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Exodus 40

The Tabernacle Erected and Filled with the Glory of the Lord

The Lord’s glory fills the completed tabernacle, confirming that the holy God will dwell among and guide His redeemed people through ordered worship, consecrated priesthood, and His visible presence.

Chapter Summary

The Lord’s glory fills the completed tabernacle, confirming that the holy God will dwell among and guide His redeemed people through ordered worship, consecrated priesthood, and His visible presence.

Overview

Exodus 40 argues that the goal of redemption is the Lord dwelling among His people. The tabernacle is set up and consecrated according to divine command. The priests are washed, clothed, and anointed for ministry. Moses obeys in every detail. Then the cloud covers the tent and the glory of the Lord fills it. God’s presence is graciously near, yet still holy, since even Moses cannot enter when the glory fills the tabernacle. The chapter closes with divine presence guiding Israel in all their journeys.

Context
Author

Moses

Audience

Israel, the covenant people redeemed from Egypt, restored after the golden calf rebellion, and now receiving the visible confirmation that the Lord will dwell among them.

Setting

At Mount Sinai, after the tabernacle structure, furnishings, courtyard, altar, basin, priestly garments, anointing oil, and incense have been completed and inspected.

The Biblical World

Chapter At A Glance

Chapter Movement

The chapter moves from the Lord’s command to set up the tabernacle on the first day of the first month, to the placement of the ark, veil, table, lampstand, incense altar, altar of burnt offering, basin, courtyard, and entrance curtain, to the anointing and consecration of the tabernacle and priests, to Moses’ careful obedience, and finally to the cloud covering the tent of meeting and the glory of the Lord filling the tabernacle. The book closes with the cloud guiding Israel through all their travels.

Covenant Significance

Exodus 40 is the covenant climax of the book. The Lord has redeemed Israel, entered covenant with them, renewed covenant after rebellion, and now fills the tabernacle with His glory. The tabernacle becomes the center of Israel’s worship and guidance. The Lord’s presence is restored and confirmed, but it remains holy and mediated. The cloud over the tabernacle becomes the visible sign that the covenant God dwells among and leads His people.

Gospel Clarity

Exodus 40 clarifies the gospel by showing that God saves His people in order to dwell with them. Deliverance from Egypt was not the final goal. The final movement of Exodus is the glory of the Lord filling the tabernacle. Yet the tabernacle also shows that sinners need sacrifice, cleansing, priesthood, and mediated access. Christ fulfills all of this. He is God with us, the true tabernacle, the sacrifice, the cleanser, the priest, and the one through whom God’s people will finally dwell with Him forever.

Formation Aim

Reverence, obedience, consecration, dependence, patience, gratitude, worship, and Christ-centered confidence.

Focus Points

  • Tabernacle erected
  • Tent of meeting
  • Ark of the covenant law
  • Atonement cover
  • Veil
  • Table and bread
  • Lampstand and lamps
  • Incense altar
  • Altar of burnt offering
  • Basin
  • Courtyard
  • Anointing oil
  • Consecration
  • Priestly washing
  • Priestly anointing
  • Moses’ obedience
  • Glory of the Lord
  • Cloud
  • Fire
  • Divine guidance
  • God dwelling with His people
  • Redemption unto dwelling
  • Obedience according to command
  • Holy arrangement
  • Consecrated space
  • Consecrated priesthood
  • Sacrifice and cleansing
  • Glory and holiness
  • Presence and guidance
  • Completion
  • Visible assurance
  • Divine Presence
  • Holiness
  • Obedience
  • Priesthood
  • Sacrifice
  • Cleansing
  • Guidance
  • Christological Fulfillment

Cross References

Exodus 25:8
Let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them.
Purpose fulfilled
Exodus 29:45-46
I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will be their God. They shall know that I am Yahweh their God, who brought them out of the land of Egypt, that I might dwell among them: I am Yahweh their God.
Redemption unto dwelling
Exodus 33:14-17
He said, “My presence will go with You, and I will give You rest.” Moses said to Him, “If Your presence doesn’t go with me, don’t carry us up from here. For how would people know that I have found favor in Your sight, I and Your people? Isn’t it that You go with us, so that we are separated, I and Your people, from all the people who are on the surface of...
Presence promised
Leviticus 8:1-36
Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “Take Aaron and His sons with Him, and the garments, and the anointing oil, and the bull of the sin offering, and the two rams, and the basket of unleavened bread; and assemble all the congregation at the door of the Tent of Meeting.”
Priestly consecration continued
Numbers 9:15-23
On the day that the tabernacle was raised up, the cloud covered the tabernacle, even the Tent of the Testimony. At evening it was over the tabernacle, as it were the appearance of fire, until morning. So it was continually. The cloud covered it, and the appearance of fire by night. Whenever the cloud was taken up from over the Tent, then after that the...
Cloud guidance expanded
1 Kings 8:10-11
It came to pass, when the priests had come out of the holy place, that the cloud filled Yahweh’s house, so that the priests could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud; for Yahweh’s glory filled Yahweh’s house.
Temple parallel
John 1:14
The Word became flesh, and lived among us. We saw His glory, such glory as of the one and only Son of the Father, full of grace and truth.
Tabernacle fulfilled
Hebrews 9:11-14
But Christ having come as a high priest of the coming good things, through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation, nor yet through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, entered in once for all into the Holy Place, having obtained eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and...
Greater tabernacle fulfilled
Hebrews 10:19-22
Having therefore, brothers, boldness to enter into the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by the way which He dedicated for us, a new and living way, through the veil, that is to say, His flesh, and having a great priest over God’s house,
Access fulfilled
Revelation 21:3
I heard a loud voice out of heaven saying, “Behold, God’s dwelling is with people, and He will dwell with them, and they will be His people, and God Himself will be with them as their God.
Final dwelling

Passages

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