Exodus 39:1-40:38


The book of Exodus closes with the final steps of the construction of the tabernacle.  The Lord had delivered the people from Egypt, provided for their physical needs, revealed His moral standard and now established the means of worship in the new nation.  Through this process the people have been given an identity and the nation Israel has been formed.  God is so faithful to keep His promises.  Despite the disobedience of the people, God has fulfilled the promises that were made to Abraham four hundred years earlier.  God’s holiness, grace, justice, goodness, love and faithfulness have clearly been demonstrated throughout this narrative.  He has revealed who He is to the people and to us.  The natural response that all men must have to this revelation is to bow before Him and worship.
THE CONSTRUCTION IS COMPLETE: The final stage of the construction process was completed with the making of clothing for the priests.  Every single detail that the Lord reveled was followed and the result was beautiful.  The large structure and the intricate details were all finished to the exact specifications that the Lord had shown to Moses while they were on the mountain.  I am sure that there were some people who were questioning why they were taking so much time to build this tabernacle that would just have to be carried from place to place instead of just marching straight on to the Promised Land.  I believe that this provides us with a clear demonstration of the priority that God places on worship in the lives of His people.  Worship takes time and effort, but it must always be a prime priority in our lives.
THE STRUCTURE IS SANCTIFIED: Now that all of the parts have been made, the structure was finally set up for the very first time.  Once again, God’s instructions were closely followed.  Now that everything was up and in its proper place, including the priests; Moses takes the oil and he sanctifies the objects as well as the men by anointing them.  They have been set apart for the Lord’s use and dedicated for the purpose of worship amongst the people.  When God calls us to Himself, He sets us apart from the world so that we might be dedicated to worshiping Him.  He anoints us with the Holy Spirit and goes about the process of transforming our lives and purifying us so that our worship will be pleasing to Him.  Each person who has been set aside by God has a consecrated purpose to fulfill in worshiping the Lord.
THE GLORY OF GOD IS GIVEN: God demonstrated that He was pleased with the work by making His presence know in the form of a cloud and a pillar of fire.  After the idolatry in Israel God had told them that He would not go up with them and be in their presence.  Now God’s glory is clearly seen through the act of His glory being revealed in the tabernacle.  God’s presence with His people is vital to the success of any of our efforts.  The people’s willingness to obey God and His word has brought about an astounding change in their relationship with God.  We all long for God’s glory to be evident in our lives.  However, we are often very lazy when it comes to obeying God and worshiping Him the way that He has instructed.  If we want His glory to be evidenced in our lives, we must establish obedience and worship as the central purpose of our existence.

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