And thou shalt set the altar of the burnt offering before the door of the
tabernacle of the tent of the congregation.”
40:7.
“And thou shalt set the laver between the tent of the congregation and the
altar, and shalt put water therein.”
40:8.
“And thou shalt set up the court round about, and hang up the hanging at the
court gate.”
40:9.
“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.”
40:10.
“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.”
40:11.
“And thou shalt anoint the laver and his foot, and sanctify it.”
40:12.
“And thou shalt bring Aaron and his sons unto the door of the tabernacle of
the congregation, and wash them with water.”
40:13.
“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.”
40:14.
“And thou shalt bring his sons, and clothe them with coats:”
40:15.
“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.”
40:16.
“Thus did Moses: according to all that the Lord commanded him, so did he.”
40:17.
“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.”
40:18.
“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.”
40:19.
“And he spread abroad the tent over the tabernacle, and put the covering of
the tent above upon it; as the Lord commanded Moses”
40:20.
“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:”
40:21.
“And he brought the ark into the tabernacle, and set up the veil of the
covering, and covered the ark of the testimony; as the Lord commanded
Moses.”
40:22.
“And he put the table in the tent of the congregation, upon the side of the
tabernacle northward, without the vail.”
40:23.
“And he set the bread in order upon it before the Lord; as the Lord
commanded Moses.”
40:24.
“And he put the candlestick in the tent of the congregation, over against
the Table, on the side of the tabernacle southward.”
40:25.
“And he lighted the lamps before the Lord; as the Lord commanded Moses.”
40:26.
“And he put the golden altar in the tent of the congregation before the
veil: “
40:27.
“And he burnt sweet incense thereon; as the Lord commanded Moses.”
40:28.
“And he set up the hanging at the door of the tabernacle.”
40:29.
“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 meat
(meal) offering; as the Lord commanded Moses.”
40:30.
“And he set the laver between the tent of the congregation and the altar,
and put water there, to wash withal.”
40:31.
“And Moses and Aaron and his sons washed their hands and their feet
thereat:”
40:32.
“When they went into the tent of the congregation, and when they came near
unto the altar, they washed; as the Lord commanded Moses.”
40:33.
“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.”
40:34.
“Then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of the
Lord filled the tabernacle.”
40:35.
“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.”
40:36.
“And when the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the children of
Israel went onward in all their journeys:”
40:37.
“But if the cloud were not taken up, then they journeyed not till the day
that it was taken up.”
40:38.
“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.”
The pillar of
cloud by day, and of fire by night, symbols of the Divine presence guiding
His redeemed people through all the years in the wilderness, is a symbolic
picture of God’s dwelling in the midst of His people today through the Holy
Spirit who resides in each believer, guiding them through the desert of this
present evil world, on their way home to heaven. Since His guidance today
is given in the Scriptures it is imperative that we study them diligently
and obey them.
Since the
material in this closing chapter has been discussed in those preceding,
there is no need to repeat it here, so this brief examination of Exodus is
concluded with the prayer that the study of it may afford the reader as much
pleasure as its preparation has the writer, and that it will encourage him
or her to yield the same obedience as did he whose submission is declared in
the repeated “as the Lord commanded Moses.”