God With Us!

# 39 2025 Dev. Ex.40:33. God With Us! Read all of chapter forty first. We invite you into God’s space, to read His Word, to think on and interact with. This is God’s Story. Do you believe that this may also be part of our story, in our time? All passages are taken from the NIV.

Ex. 40:33 “Then Moses set up the courtyard around the tabernacle and altar and put up the curtainat the entrance to the courtyard. And so Moses finished the work.”

Ex.40 This last chapter of Exudes is the culmination of God with his people, starting with Abraham until now, all his descendants, God’s physical presence directing their travel and directing their way to the promised land. God is now directing the new Israel, the church, to the New Heaven and the New Earth, that is for-shadowed here in this chapter.

Vs.1-5 Moses assembles the Tabernacle and places the ark of the covenant-restoration and God’s mercy. The table of showbread-God’s presence, and communion, the alter of incense-the prayers of the people and the lampstand-the eternal Light of God in all creation.  

Vs.6-8 Moses sets up the basin, and the alter of burnt offering, with the basin between the tabernacle and the alter. The alter of sacrifice being the first means of access to God. Repentance is first, then baptism, then full fellowship in Jesus. Some commentators see a cross in the arrangement in the furniture of the tabernacle. The alter of burnt offering lines up with the basin and the alter of incense, the table of the presence to the north and the lampstand to the south of the alter of incense and the Ark to the west. A cross? That all seems plausible but it is speculation.

Vs.9-33 God ordered Moses to anoint the tabernacle and everything in it, all the furniture, the basin and the alter of sacrifice, so that all of it would be holy. Also anoint Aaron and his sons to consecrate them for service to God for generations to come. All that God had commanded was accomplished, everything was put into place. “Then Moses set up the courtyard around the tabernacle and altar and put up the curtain at the entrance to the courtyard. And so Moses finished the work.

Vs.34-38 “Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. Moses could not enter the tent of meeting because the cloud had settled on it, and the gloryof the Lord filled the tabernacle.” It stayed on the Tabernacle by day and was lit by fire at night. It indicated when to move and when to stop and which way to go. Truly God with them. Also with us by the power of the Holy Spirit in us, thank God!

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