Wednesday: God’s Presence in the Tabernacle
Daily Lesson for Wednesday 24th of September 2025
Read Exodus 40:1-38. How did the Israelites discern God’s presence?
The final chapter of Exodus (Exodus 40:1-38) describes the dedication of the tabernacle and the gift of the Decalogue. The tabernacle’s dedication was the culminating event of Israel at Sinai.
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God’s glory is His holiness, His character, and His loving presence, which is goodness itself (Exodus 3:5; Exodus 33:18-19). His presence filled the tabernacle and was visible as the cloud, the Shekinah glory. The book of Exodus ends with the emphasis on God’s guiding presence, in the cloud of the Lord by day, and in the cloud of fire by night. In a very real and powerful way, the Hebrew people were to experience not just the reality of God but also His close and abiding presence as He led them.
Moses set up the tabernacle on the first day of the first month in the second year (Exodus 40:2,17). He also consecrated everything—including Aaron and his sons to the priesthood (Exodus 40:9,13-15)—with anointing oil. He went through the Most Holy Place, the Holy Place, and the courtyard, dedicating it all to the Lord. Through this process, he inaugurated the services for the whole sanctuary (also see Numbers 7:1). Only during the inauguration of the tabernacle was Moses able to enter the Most Holy Place; thereafter, the high priest alone could minister there each year on the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16:2,17).
On three occasions, the biblical text states that the work was finished: (1) at the end of Creation week, God underlines the completion of His creative works (Genesis 2:1-3); (2) on the completion of the tabernacle, the biblical text declares: “So Moses finished the work” (Exodus 40:33); and (3) it also is expressed when Solomon finished the work on the temple (1 Kings 7:51).
This connection between the Creation and Israel’s sanctuary points to the cosmic dimension, the time when the Lord will dwell with the redeemed on the new earth in the New Jerusalem, which is “the Tabernacle of God” (Revelation 21:2-3; compare with Revelation 22:1-4).
God’s filling the tabernacle with His presence (Exodus 40:34) was the grand climax to events that began with the birth of Moses and continued with the defeat of the Egyptian gods during the 10 plagues, with the escape from Egypt, with the defeat of the Egyptian army, and, finally, with God’s revelation on Mount Sinai.
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What are ways that, even now, you can experience the presence of God? Why is it important that you do so? |
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Graduation ceremonies are great occassions and if you have been a graduate you probably enjoyed the experience; walking the aisle of the Great Hall to trumpet fanfares, listening to the speaker with some age-old wisdom, receiving your testamur, marching out past the huge crowd containing friends and family members who are proud of pushing you to the limits of your academic ability, and followed by a celebratory meal with family and supervisor. Then, its all over, and reality kicks in.
In many places, graduation ceremonies are called commencement ceremonies. This is not just a matter of semantics; the term “commencement” is used for a significant reason. Graduation is not the conclusion, but rather the start of a new chapter in your life.
The dedication of the Sanctuary was graced by the presence of God, attended by the nation of Israel. They had left Egypt, listened to God at Sinai, and together had built a sanctuary using their finest possessions and skills. And in the process they took the Ten Commandments on the tablets of stone and put them in a box in a room where they were quite possibly never looked at again.
For the Children of Israel, this was their spiritual graduation, their commencement. God wanted them to put their education into practice. The law written on stone was to be inscribed into their hearts and make a difference in their worship, their relationship with one another, and their interaction with their enemies.
How many prophets does it take to tell a nation that they got it wrong?
Listen to Isaiah's description:
Isaiah doesn't leave them without hope:
In our twenty-first-century Christianity, are we ready for commencement?