God is with you (Exo 35-40)

God is with you

Exodus 40:1-38
Key verse 40:38

One of the greetings we Christians use frequently is “God be with you.” I think that is a most encouraging greeting. It is nice to have someone who can be with you when you are in need. You are lucky if you have someone who is always with you. But it is much blessed to have God, who is always with you. So I encourage you to say more often to your sisters and brothers, “God be with you.” Now I would like to ask you, “What does it mean exactly that God is with you? What is God’s purpose in being with us?” Today I pray that you and I can feel his presence with us, and always follow him and walk with him all the way to the end of our life.

Israel’s idol worship was such a disaster that it could have vacated the covenant with God and everything. However, God reinstituted the covenant with them, which was his one-sided mercy and grace. In the rest of the book of Exodus, Israel built the tabernacle as God commanded and God finally dwelt among them as he desired. (25:8-9) The final chapters of the book of Exodus (35-40) describe the preparation (35:1–36:7), construction (36:8–39:43), and assembling of the tabernacle (40:1–38). Today’s passage is about the assembling of the tabernacle, which is comprised of three parts: God commanded Moses to set up the tabernacle (1-15), Moses executed God’s commands (16-33), and God filled the tabernacle with his glory (34-38).

40 Then the Lord said to Moses: 2 “Set up the tabernacle, the tent of meeting, on the first day of the first month.

After the tabernacles and all the articles were made, God commanded Moses to set them up. It was the first day of the first month, exactly one year after they got out of Egypt. Here is his command on how to set up the tabernacle.

3 Place the ark of the covenant law in it and shield the ark with the curtain. 4 Bring in the table and set out what belongs on it. Then bring in the lampstand and set up its lamps. 5 Place the gold altar of incense in front of the ark of the covenant law and put the curtain at the entrance to the tabernacle. 6 “Place the altar of burnt offering in front of the entrance to the tabernacle, the tent of meeting; 7 place the basin between the tent of meeting and the altar and put water in it. 8 Set up the courtyard around it and put the curtain at the entrance to the courtyard.

They first should set up the tabernacle and fill it with the articles belonging to it as follows.

·         Place the ark of the covenant law in it and shield the ark with the curtain.

·         Bring in the table and set out what belongs on it.

·         Bring in the lampstand and set up its lamps.

·         Place the gold altar of incense in front of the ark of covenant.

·         Put the curtain at the entrance to the tabernacle.

And then they should place other articles as follows.

·         Place the altar of burnt offering in front of the entrance to the tabernacle.

·         Place the basin between the tent of meeting and the altar and put water in it.

·         Set up the courtyard around it and put the curtain at the entrance to the courtyard.

God gave Moses the instructions on how they were to be set up and in what order. The tabernacle was the first to be set up, and then the ark of the covenant law was to be placed in it and then the others from the inside out.

After the tabernacle and the articles were set up, Aaron and his sons should be consecrated to minister in the tabernacle. The consecration involved sacrifice offering, washing with water, wearing the priest garments, and anointing with oil. (Ch. 29)

How did Moses carry out God’s command then?

16 Moses did everything just as the Lord commanded him.

Moses executed God’s command exactly according to God’s instructions. The following verses (40:17-33) show in detail how Moses obeyed God’s command. He set up and placed them in the order God instructed. What is noticeable here is that whenever each item was set up, the phrase “as the LORD commanded him” appears at the end, eight times in total (19, 21, 23, 25, 27, 29, 32). The same phrase or the equivalent also appears eight times in chapter 39 as well when the priestly garments were made and Moses inspected the tabernacle. All this highlighted Moses’ and the people’s thorough obedience. They did not neglect any details or add to or subtract from it. For instance, 36:10-13 showed how thoroughly they made the curtain in the tabernacle according to the detailed instructions.

¹⁰ They joined five of the curtains together and did the same with the other five. ¹¹ Then they made loops of blue material along the edge of the end curtain in one set, and the same was done with the end curtain in the other set. ¹² They also made fifty loops on one curtain and fifty loops on the end curtain of the other set, with the loops opposite each other. ¹³ Then they made fifty gold clasps and used them to fasten the two sets of curtains together so that the tabernacle was a unit.

When the Israelites had done all the work, Moses inspected the work and saw that they had done it just as the Lord had commanded. So Moses blessed them. (39:43) What did this mean?

The people’s strict obedience to God’s commands demonstrated their repentance of their sin with the golden calf and their respect for and fear of God. Without their strict obedience, the tabernacle would have not been made acceptable and pleasing to God.

Last Friday, I had a pre-drywall walk through for my new house. The project manager showed me what was done so far and how they were constructed according to our contract and the housing codes of the city. The project manager said that to complete a house it needs several different kinds of inspections, including the walk through with the buyer. If the developer fails any of those inspections, the house cannot be delivered and the buyer cannot live there, which makes the buyer unhappy. Then, how much more with God if the tabernacle failed to meet the requirements God had set. It would be impossible for God to dwell in the tabernacle if it were not made as he commanded.

Likewise, to please God, it is necessary to obey his word absolutely without any compromise. If you do so, God will bless you and you will truly experience his grace. One of the hot news in US today is that a Kentucky clerk, Kim Davis, was jailed because she refused to issue marriage licenses to gay couples. She said that she could not sacrifice her conscience as Christian despite the Supreme Court ruling legalizing same-sex marriage. Under the enormous pressure, her deputies issued marriage licenses to gay couples. But Kim Davis is not willing to comply. Rather, she wants to be in jail, doing Bible studies. This is very encouraging and challenging news to many Christians. The biggest problem with modern Christians is that they follow God’s word selectively according to their needs and situations. Many churches do not preach the gospel of Christ not to offend people. If you do so, you will never please God and see him. We must not add to or subtract from his word for our needs. Instead, we must absolutely and thoroughly follow God’s word in the fear of God. Then God will be happy to be with you and bless you in all the aspects of your life.

When The Israelites set up the tabernacle in obedience to God, what happened?

34 Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. 35 Moses could not enter the tent of meeting because the cloud had settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.

When the tabernacle was set up and all others were placed as God commanded. God was happy with it and then the cloud covered the tent of meeting. The cloud referred to God’s presence. (19:16-18) When he was present, his glory filled the tabernacle. It was so glorious that even Moses could not enter the tabernacle.

It is interesting to see how God had shown his glory to Israel over time. God showed them his glory but at a distance while they stayed in the desert. (16:12) And then when he was about to make a covenant with them, he appeared to the Israelites on Mount Sinai, but they were not allowed to come to him. (19:16-18) And then they saw the cloud at the entrance to the tent of meeting, which was set up just outside the camp, when he spoke with Moses. (33:7,9) And now he dwelt in the tabernacle, which was set up in the middle of the camp. As we can see, God came closer to the Israelites over time and he finally dwelt among them so that they could see and feel God’s presence among them.

What was the significance of this event? As God said in 25:8-9, God told them to make a tabernacle so that he could dwell among them. We can see God’s desire to somehow be with his people despite the barrier in-between due to the sins. Finally, God came to man. He came to man first because we could not come to him due to our sins. His presence with his people showed that he eventually would be with man and would restore his relationship with them. This was truly an amazing event in man’s history. “God is with man!” What else can be more shocking and amazing and gracious than this? His dwelling among the Israelites eventually looked forward to his coming to man in flesh, which was accomplished through Jesus.

So, Matthew said in 1:23, “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).“ And John said in 1:14, “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

John further developed the idea of God’s being with man in John 14:20: “On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.” Through Jesus, now God is in us and we are in him. In other words, God and we believers are bound together and has become one. He is our God and king, and we are his so that we may be holy as he is holy. (Lev 11:44; Rev 21:3) Changing us into his holy people was God’s ultimate purpose, which has been accomplished through Jesus. For him to be with us, however, he had to sacrifice himself. He came in flesh and died for our sins, which was the only way we can be forgiven and changed holy like him. That is the purpose of “God is with us.” And that is why Jesus’ coming is the good news of great joy for all the people. (Luke 2:10)

Now God was among the Israelites. By seeing God’s presence among them, the Israelites could have firm confidence in God and come closer to him and live before him. What did God do among them?

36 In all the travels of the Israelites, whenever the cloud lifted from above the tabernacle, they would set out; 37 but if the cloud did not lift, they did not set out—until the day it lifted. 38 So the cloud of the Lord was over the tabernacle by day, and fire was in the cloud by night, in the sight of all the Israelites during all their travels.

God would lead the Israelites to the land of promise as he promised to their forefathers (Gen 26:3-428:13-14; 17:7-8) and to them (Ex 3:8,17; 13:5). In the land, he wanted to establish his kingdom through the Israelites so that he might be their God forever. (Ex 6:6-8; 19:5-6) But it would be a long journey to get there. The road to the land was tough and dangerous. They would face harsh environment, harmful animals, diseases, hostile peoples, etc. So, God went ahead of them by the cloud for about 40 years until they entered the land of promise. When the cloud lifted from above the tabernacle, the Israelites set out. But if the cloud did not lift, they stayed there until the day it lifted. The cloud of the LORD was over the tabernacle by day and fire was in the cloud by night so that all the Israelites could see God’s presence with them and his guidance for them.

They did not know where to stay and how long. Sometimes, the cloud stayed one day or a month and at some place it stayed there for a year. (Num 9:15-23) They had no idea when and where to travel. And it was very difficult to travel in the desert. But all they could do was just follow the cloud of God. There were many problems and difficulties on the way. The book of Numbers describes what happened during their travels. The Israelites did not always obey and thank God. They frequently grumbled, disobeyed, and rebelled against God. Regardless, God led them faithfully until they entered the land following with milk and honey. Deut 1:30-33 read,

³⁰ The Lord your God, who is going before you, will fight for you, as he did for you in Egypt, before your very eyes, ³¹ and in the wilderness. There you saw how the Lord your God carried you, as a father carries his son, all the way you went until you reached this place.” ³² In spite of this, you did not trust in the Lord your God, ³³ who went ahead of you on your journey, in fire by night and in a cloud by day, to search out places for you to camp and to show you the way you should go.

By leading them by the cloud during their travels, God showed his faithfulness to his promise. He protected them and provided for them as a farther does for his son. He went ahead of them to direct them and search out for places for them to camp. As such, God was with them and dwelt among them.

The same God is also leading us in the same way and for the same purpose. He is with us through the Holy Spirit. He is leading us to his kingdom. However, our journey to his kingdom is not always easy and smooth. We believers are not free from troubles because we live among unbelieving people. There are a lot of bumps and humps on our road to the kingdom of God. As aforementioned, Kim Davis is suffering because her faith in God. But thankfully, God does not only save us from our sins but also is with us to help us come to his kingdom safely. He does not say, “Go this way. I will see you over there. Good bye!” Instead, he says, “ I am with you now. I am leading you. I will be with you all the way.” No matter what happens, he will protect us and provide for us and lead us to his kingdom. So, we should not be discouraged or fear. God is always with us and uses our sufferings for our good. (Rom 8:29) God is leading us to his kingdom without fail. Here is a famous poem, titled “footprints in the sand.”

One night I dreamed a dream.
As I was walking along the beach with my Lord.
Across the dark sky flashed scenes from my life.
For each scene, I noticed two sets of footprints in the sand,
One belonging to me and one to my Lord.

After the last scene of my life flashed before me,
I looked back at the footprints in the sand.
I noticed that at many times along the path of my life,
especially at the very lowest and saddest times,
there was only one set of footprints.

This really troubled me, so I asked the Lord about it.
"Lord, you said once I decided to follow you,
You'd walk with me all the way.
But I noticed that during the saddest and most troublesome times of my life,
there was only one set of footprints.
I don't understand why, when I needed You the most, You would leave me."

He whispered, "My precious child, I love you and will never leave you
Never, ever, during your trials and testings.
When you saw only one set of footprints,
It was then that I carried you."

Even though we have difficulties on earth, we praise God because he is always with us and goes ahead of us to his kingdom. He is our God and we are his people. He is our father and we are his children. He never neglects or forgets us. So, all we have to do is to follow him daily though we do not know what is ahead of us. As the Israelites obeyed God by leaving and staying according to the cloud, we should trust in him and depend on him alone. God is not like iPhone Siri or Windows 10 Cortana, which provides assistance, information and entertainment but never can help us with our life problems. Do not take God as such things. God is not a virtual being. He is real. He has all the answers and solutions to our life problems.

In August, Former president Jimmy Carter announced that he had brain cancer and he would live only a few weeks. However, he said, “I am ready for anything and I’m looking forward to new adventure. It is in the hands of God, whom I worship.” Now he teaches Sunday school in his hometown church. He encourages the crowd who come all the way from many different states to consider God a partner in their lives: “Any time, we can just bow our heads and say, ‘God, I’m really troubled, I ask you to give me strength to bear whatever is on my shoulders and to bear whatever comes to me.” He believes that God has led him so far.

You can also make such a request because God is with you and he is real and he is our Father.

Let’s read verse 38 one more time.

“So the cloud of the Lord was over the tabernacle by day, and fire was in the cloud by night, in the sight of all the Israelites during all their travels.”

This is the conclusion of the book of Exodus. God made a covenant with the Israelites and led them to the land of promise according to the covenant. He led them with the goal that they would be his holy people and he would rule over them in the land. In the same way, God leads believers to his kingdom according to the covenant made through Jesus. As we travel to his kingdom, he will be with us continually, protecting us and providing for us. He is with you now. He lives in you. So we do not lack anything. Just follow his guidance, believing and holding on to his word.

Praise God for his faithfulness to his promises! God be with you all!

By David Yun