Verses 1-2 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 2 On the first day of the first month shalt thou set up the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation.
The tabernacle was to be set up on the first day of the first month and not before or after this day. Why? Because it was on this particular day one year before that God had taken the Hebrew people out of bondage from the nation Egypt. And now on this day the people would be taken out of spiritual bondage. No more false gods like those in Egypt. No more golden calves. Now they would have a visible place where the only true God would show His presence and they would worship the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
Application: The believer would do well to remember that every false religious system has evil spirits or devils behind it. These devils are angels who once inhabited the realm of God and who either rebelled and were cast out from Heaven or who chose to leave on their own. Their entire purpose is to destroy that which God has created, including the people for whom God shed His blood and died on the cross outside of Jerusalem. As such, the believer needs not be afraid of these evil spirits and should not turn a blind eye to what they are doing in the world. The believer is to oppose these spirits through the power of the Holy Ghost/Spirit that dwells in the believer’s body.
Egypt was full of devils in their government, in their religious system, in their educational system, and in many other aspects of Egyptian life. By isolating the Hebrew people in the desert and placing them under the righteous leadership of Moses and Aaron, God was retraining them to follow Him only and the system He was creating for them. That is why believers are not to neglect gathering with other believers. The evil in this fallen world can easily rub off onto the believer, and by meeting with fellow believers and by studying the Word, the believer can insulate himself/herself from the influence of the devils that control so many of the systems in the world today.
Verse 3 And thou shalt put therein the ark of the testimony, and cover the ark with the vail.
A testimony is a witness to something, evidence or proof. The ark was to hold the proof of God’s covenant with the Hebrew people. Notice however that the ark was separated from the public by a vail or curtain. The high priest could access the ark behind the vail, but the people were separated from it. Why? Because although it represented an agreement between God and His people, it also represented the separation of man from God because of their sin. Until the sacrificial death of the LORD Jesus Christ on the cross, all mankind had a barrier between them and God. But under the New Covenant, that barrier has been removed and each believer lives and dwells with and in the presence of God through His Holy Ghost/Spirit. No longer is a high priest necessary to act as a mediator between God and man. Jesus was and is the high priest and He lives in each believer and each believer lives spiritually in Him. Although this may be a hard concept to grasp, it is true. Research it for yourself.
Application: Any religious institution or “church” that operates with priests that teach that they are the ones who can interact with the God of the universe on behalf of the believer is false. Under the New Covenant and in the New Testament church there are no priests acting in the capacity of Aaron and his descendants. There are only elders who act as Deacons or Pastors. Sorry if this offends all my Catholic brothers and sisters for example, but the Word of God is true and does not lie. Read the book of Acts which chronicles the early Christian church and research it for yourself. The temple system of the Hebrews became corrupt. The priests became corrupt. This will be shown as this study progresses. Today’s religious systems have also been corrupted. By making it the responsibility of each believer to live with and in the presence of the Holy Ghost/Spirit, that corruption can be stopped. Think about it
Verse 4 And 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.
God is a god of order. He ordered the universe and everything in it. He orders the lives of His people. So of course He had a specific order in which He wanted Moses to set up the tabernacle and this order included the placing of all the furniture and the placing of the things that went on the furniture such as the table in the verse above.
Verse 5 And 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.
Remember that this altar was not for a blood sacrifice but was to hold the burning incense that was to fill the tabernacle with a sweet and pleasant fragrance.
Verses 6-7 And thou shalt set the altar of the burnt offering before the door of the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation. 7 And thou shalt set the laver between the tent of the congregation and the altar, and shalt put water therein.
The laver and altar for the burnt sacrifices was outside the tabernacle itself. So the animals killed for the sins of the people were pointing to the sacrifice of the final Lamb of God, the LORD Jesus Christ, who was killed outside of the city of Jerusalem.
Verse 8 And thou shalt set up the court round about, and hang up the hanging at the court gate.
The court would be set up after all the other parts of the tabernacle as listed above as it went around the tent and separated the tabernacle from the camp of the people.
Verses 9-11 And 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. 10 And 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. 11 And thou shalt anoint the laver and his foot, and sanctify it.
This was a specially made anointing oil that was to be used for the ministry of the tabernacle only. The oil would be smeared upon each item, making it separate and holy in the sight of God.
Verses 12-13 And thou shalt bring Aaron and his sons unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and wash them with water. 13 And 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.
Like the inanimate objects that were anointed with oil, Aaron and his priest sons needed to be anointed so that they would be separate and holy to the LORD. But before that could happen, they had to wash themselves and be clean before the LORD.
Application: Today, believers, when converted, are washed spiritually in the blood of Jesus so that their sins can be forgiven and washed away in the eyes of the LORD. Then they are filled with the Holy Ghost/Spirit which is an anointing like that done to Aaron and his sons. Instead of physical oil being poured or smeared on each believer, the Holy Spirit/Ghost indwells them and they are then separate and holy in the sight of God.
Verses 14-16 And thou shalt bring his sons, and clothe them with coats: 15 And 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. 16 Thus did Moses: according to all that the LORD commanded him, so did he.
Application: Just as Aaron, his sons, and their descendants were given an everlasting priesthood, believers are also given an everlasting priesthood today. Each individual believer is to function as the godly priests did in Old Testament times. The priests took care of the tabernacle and later the temple. They brought the words of the LORD to the people and instructed them to obey the commandments and statutes of the LORD as given to Moses when in the wilderness. They diagnosed diseases and told the people what to do to be healed. So each believer is to take care of the tabernacle or temple which today is the people of God and not a building. Each believer is to, “go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” Mark 16:15 Furthermore, each believer is to, “heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils (because) freely ye have received, freely give.” Mathew 10:8 “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:” 1 Peter 2:9
Verses 17-19 And 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. 18 And 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. 19 And he spread abroad the tent over the tabernacle, and put the covering of the tent above upon it; as the LORD commanded Moses.
The Hebrew calendar started on the day they left Egypt. Often calendars were kept based on the rule and reign of a king. So historians and scholars can be wrong when trying to pinpoint an event as the calendars could change depending on the events occurring in the lives of the people.
Verses 20-21 And 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: 21 And 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.
The ark with its mercy seat would have been in the far west end of the tabernacle. The tabernacle entrance would have been at the far east end of the tabernacle.
Verses 22-23 And he put the table in the tent of the congregation, upon the side of the tabernacle northward, without the vail. 23 And he set the bread in order upon it before the LORD; as the LORD had commanded Moses.
This writer believes that when the tabernacle was set up at the different camp sites along the way to the land of promise, it was oriented to north, south, east and west. The priests would enter in the east door and travel west to the veil separating the ark and to the lamps and table and incense altar that had to be cared for each day.
Verses 24-25 And he put the candlestick in the tent of the congregation, over against the table, on the side of the tabernacle southward. 25 And he lighted the lamps before the LORD; as the LORD commanded Moses.
The lamps were not to go out, but to burn constantly as long as the tabernacle was located in one place.
Application: Every believer is to be a light in a dark world. What does that mean exactly? Just as the lamps in the tabernacle lighted the dark interior so that the priest could function and minister, so every believer should demonstrate the love of Christ living in them to the unbelieving world so that others will see the difference and want to have what the believer has. Every believer is to be different enough from the social, religious and political world norm that others notice and wonder why that is so. The believer should present the character of Christ so that the unbeliever wants to have the same presence in their life. The believer should demonstrate the peace of God in their life so that those in turmoil will see that peace and want the same in their life.
Application: The character of Satan is such that he wants to be God, very God, and because he is not, he mimics the things of the one true God. The flames of the lamps and candlestick were never to go out when the tabernacle was erected. Can you think of an organization today that has an “eternal flame” that supposedly never goes out?
Verses 26-27 And he put the golden altar in the tent of the congregation before the vail: 27 And he burnt sweet incense thereon; as the LORD commanded Moses.
This incense altar was to be a continual process so that there was always a fragrance in the tabernacle going up to Heaven.
Verses 28-29 And he set up the hanging at the door of the tabernacle. 29 And 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.
Various burnt offerings were part of the religious life of the Hebrew people, and these will be discussed in future chapters.
Verses 30-32 And he set the laver between the tent of the congregation and the altar, and put water there, to wash withal. 31 And Moses and Aaron and his sons washed their hands and their feet thereat: 32 When they went into the tent of the congregation, and when they came near unto the altar, they washed; as the LORD commanded Moses.
This washing ritual may have been necessary as the wilderness was a place of dirt, rocks and sand. However, it also represented a type of baptism in that the priests were symbolically washing away the sin in their lives so that they could have their hearts right before God as they ministered to Him and to the people.
Verse 33 And 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.
One can only imagine how Moses felt as the work he had started for the LORD that had its beginnings in the mountain was finally completed. It must have been a great moment of triumph, not only for Moses, but for all the artisans and workers that had been engaged in this project.
Verses 34-35 Then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. 35 And 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.
This writer in not sure that the glory of the LORD written about in the verses above has been experienced or is understood by the church today. This writer has never seen a cloud descend upon any church building that has been attended and has never heard a sermon given by a pastor on the glory of the LORD. However, it must have been visible, experienced by the people, and absolutely marvelous.
Application: The glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. Today, each believer makes up the tabernacle or temple of the LORD. At conversion, the believer is anointed and set apart by the Holy Ghost of Jesus and is filled up with His presence just as the tabernacle of Old was filled up with His presence. Pretty amazing don’t you think?
Verses 36-38 And when the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the children of Israel went onward in all their journeys: 37 But if the cloud were not taken up, then they journeyed not till the day that it was taken up. 38 For 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.
Amazing! They were protected from the heat by day, warmed from the cold by night, and their camp was lighted at night supernaturally.