This article first appeared as a post I wrote for The 555 Club. Before your read this article please read Exodus Chapter 40.
In chapter 40 of Exodus, about one year has passed since the Hebrews left Egypt. They have been through a lot. God has taught them, disciplined them, given them the Law and the instructions for constructing a place of worship in the wilderness called the Tabernacle.
The people had followed the instructions of Moses, first given to him by God, and now the Tabernacle was finished and ready to be set up. It has all been inspected and approved by Moses. All that is left now is to assemble it.
All the materials, the Holy Spirit-gifted skills given to those who have worked on it, and all time spent building it, now come together to create a place where God’s presence will dwell in the midst of His people.
The Tabernacle is set up, and they wait to see what God’s response will be to the finished work.
Then they see the cloud of God.
Ex 40:34 Then the cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. 35 Moses could not enter the Tent of Meeting because the cloud had settled upon it, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. 36 In all the travels of the Israelites, whenever the cloud lifted from above the tabernacle, they would set out; 37 but if the cloud did not lift, they did not set out-- until the day it lifted. 38 So the cloud of the LORD was over the tabernacle by day, and fire was in the cloud by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel during all their travels.
The power and presence of God in the form of a cloud fell on the place. It was so strong that even Moses could not enter the Tabernacle. The strength of God’s presence was a message to the Israelites. It was a reminder of His holiness and their sinfulness, and at the same time, a demonstration of God’s pleasure and acceptance of their obedience to all His instructions. They had failed in the past, but in the building of the Tabernacle, they had obeyed God down to every last little detail.
So, there in the middle of the camp was the Tabernacle. All the tents of Israel were arranged so that the Tabernacle sat in the center of them. The tents were arranged so that all of them could see the cloud of God by day and the fire of God by night resting upon the Holy of Holies. All of them could see that their God was dwelling in their midst.
As the people looked and saw that God was in the camp, I’m sure that there were those that wondered what it would be like to go into the courtyard of the Tabernacle, past the outer curtain and into the Holy Place, and then past the inner curtain into the Most Holy Place – into the place where the Ark of the Covenant was – into the place where God’s presence was resting on the Mercy Seat above the Ark.
They knew it would be certain death, but I’m sure there were some who still longed to do it. Their hearts were on fire, and it would be worth death if they could get just one glimpse of this One who had made the mountain shake.
In all ages, God is looking for those who are drawn into His presence. Those whose hearts burn when they sense that He is nearby. Those who have a strong desire to move towards the fire as a moth is drawn to the flame.
The Holy Spirit cries out to us today, “WOULD YOU GO?” “WOULD YOU RISK ALL?” “WOULD YOU GO?”
This chapter asks us whether we would be content to watch from a distance, or whether we would be the kind who could not resist running into the cloud and fire, not caring what happened to our physical bodies, because we just had to see Him.
The good news is that today the Tabernacle of God resides in our hearts. In the heart of the child of God is the cloud and fire of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus’ blood has removed our sin and guilt so there are no more fences or curtains to keep us at a distance. The way has been made open for all that want to come in. He calls us and says, “Come closer, and closer, and closer, and closer, until all your sin and failure are consumed in the fire of My love”.
In that place of His presence deep within our hearts, we see Him. Because of Jesus' blood and His forgiveness of our sins, the holiness of God does not lash out at our sinfulness; instead, the love of God embraces us and says, “Welcome home, my child”.
We fall on our face weeping in the presence of His beauty.
In chapter 40 of Exodus, about one year has passed since the Hebrews left Egypt. They have been through a lot. God has taught them, disciplined them, given them the Law and the instructions for constructing a place of worship in the wilderness called the Tabernacle.
The people had followed the instructions of Moses, first given to him by God, and now the Tabernacle was finished and ready to be set up. It has all been inspected and approved by Moses. All that is left now is to assemble it.
All the materials, the Holy Spirit-gifted skills given to those who have worked on it, and all time spent building it, now come together to create a place where God’s presence will dwell in the midst of His people.
The Tabernacle is set up, and they wait to see what God’s response will be to the finished work.
Then they see the cloud of God.
Ex 40:34 Then the cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. 35 Moses could not enter the Tent of Meeting because the cloud had settled upon it, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. 36 In all the travels of the Israelites, whenever the cloud lifted from above the tabernacle, they would set out; 37 but if the cloud did not lift, they did not set out-- until the day it lifted. 38 So the cloud of the LORD was over the tabernacle by day, and fire was in the cloud by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel during all their travels.
The power and presence of God in the form of a cloud fell on the place. It was so strong that even Moses could not enter the Tabernacle. The strength of God’s presence was a message to the Israelites. It was a reminder of His holiness and their sinfulness, and at the same time, a demonstration of God’s pleasure and acceptance of their obedience to all His instructions. They had failed in the past, but in the building of the Tabernacle, they had obeyed God down to every last little detail.
So, there in the middle of the camp was the Tabernacle. All the tents of Israel were arranged so that the Tabernacle sat in the center of them. The tents were arranged so that all of them could see the cloud of God by day and the fire of God by night resting upon the Holy of Holies. All of them could see that their God was dwelling in their midst.
As the people looked and saw that God was in the camp, I’m sure that there were those that wondered what it would be like to go into the courtyard of the Tabernacle, past the outer curtain and into the Holy Place, and then past the inner curtain into the Most Holy Place – into the place where the Ark of the Covenant was – into the place where God’s presence was resting on the Mercy Seat above the Ark.
They knew it would be certain death, but I’m sure there were some who still longed to do it. Their hearts were on fire, and it would be worth death if they could get just one glimpse of this One who had made the mountain shake.
In all ages, God is looking for those who are drawn into His presence. Those whose hearts burn when they sense that He is nearby. Those who have a strong desire to move towards the fire as a moth is drawn to the flame.
The Holy Spirit cries out to us today, “WOULD YOU GO?” “WOULD YOU RISK ALL?” “WOULD YOU GO?”
This chapter asks us whether we would be content to watch from a distance, or whether we would be the kind who could not resist running into the cloud and fire, not caring what happened to our physical bodies, because we just had to see Him.
The good news is that today the Tabernacle of God resides in our hearts. In the heart of the child of God is the cloud and fire of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus’ blood has removed our sin and guilt so there are no more fences or curtains to keep us at a distance. The way has been made open for all that want to come in. He calls us and says, “Come closer, and closer, and closer, and closer, until all your sin and failure are consumed in the fire of My love”.
In that place of His presence deep within our hearts, we see Him. Because of Jesus' blood and His forgiveness of our sins, the holiness of God does not lash out at our sinfulness; instead, the love of God embraces us and says, “Welcome home, my child”.
We fall on our face weeping in the presence of His beauty.
Pastor Rich Laskowski
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