The Shadow of Heavenly Glory

Good morning, it's good to be back with you guys.

Whenever you travel, it's nice to come home

and not live out of the suitcase anymore

and sleep on your own bed and stuff,

but even more than that, it's so good to be back

with my church family to worship with you all.

Just from times hearing people pray

during the pre-service prayer

and hearing your singing, worshiping together,

my heart's already full,

and I'm very encouraged from this morning.

For those of you who don't know me, my name is Sean.

I'm one of the pastors of Trinity Cambridge Church,

and if you would please turn with me in your Bibles

to Exodus chapter 39.

Exodus 39 · chapter mention

We will be there for our service this morning.

If you don't have a Bible, please raise your hand.

We'd love to bring you a copy that you can use

and that you can take home with you if you'd like.

We'll be in Exodus 39, starting in verse 32,

going all the way to the end of the book, actually.

We are done with Exodus today.

Exodus 39 to 40.

We're in the, I know some of you guys are probably wondering,

we were in chapter 34 last week,

but we're doing chapters 39 and 40 this week.

That's because we already covered chapters 35 to 39,

which detailed the construction of the tabernacle

along with the instructions that were given

for the construction of the tabernacle

because they repeat each other almost word for word.

And so that's why we're actually not skipping it.

We've already covered it,

and we're going to chapter 39 today.

Let me pray for the reading and preaching of God's word.

Let's pray.

Heavenly Father, we do long for your glory.

To be filled more and more with your Holy Spirit.

To be controlled more and more by your word.

To be used more and more by your power.

To proclaim your name.

To be conformed to the image of Christ.

We long for more of you, Father.

And as we've been singing,

as we've been praying this morning,

we cry out for more of you now.

Meet with us.

Speak to us.

Change us.

As you promised in your word,

as we exhort one another

and address one another with singing,

as the word of Christ dwells more richly in us,

you said we would be filled with your spirit.

So do that now.

Now.

In Jesus' name we pray.

Amen.

If you are willing and able,

please stand for the reading of God's word

from Exodus 39, 32 to 40, 38.

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.

Then they brought the tabernacle to Moses,

the tent and all its utensils,

its hooks,

its frames,

its bars,

its pillars,

and spaces.

The covering of tanned ram skins

and goat skins

and the veil of the screen.

The ark of the testimony

with its poles

and the mercy seat.

The table with all its utensils

and the bread of the presence.

The lampstand of pure gold

and its lamps with the lamp set

and all its utensils

and the oil for the light.

The golden altar,

the anointing oil,

and the fragrant incense.

And the screen for the entrance of the tent.

The bronze altar

and its grating of bronze,

its poles,

and all its utensils.

The basin and its stand,

the hangings of the court,

its pillars and its bases,

and the screen for the gate of the court.

Its cords and its pegs

and all the utensils

for the service of the tabernacle,

for the tent of meeting.

The finely worked garments

for ministering in the holy place.

The holy garments for Aaron the priest

and the garments of his sons

for their service as priests.

According to all that the Lord

had commanded Moses,

so the people of Israel

had done all the work.

And Moses saw all the work

and behold,

they had done it

as the Lord had commanded.

So had they done it.

Then Moses blessed them.

The Lord spoke to Moses saying,

On the first day of the first month,

you shall erect the tabernacle

of the tent of meeting.

And you shall put in it

the ark of the testimony,

and you shall screen the ark

with the veil.

And you shall bring in the table

and arrange it,

and you shall bring in the lampstand

and set up its lamps.

And you shall put the golden altar

for incense before the ark

of the testimony,

and set up the screen

for the door of the tabernacle.

You shall set the altar

of burnt offering

before the door 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.

And you shall set up the court

all around,

and hang up the screen

for the gate of the court.

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.

You shall also anoint

the altar of burnt offering

and all its utensils,

and consecrate the altar,

so that the altar

may become most holy.

You shall also anoint

the basin and its stand

and consecrate it.

Then you shall bring Aaron

and his sons

to the entrance

of the tent of meeting,

and shall wash them

with water,

and put on Aaron

the holy garments.

And you shall anoint him

and consecrate him,

that he may serve me

as priest.

You shall bring his sons

also and put coats on them,

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.

This Moses did

according to all

that the Lord commanded him,

so he did.

In the first month,

in the second year,

on the first day of the month,

the tabernacle was erected.

Moses erected the tabernacle.

He laid its basis

and set up its frames

and put in its poles

and raised up its pillars.

And he spread the tent

over the tabernacle

and put the covering

of the tent over it,

as the Lord

had commanded Moses.

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,

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.

He put the table

in the tent of meeting

on the north side

of the tabernacle

outside the veil

and arranged the bread

on it before the Lord

as the Lord

had commanded Moses.

He put the lampstand

in the tent of meeting

opposite the table

on the south side

of the tabernacle

and set up the lamps

before the Lord

as the Lord

had commanded Moses.

He put the golden altar

in the tent of meeting

before the veil

and burned fragrant incense

on it

as the Lord

had commanded Moses.

He put in place

the screen

for the door

of the tabernacle

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.

Moses,

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.

When they went

into the tent

of meeting

and when they

approached the altar

they washed

as the Lord

commanded Moses

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.

Then the cloud

covered the tent

of meeting

and the glory

of the Lord

filled the tabernacle

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.

Throughout all

their journeys

whenever the cloud

was taken up

from over the tabernacle

the people of Israel

would set out

but if the cloud

was not taken up

then they did not

set out till the day

that it was taken up.

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.

This is God's

holy and authoritative

word.

Please be seated.

Most people

associate the book

of Exodus

only with the story

of Israel's

Exodus

from Egypt

with the ten plagues

the Passover

and the crossing

of the Red Sea

but that dramatic

escape from slavery

in Egypt

was over

at chapter 14

25 chapters ago.

The book

did not end there

but has continued

to this point

because Israel's

slavery in Egypt

was not

the ultimate drama

of the book.

There is still

deeper

more fundamental

drama going on

in this book.

Israel's

slavery in Egypt

was merely

a symptom

of their exile

from the presence

of God

due to Adam's

sin in the Garden

of Eden.

Escaping Egypt

and crossing

the Red Sea

is great

but until

Israel's

separation

from the presence

of God

is addressed

this drama

is not resolved.

So our passage

this morning

brings that drama

to its fitting

climactic

conclusion.

Similarly for us

much like

the lives

of the Israelites

our lives

are also full

of much drama.

Most of you

can probably

think of a conflict

or a problem

in your life

off the top

of your head.

Psychologically

we deal with

anxiety

panic attacks

various mental

illnesses

depression

bipolar disorder

gender dysphoria

socially

we deal with

wars

and rumors

of wars

overseas

prejudice

and injustice

on the streets

bullying

on the screens

loneliness

and abuse

in our homes

even physically

we deal with

various pains

and sicknesses

like arthritis

diabetes

pinched nerves

migraines

cancer

and even

natural disasters

like droughts

and wildfires

and earthquakes

and storms

but all of

these problems

in our lives

and in our world

are symptoms

they are

ramifications

of a central

underlying drama

and then that

drama

namely

is humanity's

sin

and humanity

has consequence

separation

from God

and the fall

of the world

in general

as a result

of it

it's because

the world

is not rightly

ordered in its

relationship to God

that there's so much

disorder in it

and chaos in it

it's tempting

to think that

all our problems

are due to

that sickness

or that toxic

individual

or that stubborn

mental problem

but the most

fundamental problem

that we must address

is the problem

that lies at the root

of all our problems

it's sin

and its consequence

separation

our separation

from God

and this passage

offers us a solution

to that

and brings this drama

to a conclusion

this passage teaches us

that we are newly

created

as the tabernacle

for God's glory

by the atoning work

of Jesus Christ

tabernacle is just

the word for tent

the dwelling place

for God

and I'm going to talk

first about the new

creation

then about the new

tabernacle

and finally about

the new mediator

the first section

of this passage

that we read

in chapter 39

verses 32 to 43

it begins with

this summary statement

that all the work

of the tabernacle

of the tent

and meeting

was finished

and the people

of Israel

did according

to all

that the Lord

had commanded

Moses

and then in verse 43

that same section

ends with the same

summary

in verse 42

according to all

that the Lord

had commanded

Moses

so the people

of Israel

had done

all the work

the fact that

Moses and the Israelites

completed the work

of building

the tabernacle

exactly

according to

the specifications

that God

had given them

is something

that will be

repeated and highlighted

all throughout

chapter 40

as we read

this is because

earlier in chapter 25

verse 9

God had said

to Moses

exactly

as I show you

concerning the pattern

of the tabernacle

and all of its furniture

so you shall

make it

God showed

Moses the blueprint

on Mount Sinai

the pattern

of the tabernacle

and Moses

was supposed

to supervise

the work

to ensure

that it was built

exactly according

to that blueprint

and that's because

the earthly tabernacle

as Hebrews 8

5 tells us

is intended to be

a copy

and a shadow

of the heavenly

tabernacle

the dwelling place

of God

so the tabernacle

is almost like

a miniature

replica

a scale model

of the heavenly

reality

this is why

the Israelites

are to follow

the instructions

given by God

to a T

this is why

Moses takes

seven chapters

to relay

specific instructions

concerning the tabernacle

and then he takes

them another

six chapters

to relay

to

follow those

instructions

painstakingly

word for word

and build

the tabernacle

this conveys

the truth

that the tabernacle

is not an invention

it's not an innovation

but an imitation

of the heavenly

dwelling place

of God

people say

that imitation

is the sincerest

form of flattery

when you can improve

on something

then you innovate

but when you cannot

improve on something

you imitate it

God is the architect

and the designer

and the engineer

behind the tabernacle

Moses is merely

the project manager

and the Israelites

are merely

the construction workers

the construction worker

does not get

to go off script

and alter

the design

of the house

that they have received

from the architect

and the engineer

likewise

God is the originator

God is the creator

and the Israelites

must remember

that they are servants

doing the Lord's bidding

that's the point

that is being driven home

these verses

also emphasize

the importance

of obedience

in general

Moses and the Israelites

had to do

all that the Lord

had commanded them

the same is true

for us

James 2 verse 10

James 2:10

says

whoever keeps

the whole law

but fails

in one point

has become guilty

of all of it

you don't have to

break every law

of the land

in order to become

a lawbreaker

you only have to

break one

to be fined

or jailed

or otherwise punished

as a lawbreaker

God's law

is an interdependent

whole

that has

a single author

and lawgiver

behind it

it's not like

if you break

law one point

A

then you appoint

then you offend

person A

but if you break

law one point

B

you offend

person B

because there's

only one author

and one lawgiver

one authority

behind it

if you break

one part of the law

if you fail

at one point

then you offend

the living God

and you have

broken the whole

you have become

guilty

just as one drop

of blank ink

in a clear glass

of water

contaminates the whole

sin

one sin

brings guilt

and condemnation

this truth

has two very

important implications

for us

as Christians

one is that

we should strive

to obey

all that God

has commanded us

we don't have

the luxury

to pick and choose

the commands

we like

and commands

we don't like

that's not

our prerogative

we are servants

and we have to do

all that the master

has commanded

this God

his way

is perfect

the word of the Lord

proves true

so as Christians

we have to strive

to obey everything

that God has commanded

every word

because we are servants

who ought to do

all that the master

has commanded

this God

his way

is perfect

the word of the Lord

proves true

we can't improve

upon God's word

whenever we veer away

from the commandments

of God

big or small

we are falling short

of his glory

and hurting ourselves

so are we living

in submission

and surrender

Jesus says

in Matthew 548

you therefore

must be perfect

as your heavenly father

is perfect

for it is written

it says in Galatians 310

curse be everyone

who does not abide

by all things

written in the book

of the law

and do them

God does not grade

on a curve

life is either

a pass

or a fail

and passing grade

is perfection

so don't settle

for being a somewhat

obedient Christian

or an above average Christian

you should imitate Christ

work hard

to become more like Christ

in every way

and seek to obey God

in everything

but we have to remember

that truth

with a second truth

because if not

we would be

depressed

and dejected

because God's standard

is perfection

and we have all

fallen short of that

we must rely

not on our own righteousness

but on the perfect righteousness

of Jesus

for our salvation

Hebrews 1014

says that

by a single offering

Jesus has perfected

for all time

those who are being

sanctified

we must not

delude ourselves

into thinking

that we can be

good enough for God

on our own accord

that we can meet

his standards

with our own good works

we are atoned

by Jesus' death

and justified

by his resurrection

apart from

the perfect righteousness

of Christ

being imputed to us

we have no hope

of salvation

so repetition

of the summary statement

that the people

of Israel

did according

to all that the Lord

had commanded Moses

highlights the importance

of obedience

but these summary statements

also serve another function

in chapter 39

verse 32

it says

thus all the work

of the tabernacle

of the tenth meeting

was finished

which is similar

to Genesis 2-1

referring to God's

seventh day

of creation

thus the heavens

and the earth

were finished

if that were

the only parallel

we probably wouldn't think

that it's an intentional

allusion

but there's more

verses 42-43

say this

according to all

that the Lord

had commanded Moses

so the people

of Israel

had done all the work

and Moses saw

all the work

and behold

they had done it

as the Lord

had commanded

so had they done it

then Moses

blessed them

similarly it says

in Genesis 1-31

God saw everything

he had made

and behold

it was very good

in Genesis 2-3

he says

God blessed

the seventh day

Moses seeing

and then beholding

and then blessing

followed the sequence

of God's actions

at the end

of his creative work

after seven days

of creation

in this way

the construction

of the tabernacle

is patterned

after the creation

of the world

and serves

as a type

of a new creation

that points

to the ultimate

new creation

in Jesus Christ

the tabernacle

is a step

toward unbroken

fellowship

that Adam and Eve

once enjoyed

at the beginning

of the created world

the new creation

motif has surfaced

several times

already throughout

this book

through the use

of the number seven

which mirrors

the seven days

of creation

the feast

of unleavened bread

was to be observed

for seven days

and the Passover

celebrated on the seventh day

Israelites were to observe

the seventh day

of rest

the Sabbath day

just as God

rested on the seventh day

they were to let

the land rest

and lie fallow

on the seventh year

and also

on the seventh year

they were to emancipate

all of their Hebrew slaves

free them from their work

and when the glory

of the Lord

dwelt on Mount Sinai

the cloud

it said covered

the cloud of God's glory

covered it

six days

and on the seventh day

God called to Moses

out of the midst

of the cloud

there were seven lamps

on the golden lampstand

within the tabernacle

and the consecration

and ordination

of priests

took seven days

in addition

to all of this

I mentioned

several weeks ago

that throughout

the tabernacle narrative

we find the phrase

the Lord said

to Moses

exactly

seven times

six times

it is connected

to various instructions

regarding the tabernacle

but on the seventh time

it's connected

to the Lord's instruction

regarding the Sabbath

interestingly enough

in chapter 40

verses 16 to 32

after the summary statement

in verse 16

it says that

this

this Moses did

according to all

that the Lord

had commanded him

the phrase

as the Lord

commanded

as the Lord

had commanded

Moses

also occurs

exactly seven times

throughout the narrative

forming another parallel

so

all of this

is also similar

to how

in Genesis 8 13

after the flood

of judgment

of the sinful world

God brings about

the waters to recede

and that happened

on the first day

of the first month

new creations

surfaced from the flood judgment

on the first day

of the first month

and not surprisingly

in Exodus 40 verse 2

Exodus 40:2

it is on the first day

of the first month

that the tabernacle

is set up

it's erected

because the old creation

is fallen

God is bringing about

a new creation

where he will have

unbroken fellowship

with his people

once again

the tabernacle

points to the ultimate

new creation

that is brought

to fulfillment

by Jesus

it says in Galatians 6

14 to 15

that the cross

of our Lord Jesus Christ

brings about

a new creation

2 Corinthians 5 17

says therefore

if anyone is in Christ

he is a new creation

the old has passed away

behold

the new

has come

from the destruction

and debris

of our own sinful lives

God brings forth

a new creation

for us

so for those of you

who are

discouraged

and dejected

from the sin

in your own life

if you're not yet

a Christian

and wondering

if God can make

something of your life

he can

he can bring about

a new creation

in your own life

and make you

a new tabernacle

for his presence

speaking of the tabernacle

after Moses finishes

setting it up

it says in chapter 40

verse 34

then the cloud

covered the tent of meeting

and the glory of the Lord

filled the tabernacle

when Yahweh

the Lord

descended upon Mount Sinai

in Exodus 24

to confirm the covenant

that he had made

with Israel

the same language

was used to describe

the appearance of God

he said that the cloud

covered the mountains

in the same way

that the cloud

now covers the tabernacle

it also says

that the glory of the Lord

dwelt on Mount Sinai

in the same way

that the glory of the Lord

now filled the tabernacle

the filling

here represents

the indwelling

of the tent of meeting

God himself

coming to dwell there

make it his dwelling place

so the tabernacle

represents

the new portable

Mount Sinai

it's a miniature

portable Mount Sinai

that's going to now

travel with Israelites

God has now moved

into the Israelite camp

if you recall

from chapter 33

prior to the completion

of the tabernacle

or the tent of meeting

the Israelites

had another

more temporary

tent of meeting

to which Moses

would go to meet

with the Lord

a distinguishing feature

of that temporary

tent of meeting

was that it was

outside the camp

far away

from the camp

at that point

that signified

that Yahweh

was inaccessible

to the Israelites

he could not come

into their sinful camp

but now

that

the tabernacle

has been completed

and some of the sacrifices

have been offered

the God himself

enters the tent

and dwells in it

previously

at the tent of meeting

the temporary tent of meeting

Moses

went into the tent

and God spoke to him

from the outside

by the entrance

but now it's the Lord

who himself enters

the tent

to the tabernacle

previously

the temporary tent

was far away

from the camp

but now the tabernacle

is at the very center

at the middle

of all

surrounded by all

the other tents

of the Israelites

so this represents

progress

in Israel's relationship

with Yahweh

it's a new level

of intimacy

and communion

then verses 36

to 38

give us more detail

about what

the disappearance

of God

in a cloud

was like

throughout all

their journeys

whenever the cloud

was taken up

from over the tabernacle

the people of Israel

would set out

but if the cloud

was not taken up

then they did not

set out

till the day

that it was taken up

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

once again

as we have seen

numerous times

throughout Exodus

the cloud

of the Lord

is associated

with the fire

of the Lord

even in chapter 24

when the Lord

descended upon

Mount Sinai

it said that

the cloud

covered the mountains

but then

the appearance

of the glory

of the Lord

it said

was like

a devouring

fire

on top

of the mountain

the cloud

of glory

that is filling

the tabernacle

is probably

the same

as that cloud

and fire

the same

as the pillar

of fire

and cloud

that we saw

earlier

in Israel's

wilderness journey

it said

in Exodus

13

21-22

and the Lord

went before

them by day

in a pillar

of cloud

to lead them

along the way

and by night

in a pillar

of fire

to give them

light

that they

might travel

by day

and by night

the pillar

of cloud

by day

and the

pillar

of fire

by night

did not

depart

from before

the people

if you were

here with us

when we were

preaching in

Exodus 13

you know

this already

people often

think of these

two pillars

as two different

pillars

but they're

actually one

and the same

pillar

because it

tells us

in Exodus

14

that the

pillar

of cloud

was what

was lighting

up the night

and so in

Exodus 14

24

it says

that the

Lord was

in the

pillar

of fire

and of cloud

a singular

pillar

of fire

and cloud

it's the one

and the same

pillar during

the day

and during

the night

but during

the day

it's the

cloud

that is

the most

visible

and during

the night

it's the fire

that is the

most visible

so it's

probably

a column

of fire

with plumage

of smoke

emanating

from it

so it's

not wrong

to describe

the pillar

of smoke

as a pillar

of cloud

because after

all they're

made up

of the same

thing

it's water

vapors

sticking to

dust

and particles

in the air

so really

smoke is

just dirtier

or darker

cloud

and so

the pillar

of cloud

and fire

represents

the very

presence

of God

of that

that never

leaves the

Israelites

when the

cloud

remained

on the

tabernacle

the Israelites

camped

but when the

cloud

lifted

and departed

they followed

the cloud

and let the

cloud lead

them on

their journey

by day

or by night

in cloud

and fire

the Lord

dwelled

with his

people

and in this

way he led

them throughout

all their

journeys

all the way

to the

promised

land

that this

tabernacle

reveals the

way God

intends to

relate to

his people

and to

relate to

us

he's not

in some

remote place

far away

he's nearby

nor is there

a time in the

day or a

day in the

year when

he takes a

break or

goes off

duty

God is

with us

by day

and by

night

vigilantly

watching over

us and

intimately

caring for

us

God desires

communion

with us

as the

chorus of

the hymn

in the

garden

says he

walks with

me

and he

talks

with me

and he

tells me

I am

his own

and the

joy we

share

as we

tarry

there

none

other

has

ever

known

in order

to walk

ever more

closely

with us

God sent

his only

son

Jesus

to dwell

among

us

and it's

in

Jesus

that we

see the

embodiment

of the

pillar of

cloud

and fire

this

manifestation

of God

Jesus

is the

one

who

baptizes

us

with

spirit

and fire

it says

in Luke

316

just as

in the

old

testament

when the

tabernacle

was

completed

the cloud

covered

it

and his

glory

filled

it

just as

when

Solomon

later

completes

the

temple

of the

Lord

the

cloud

covered

it

and his

glory

filled

it

when

Jesus

glory

as

the

son

of

God

is

briefly

unveiled

at the

transfiguration

it says

in Luke

934

that a

cloud

that a

cloud

came

and

overshadowed

them

it

covers

them

and

after

his

resurrection

and ascension

when Jesus

sends his

holy spirit

to his

people

in Acts

2 3

what appears

is divided

tongues

as a

fire

resting

on each

of the

believers

the

God

who

indwelled

the

tabernacle

as the

cloud

and fire

now dwells

in us

as God's

people

in Jesus

through the

holy spirit

the

God

who

filled

the

tabernacle

now

fills

us

as

his

people

because

we

as

the

people

of

God

are

the

ultimate

tabernacle

the

dwelling

place

of

God

that's

why

in

1 Corinthians

3 16

and 6 19

we are

described

as God's

temple

and that

God's

spirit

dwells

in us

and that's

why we

are commanded

in Ephesians

5 18

to be

filled

with the

spirit

so do

you aspire

to be

filled

with the

spirit

more

and more

do you

seek to

manifest

the glory

of God

in our

lives

more

and more

if we

live

in obedience

in submission

to God

and if

we are

directed

and led

by his

spirit

and we

become

more

and more

like

Christ

in the

same

way

that the

tabernacle

displayed

the glory

of God

to the

watching

world

we too

would

display

the glory

of God

to our

neighbors

we too

would

proclaim

the name

of

Christ

we should

not be

like the

rest

of the

world

that is

not the

dwelling

place

of God

in this

special

sense

we should

be set

apart

for him

consecrated

to him

distinguished

from it

by our

obedience

and allegiance

to him

how

differently

would we

live

if we

live

with daily

awareness

that we

are the

very

dwelling

place

of the

living

God

but the

book of

Exodus

presents

us

with

a

problem

at

its

conclusion

and it

ends

with a

cliffhanger

it tells

us in

verse 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

it's

easy to

overlook

this but

this is

kind of

a big

problem

remember

Moses

is the

privileged

prophet

with whom

the Lord

would speak

face to

face as a

man speaks

to his

friend

if Moses

their

mediator

the one

guy who

didn't

commit

idolatry

like the

rest of

the

Israelites

cannot

enter

the

tent of

meeting

when the

Lord is

present

there

how are

any of

the

Israelites

supposed

to meet

with

God

how are

any of

God's

people

supposed

to have

communion

and

fellowship

with

God

thankfully

Exodus is

not the

last book

that Moses

wrote

and in

the sequel

the book

of Leviticus

Moses spends

seven chapters

describing the

various sacrifices

that the

Israelites were

to offer

the burnt

offerings

the grain

offerings

the peace

offerings

the sin

offerings

and the

guilt

offerings

and then

he describes

the elaborate

seven day

process

of consecrating

and ordaining

Aaron and his

sons as

priests

so even

though in

verses 29

to 31

of our

chapter

Moses

offers

some

offerings

and they

do wash

their hands

and feet

the priest

candidates

this is not

the full

process

instituted

by God

for their

consecration

and ordination

before they

can enter

the tent

of meeting

it is only

after