There Is A Problem In The Last Verses of Exodus

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Exodus 40:34-38

34 Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. 35 And Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. 36 Throughout all their journeys, whenever the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the people of Israel would set out. 37 But if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not set out till the day that it was taken up. 38 For the cloud of the Lord was on the tabernacle by day, and fire was in it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel throughout all their journeys.

 
 

We’ve been reading Exodus for six months. Forty chapters! We’ve read:

· How the children of Israel were enslaved by Pharaoh;
· How Moses was spared by the Lord and then sent by the Lord to lead His people to freedom;
· How the Lord sent the plagues and brought judgment on the so-called gods of Egypt;
· How the Lord delivered His people through the Passover and the Red Sea;
· How He brought them to Mount Sinai to commission them as His representatives to the nations;
· How He made a covenant with them and gave them the Ten Commandments and the Law;
· How the Lord instructed the people to build the tabernacle so He could dwell in their midst;
· How the people rebelled and worshipped the golden calf;
· How the Lord remained faithful to His covenant;
· How Moses led the people to finally construct the tabernacle,
· And how on New Year’s Day it was finally completed, one year after they left Egypt!

And then, finally, the glory of the Lord fills the tabernacle!

Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. [Exodus 40:34]

And then we read this astonishing verse:

And Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. [Exodus 40:35]

After all that, Moses is unable to enter the tent! Why?

Well, we’ll have to read on to the next book of the Torah, Leviticus, which explains how to properly worship the Lord.

Here, the reason Moses is unable to enter the tent once the glory of God has come in the midst of the people is because of their sin. They still aren’t ready to come close to the Lord. Though Moses on his own has been communing with the Lord, when he is in the midst of Israel their sin makes it impossible for him to enter the Lord’s presence.

How can people enter the Lord’s presence?

We’ll have to read on to find out, but ultimately the story of the Old Testament is that the Lord himself will have to pay the price and reconcile people back to Him. Jesus is the way that we enter the presence of God.

For six months we have been reading through Exodus. There are many lessons that I’ve learned through our study, but today perhaps the most important one for me is that the Lord is at work in the world, rescuing and shaping men and women to be His representatives to the nations. He has given us what we need and there is work for us to do.

In the end, everything will be okay.
If it’s not okay, then it’s not the end.
And if it’s not the end, then the Lord still has work for us to do.

Let’s GO.

 

Pick up your Summer of Prayer Guide now!

 

NOTE: I will not be sending out daily readings until we begin Romans on Monday, August 19. In the mean time, I personally am going to continue reading one psalm a day, every day. Here’s the schedule going forward:

6/22/24

Psalm 140

6/23/24

Psalm 141

6/24/24

Psalm 142

6/25/24

Psalm 143

6/26/24

Psalm 144

6/27/24

Psalm 145

6/28/24

Psalm 146

6/29/24

Psalm 147

6/30/24

Psalm 148

7/1/24

Psalm 149

7/2/24

Psalm 150

7/3/24

Psalm 1

7/4/24

Psalm 2

7/5/24

Psalm 3

7/6/24

Psalm 4

7/7/24

Psalm 5

7/8/24

Psalm 6

7/9/24

Psalm 7

7/10/24

Psalm 8

7/11/24

Psalm 9

7/12/24

Psalm 10

7/13/24

Psalm 11

7/14/24

Psalm 12

7/15/24

Psalm 13

7/16/24

Psalm 14

7/17/24

Psalm 15

7/18/24

Psalm 16

7/19/24

Psalm 17

7/20/24

Psalm 18

7/21/24

Psalm 19

7/22/24

Psalm 20

7/23/24

Psalm 21

7/24/24

Psalm 22

7/25/24

Psalm 23

7/26/24

Psalm 24

7/27/24

Psalm 25

7/28/24

Psalm 26

7/29/24

Psalm 27

7/30/24

Psalm 28

7/31/24

Psalm 29

8/1/24

Psalm 30

8/2/24

Psalm 31

8/3/24

Psalm 32

8/4/24

Psalm 33

8/5/24

Psalm 34

8/6/24

Psalm 35

8/7/24

Psalm 36

8/8/24

Psalm 37

8/9/24

Psalm 38