What Does Exodus 40 Mean?: God's Presence Comes Home

A Step-by-Step Guide to Welcoming God's Presence

Exodus 40 unfolds like the final assembly of the most important structure ever built. The scene is the Israelite camp at the base of Mount Sinai, one year after their departure from Egypt. God gives Moses the final go-ahead, and we watch as he meticulously puts everything in its proper place, preparing a home for God in the heart of the nation.

The Divine 'How-To' Manual  (Exodus 40:1-15)

¹ Then the Lord said to Moses:
² On the first day of the first month you shall erect the tabernacle of the tent of meeting.
³ Then you shall put the ark of the testimony in it and screen the ark with the veil.
⁴ And you shall bring in the table and arrange it, and you shall bring in the lampstand and set up its lamps.
⁵ And you shall set the altar of gold for the incense before the ark of the testimony, and set up the screen for the door of the tabernacle.
⁶ And you shall set the altar of burnt offering before the entrance of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting, and place the basin between the tent of meeting and the altar, and put water in it.
⁷ And you shall set the basin between the tent of meeting and the altar, and put water in it.
⁸ And you shall set up the court all around, and hang up the screen for the gate of the court.
⁹ Then you shall take the anointing oil and anoint the tabernacle and all that is in it, and consecrate it and all its furniture, so that it may become holy.
¹⁰ You shall anoint the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, and consecrate the altar, so that the altar may become most holy.
¹¹ And you shall anoint the basin and its stand, and consecrate it.
¹² Then you shall bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance of the tent of meeting and shall wash them with water.
¹³ And put the holy garments on Aaron, and anoint him and consecrate him, that he may serve me as priest.
¹⁴ He put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark to carry the ark.
¹⁵ and anoint them, as you anointed their father, that they may serve me as priests. And their anointing shall admit them to a perpetual priesthood throughout their generations."

Faithful in Every Detail  (Exodus 40:16-33)

¹⁶ This Moses did; according to all that the Lord commanded him, so he did.
¹⁷ In the first month in the second year, on the first day of the month, the tabernacle was erected.
¹⁸ Moses erected the tabernacle. He laid its bases, and set up its frames, and put in its poles, and raised up its pillars.
¹⁹ He spread the tent over the tabernacle and put the covering of the tent over it, as the Lord had commanded Moses.
²⁰ He took the testimony and put it into the ark, and put the poles on the ark and set the mercy seat above on the ark.
²¹ And he brought the ark into the tabernacle and set up the veil of the screen, and screened the ark of the testimony, as the Lord had commanded Moses.
²² He put the table in the tent of meeting, on the north side of the tabernacle, outside the veil,
²³ And he set the bread in order on it before the Lord, as the Lord had commanded Moses.
²⁴ He put the lampstand in the tent of meeting, opposite the table on the south side of the tabernacle.
²⁵ And he set the lampstand in the tent of meeting, opposite the table on the south side of the tabernacle.
²⁶ And he put the golden altar in the tent of meeting before the veil,
²⁷ and burned fragrant incense on it, as the Lord had commanded Moses.
²⁸ Thus all the work of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting was finished, and the people of Israel did according to all that the Lord had commanded Moses; so they did.
²⁹ And he set the altar of burnt offering at the entrance of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting, and offered on it the burnt offering and the grain offering, as the Lord had commanded Moses.
³⁰ He set the basin between the tent of meeting and the altar, and put water in it for washing, with which Moses and Aaron and his sons washed their hands and their feet.
³¹ And Moses and Aaron and his sons washed their hands and their feet there,
³² When they went into the tent of meeting, and when they approached the altar, they washed, as the Lord commanded Moses.
³³ And he erected the court around the tabernacle and the altar, and set up the screen of the gate of the court. So Moses finished the work.

The Glory of the Lord Arrives  (Exodus 40:34-35)

³⁴ Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.
³⁵ 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.

A Guide for the Road Ahead  (Exodus 40:36-38)

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.