Exodus 40:34 - Meaning and Application

Just as God finished the earth in creation, made it fit for human life, and then placed man there, so Moses finished the tabernacle, which was meant to be God’s dwelling among people, and then God came and took possession of it. The divine presence, the eternal Word who was not yet made flesh, came and dwelt among them as a preview of that later event (John 1:14). From that point on, the tabernacle was the place of God’s throne and the place where his feet rested (Ezekiel 43:7). There he lived, and there he ruled.

By the visible signs of God’s coming to take possession of the tabernacle, he showed that his favor had returned to them after they had lost it through the golden calf (Exodus 33:7). He also showed that he gladly accepted all the cost, labor, and care they had given to the tabernacle. In this way, God claimed them as his own, showed that he was pleased with what they had done, and richly rewarded them. God will dwell with those who prepare a place for him.

The broken and humble heart, the clean and holy heart, fitted for his service and given to his honor, will be his resting place forever. Christ will dwell there by faith (Ephesians 3:17). Where God has a throne and an altar in the soul, there is a living temple. God will always approve and crown the work of his own grace and the keeping of his own commands.

As God had shown himself on Mount Sinai, so he now did in this newly built tabernacle. We read that the glory of the Lord rested on Mount Sinai, which is described as like consuming fire (Exodus 40:17), and that the cloud covered it on the outside while the glory filled it within. This may point ahead to Zechariah 2:5, where God promises to be a wall of fire around Jerusalem, while the pillar of cloud by night was also a pillar of fire, and the glory was in her midst.

The cloud covered the tent. That same cloud, which had come before them out of Egypt as the chariot or tent of the divine presence and had led them here, now settled on the tabernacle and hovered over it, even in the hottest, clearest day. It was not one of those clouds the sun quickly drives away. It served as a constant, visible sign of God’s presence day and night (Exodus 40:38) for all Israel, even for those farthest out in the camp. They could never again reasonably ask, “Is the Lord among us or not?”

That same cloud had already shown wonders at the Red Sea and on Mount Sinai, enough to prove beyond doubt that God was truly in it. It stayed in sight of all Israel through all their journeys, so they would have no excuse if they refused to believe what their own eyes had seen. It also hid the tabernacle and the glory of God inside it. God was truly among them, yet he dwelt in a cloud: “Truly, you are a God who hides yourself.” Praise God for the gospel of Christ, where we all, with open face, see the glory of the Lord like in a mirror, not hidden in a cloud.

The cloud also protected the tabernacle. They had covered it with one layer after another, but in the end the cloud was its best defense. Those who dwell in the house of the Lord are hidden there and safe under divine protection (Psalm 27:4-5). What was then a special favor to the tabernacle is promised to every dwelling place of Mount Zion, for over all the glory there will be a defense (Isaiah 4:5).

The cloud also guided the camp of Israel on their journey through the wilderness (Exodus 40:36-37). While the cloud stayed on the tabernacle, they rested. When it moved, they moved and followed it, because they were under God’s direct guidance. This is explained more fully in Numbers 9:19, Psalm 78:14, and Psalm 105:39. Before the tabernacle was set up, the Israelites had the cloud as their guide as it appeared now here and now there. But from that point on, it rested on the tabernacle and was found there alone. So the church had divine revelation to guide it from the beginning, before Scripture was written. But since the Bible was completed, it rests in that, as its tabernacle, and there alone it is to be found, just as the light first made on day one centered in the sun on day four. Praise God for the law and the testimony!

The glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle (Exodus 40:34-35). The divine presence now made a majestic and awe-filled entrance into the tabernacle. Passing through the outer part, it entered the most holy place, as into a royal room, and took its seat between the cherubim. It was in light and fire, so far as we can tell, that the divine presence made itself visible, for God is light, and our God is a consuming fire. The tabernacle was filled with this light and fire, yet, as the bush was not burned up before, so now the curtains were not even singed. For those who have received God’s anointing, his terrible majesty is not destructive.

Still, the light was so bright and the fire so frightening that Moses could not enter the tent of meeting, where he stood at the door, until the splendor lessened a little and the glory of the Lord withdrew further within the veil (Exodus 40:35). This shows how terrible God’s glory and majesty are, and how unable even the greatest and best people are to stand before him. God’s light and fire, if shown in full strength, would overpower the strongest minds and the purest hearts. But what Moses could not do, because he was weakened by human flesh, our Lord Jesus has done.

God caused Jesus to draw near and come close, and as our forerunner, he has entered for us. He has also invited us to come boldly to the mercy seat. He was able to enter the holy place not made with hands (Hebrews 9:24). More than that, he himself is the true tabernacle, filled with the glory of God (John 1:14), with the divine grace and truth that this fire and light pointed to. In him, the divine presence has taken up its rest forever, for in him the whole fullness of God lives bodily. Praise God for Jesus Christ!