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Dave Burnette's Commentary

Exodus Chapter 40

Written By: God through Inspiration
Penned By: Moses
Date Penned: (1450-1410 BC)
Overview: The Record of God's Deliverance of Israel (c 1-40)
Theme: Israel at Sinai (c 19-40)
Message: Putting the Tabernacle Together (v 1-38)

Exodus 40 Commentary

(40:1-11)  Moses was careful to obey God's instructions to the smallest detail. Notice that he didn't make a reasonable facsimile of God's description but instead made an exact copy. We should follow Moses' example and be detailed about our obedience. If God has told you to do something, do it, do it right, and do it completely.

(40:12-15) The Lord Chooses Aaron - Why did the Lord select Aaron and his sons to be priests? Selecting an entire family line would greatly reduce the tendency for others to grab for power or control of the priesthood. A person was either a descendant of Aaron or not. All male children born into this family understood from an early age that they would have special duties to perform in the worship of the Lord. This was not because they were superior in some way but because God had chosen their family line for these acts of service.

(40:16) Working Together - God told Moses how to build the tabernacle, and Moses delegated jobs in order to do it. God allows people to participate with him in carrying out his will. Your task is not just to sit and watch God work but to give your best effort when work needs to be done.

(40:17) Simple Tasks have Great Meaning - The physical care of the tabernacle required a long list of tasks, and each was important to the work of God's house. This principle is important to remember today, when God's house is the church. Many seemingly unimportant tasks must be done to keep your Church building maintained. Washing dishes, painting walls, and shoveling snow may not seem very spiritual, but these things are vital to the ministry of the church and play an important role in our worship of God.

(40:34) A Place to Worship - The tabernacle was God's home on earth. He filled it with his glory- the overpowering sense of his presence. Almost 500 years later, Solomon built the temple, which replaced the tabernacle as the central place of worship. God also filled the temple with his glory (2 Chronicles 5:13-14). But when Israel turned from God, his glory and presence departed from the temple, and the building was destroyed by an invading army (2 Kings 25). The temple was rebuilt in 515 BC, and God's glory returned in even greater splendor about five centuries later when Jesus Christ, God's Son, entered it and taught. When Jesus was crucified, God's glory again left the temple. However, God no longer needed a physical building after Jesus rose from the dead. God's temple is now his church, the body of believers.

(40:38) An Applicaton of Exodus - The Israelites were once slaves in Egypt making bricks without straw. But now they were following the pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire, carrying the tabernacle they had built for God. Exodus begins in gloom and ends in glory. This parallels our progress through the Christian life. We begin as slaves to sin, are redeemed by God, and end our pilgrimage living with God forever. The lessons the Israelites learned along the way are ones we also need to learn.


Dave Burnette's Life Application

Apply the Scriptures to Your Life


Each day we walk through the Bible chapter by chapter making an application of our text to help us grow in the Lord. Many applications can be made from each day's text. Today we Continue in the book of Exodus with Chapter 40 and in today's text we conclude the Book of Exodus.In our text today we see the importance of Applying what we receive from the Lord into our Lives. What catches my Eye is the Growth of Moses from Beginning to End of this Great Book. Moses was not a perfect man but he did learn from the instruction of God to become a great role model for you and me. In making applications I see the need to Apply Scripture to Our Lives. Today we have the completed Canon of the Word of God, the Bible. It has all the instructions for all the issues of life. If we are wise, like Moses, we will apply the Scripture to our lives, and in doing so, will reap the benefits of a successful life. How About You? Do you Read and Apply the Bible to Your Life? Let us learn from our text today and the life of Moses to Apply God's Instructions to Our lives so we can live the Abundant Life here on Earth before we meet the Lord one day.

 

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Exodus 40


Exodus 40

 1And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

 2On the first day of the first month shalt thou set up the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation.

 3And thou shalt put therein the ark of the testimony, and cover the ark with the vail.

 4And thou shalt bring in the table, and set in order the things that are to be set in order upon it; and thou shalt bring in the candlestick, and light the lamps thereof.

 5And thou shalt set the altar of gold for the incense before the ark of the testimony, and put the hanging of the door to the tabernacle.

 6And thou shalt set the altar of the burnt offering before the door of the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation.

 7And thou shalt set the laver between the tent of the congregation and the altar, and shalt put water therein.

 8And thou shalt set up the court round about, and hang up the hanging at the court gate.

 9And thou shalt take the anointing oil, and anoint the tabernacle, and all that is therein, and shalt hallow it, and all the vessels thereof: and it shall be holy.

 10And thou shalt anoint the altar of the burnt offering, and all his vessels, and sanctify the altar: and it shall be an altar most holy.

 11And thou shalt anoint the laver and his foot, and sanctify it.

 12And thou shalt bring Aaron and his sons unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and wash them with water.

 13And thou shalt put upon Aaron the holy garments, and anoint him, and sanctify him; that he may minister unto me in the priest's office.

 14And thou shalt bring his sons, and clothe them with coats:

 15And thou shalt anoint them, as thou didst anoint their father, that they may minister unto me in the priest's office: for their anointing shall surely be an everlasting priesthood throughout their generations.

 16Thus did Moses: according to all that the LORD commanded him, so did he.

 17And it came to pass in the first month in the second year, on the first day of the month, that the tabernacle was reared up.

 18And Moses reared up the tabernacle, and fastened his sockets, and set up the boards thereof, and put in the bars thereof, and reared up his pillars.

 19And he spread abroad the tent over the tabernacle, and put the covering of the tent above upon it; as the LORD commanded Moses.

 20And he took and put the testimony into the ark, and set the staves on the ark, and put the mercy seat above upon the ark:

 21And he brought the ark into the tabernacle, and set up the vail of the covering, and covered the ark of the testimony; as the LORD commanded Moses.

 22And he put the table in the tent of the congregation, upon the side of the tabernacle northward, without the vail.

 23And he set the bread in order upon it before the LORD; as the LORD had commanded Moses.

 24And he put the candlestick in the tent of the congregation, over against the table, on the side of the tabernacle southward.

 25And he lighted the lamps before the LORD; as the LORD commanded Moses.

 26And he put the golden altar in the tent of the congregation before the vail:

 27And he burnt sweet incense thereon; as the LORD commanded Moses.

 28And he set up the hanging at the door of the tabernacle.

 29And he put the altar of burnt offering by the door of the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation, and offered upon it the burnt offering and the meat offering; as the LORD commanded Moses.

 30And he set the laver between the tent of the congregation and the altar, and put water there, to wash withal.

 31And Moses and Aaron and his sons washed their hands and their feet thereat:

 32When they went into the tent of the congregation, and when they came near unto the altar, they washed; as the LORD commanded Moses.

 33And he reared up the court round about the tabernacle and the altar, and set up the hanging of the court gate. So Moses finished the work.

 34Then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.

 35And Moses was not able to enter into the tent of the congregation, because the cloud abode thereon, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.

 36And when the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the children of Israel went onward in all their journeys:

 37But if the cloud were not taken up, then they journeyed not till the day that it was taken up.

 38For the cloud of the LORD was upon the tabernacle by day, and fire was on it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys.