The God Who Dwells with Humanity

Sunday September 6, 2026 · Del Martin

#10: Exo. 35:4-9, 29-35; 40:16, 19, 25, 34-38

Exo. 35:4-9, 29-35; 40:16, 19, 25, 34-38

A summary of Exodus

Purpose of the tabernacle

The whole Bible shows us that God desires to dwell with humanity.
1. Eden
2. Tabernacle
3. Temple
4. Jesus
5. Holy Spirit
6. New Heaven and New Earth
1. Instructions for the building of the tabernacle had been given before the golden calf episode. Exo. 25-31. Repeated in 35-39
  1. This included every detail and who was to oversee the building of the tabernacle
    1. Calling Bezalel and Oholiab – filled with the Spirit of God, ability, intelligence -– Exo. 31:1-6; 35:30-35
    2. Exo. 31: 1-6 The Lord said to Moses, ²“See, I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, ³and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with ability and intelligence, with knowledge and all craftsmanship, ⁴to devise artistic designs, to work in gold, silver, and bronze, ⁵in cutting stones for setting, and in carving wood, to work in every craft. ⁶And behold, I have appointed with him Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan. And I have given to all able men ability, that they may make all that I have commanded you.
    3. Exo. 35:30-35 ³⁰Then Moses said to the people of Israel, “See, the Lord has called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah; ³¹and he has filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, with intelligence, with knowledge, and with all craftsmanship, ³²to devise artistic designs, to work in gold and silver and bronze, ³³in cutting stones for setting, and in carving wood, for work in every skilled craft. ³⁴And he has inspired him to teach, both him and Oholiab the son of Ahisamach of the tribe of Dan. ³⁵He has filled them with skill to do every sort of work done by an engraver or by a designer or by an embroiderer in blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen, or by a weaver—by any sort of workman or skilled designer.
  2. All the people contributed material – 35:29
2. They did everything according to the command of the Lord
  1. This phrase that everything was made “according to the command of the Lord” occurs 23 times in the last 6 chapters of Exodus.
  2. Indicates a change or repentance after the golden calf disaster
    - This refrain occurs eight times regarding the making of the priestly garments (see note on 39:1-31), and the repeated refrain appears eight more times regarding the setting up of the tabernacle (HYPERLINK "https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exod%2040:16"vv. 16,HYPERLINK "https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exod%2040:19"19,HYPERLINK "https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exod%2040:21"21,HYPERLINK "https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exod%2040:23"23,HYPERLINK "https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exod%2040:25"25,HYPERLINK "https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exod%2040:27"27,HYPERLINK "https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exod%2040:29"29,HYPERLINK "https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exod%2040:32"32). The repetition emphasizes that Israel obeys the Lord’s commands in contrast with their earlier apostasy involving the golden calf (HYPERLINK "https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exod%2032"ch. 32). The tabernacle’s architecture and the design and location of each item of furniture precisely follow the divine blueprint (HYPERLINK "https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exod%2025:40"25:40). NIV Zondervan Study Bible
    - In correspondence to the repeated concluding statements that the people had done all that the Lord had commanded through Moses in constructing the tabernacle and its pieces (see HYPERLINK "https://www.esv.org/Exodus+39%3A1%3B+Exodus+39%3A5%3B+Exodus+39%3A7%3B+Exodus+39%3A21%3B+Exodus+39%3A26%3B+Exodus+39%3A29%3B+Exodus+39%3A31%3B+Exodus+39%3A32%E2%80%9342/" \o "Exodus 39:1; Exodus 39:5; Exodus 39:7; Exodus 39:21; Exodus 39:26; Exodus 39:29; Exodus 39:31; Exodus 39:32–42"39:1, 5, 7, 21, 26, 29, 31, 32–42), this section emphasizes that when he erected the tabernacle, Moses did; according to all that the LORD commanded him (HYPERLINK "https://www.esv.org/Exodus+40%3A16/" \o "Exodus 40:16"40:16); it repeats that he did as the LORD had commanded (HYPERLINK "https://www.esv.org/Exodus+40%3A19%3B+Exodus+40%3A21%3B+Exodus+40%3A23%3B+Exodus+40%3A25%3B+Exodus+40%3A27%3B+Exodus+40%3A29%3B+Exodus+40%3A32%E2%80%9333/" \o "Exodus 40:19; Exodus 40:21; Exodus 40:23; Exodus 40:25; Exodus 40:27; Exodus 40:29; Exodus 40:32–33"vv. 19, 21, 23, 25, 27, 29, 32–33) and that he finished the work (HYPERLINK "https://www.esv.org/Exodus+40%3A33/" \o "Exodus 40:33"v. 33). The people’s strict obedience to God’s commands demonstrated their repentance after the golden calf disaster and made possible the fulfillment of God’s promise to dwell among them (HYPERLINK "https://www.esv.org/Exodus+40%3A34%E2%80%9338/" \o "Exodus 40:34–38"vv. 34–38). ESV Study Bible
3. The tabernacle – God dwells among his people purpose of the tabernacle – God wants to dwell among his people
  1. A place for God to dwell with his people. Exo. 25:8 And let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell in their midst.
  2. Rev. 21:3
    Then I heard a loud voice from the throne: Look, God’s dwelling [tabernacle] is with humanity, and he will live with them. They will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them and will be their God. (CSB)
  3. Moses’ tent of meeting was not a dwelling place; it was a place where Moses talked with God.
  4. In John’s gospel Jesus became the fulfillment of God’s dwelling with humanity. John 1:14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
  5. The Spirit has been given to be with us, to dwell with us and in us and to guide and to speak to us. John 14:16-17; 16:13
    - John 14:16-17 ¹⁶And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, ¹⁷even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.
    - John 16:13 ¹³When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.
4. The tabernacle was both the place where God lived among his people as well as the tent of meeting, the place of communion with God.
  1. Before the tabernacle was erected there was the tent of meeting
    1. It was outside the camp
    2. It was the place Moses went to speak with God.
  2. The completed Sanctuary was designated both ‘the Tabernacle’ and ‘the Tent of Meeting’
    1. Exo. 40:2 You are to set up the tabernacle, the tent of meeting, on the first day of the month.
    2. Exo. 40:6 Position the altar of burnt offering in front of the entrance to the tabernacle, the tent of meeting
    3. Sometimes the word tabernacle is used and sometimes tent of meeting. Interchangeable
    4. Significance:
      1. God dwells (tabernacles) among us – we don’t go to a place to dwell with God
      2. God speaks, communes with us (tent of meeting) where we are
      3. We don’t need to go to a place, a building, a church, to meet with God. He is with us all the time, where we live, where we work.
5. The cloud in the book of Exodus
  - The cloud that previously descended on top of Mount Sinai (HYPERLINK "https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exod%2024:15-Exod%2024:18"24:15-18) now descends on the tabernacle and fills it with the glory of the Lord, barring access even to Moses (HYPERLINK "https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exod%2040:35"v. 35). Thereafter the cloud dictated Israel’s travel itinerary (HYPERLINK "https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exod%2040:36-Exod%2040:38"vv. 36-38; cf. HYPERLINK "https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exod%2013:21"13:21). All this not only seals the tabernacle construction with the Lord’s approval but, more important, it answers Moses’ petition (HYPERLINK "https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exod%2033:15-Exod%2033:18"33:15-18) and concretely expresses the ultimate goal of the exodus: Israel is to be a holy nation in relationship with God, a kingdom of priests who serve in his presence (HYPERLINK "https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exod%2029:44-Exod%2029:46"29:44-46). Thus, a book that begins with God’s apparent absence ends with his glorious and ongoing presence in the midst of his redeemed people. NIV Zondervan Study Bible
  1. Signifying presence and protection in the beginning as they left Egypt
    - The cloud first appears in HYPERLINK "https://biblehub.com/exodus/13-21.htm"Exodus 13:21-22, where it is described as a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night, guiding the Israelites as they departed from Egypt. This cloud was not merely a natural occurrence but a visible representation of God's presence and protection. "And the LORD went before them in a pillar of cloud to guide their way by day and in a pillar of fire to give them light by night, so that they could travel by day or night" (HYPERLINK "https://biblehub.com/exodus/13-21.htm"Exodus 13:21). Bible Hub
  2. Signifying presence, guidance, and holiness at the completion of the tabernacle
    - 40: 34 The cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.
    - The cloud's most significant role is seen in its association with the Tabernacle, the portable sanctuary constructed by the Israelites as instructed by God. In HYPERLINK "https://biblehub.com/exodus/40-34.htm"Exodus 40:34-38, the cloud covers the Tent of Meeting, and the glory of the LORD fills the Tabernacle....This event marks the completion of the Tabernacle and signifies God's dwelling among His people. Bible Hub
    1. The cloud also directed them people. They moved with the cloud.

Exo. 40:36-37 ³⁶The Israelites set out whenever the cloud was taken up from the tabernacle throughout all the stages of their journey. ³⁷If the cloud was not taken up, they did not set out until the day it was taken up.

It was a guide, indicating when the Israelites should set out or camp during their journey. HYPERLINK "https://biblehub.com/numbers/9-17.htm"Numbers 9:17-23 details how the Israelites followed the cloud's movements: "Whenever the cloud was lifted from above the tent, the Israelites would set out; and wherever the cloud settled, there the Israelites would camp" (HYPERLINK "https://biblehub.com/numbers/9-17.htm"Numbers 9:17). Bible Hub

It was assurance of his presence and protection
- Moreover, the cloud provided protection and assurance of God's continual presence. In HYPERLINK "https://biblehub.com/numbers/10-34.htm"Numbers 10:34, it is noted that "the cloud of the LORD was over them by day when they set out from the camp" , emphasizing God's protective oversight. Bible Hub
During the day it was a cloud, during the night there was a fire in the cloud

Exo. 40: 38 For the cloud of the Lord was over the tabernacle by day, and there was a fire inside the cloud by night, visible to the entire house of Israel throughout all the stages of their journey.

In spite of all the failings of God’s people, He still desires to live and dwell among them.
1. God doesn’t wait for them to be holy before He dwells with them
2. God dwells among them to make them holy.
Moses is unable to enter the Tabernacle (Ex. 40:35)
- “Moses was unable to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud rested on it, & the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.” (Ex. 40:35)
- After what’s gone before, “the utterly unexpected statement in Ex. 40:35 that he [Moses] is ‘not able…to enter’ is…remarkable… [Why is this?] …With YHWH’s descent upon the tabernacle…[it] has been sanctified by His Presence…Yet there is no new humanity –a dramatic tension to be remedied in Leviticus 1-9, as Aaron is consecrated …[for] approaching the divine Presence via divinely-sanctioned sacrifices [in Leviticus].” [L. Michael Morales, Tabernacle: Mountain of God in the Cultus of Israel, pp. 117-8]

Application
1. God’s desire is to dwell with and among his people
2. God desires to lead him people with his presence.
3. We should do things according to God’s command.
4. We should give to God for his dwelling place. To what am I giving my resources?
5. We need to realize that God is living among us all the time and traveling with us.
6. Dwelling and communing with God go together.

Exo. 35:4-9

⁴Moses said to all the congregation of the people of Israel, “This is the thing that the Lord has commanded. ⁵Take from among you a contribution to the Lord. Whoever is of a generous heart, let him bring the Lord's contribution: gold, silver, and bronze; ⁶blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen; goats' hair, ⁷tanned rams' skins, and goatskins; acacia wood, ⁸oil for the light, spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense, ⁹and onyx stones and stones for setting, for the ephod and for the breast piece.

Exo. 35:29-35

²⁹All the men and women, the people of Israel, whose heart moved them to bring anything for the work that the Lord had commanded by Moses to be done brought it as a freewill offering to the Lord.³⁰Then Moses said to the people of Israel, “See, the Lord has called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah; ³¹and he has filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, with intelligence, with knowledge, and with all craftsmanship, ... ³⁴And he has inspired him to teach, both him and Oholiab the son of Ahisamach of the tribe of Dan. ³⁵He has filled them with skill to do every sort of work done by an engraver or by a designer or by an embroiderer in blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen, or by a weaver—by any sort of workman or skilled designer.

Exo. 40:16, 19, 21, 25

¹⁶This Moses did; according to all that the Lord commanded him, so he did.

19 he spread the tent over the tabernacle and put the covering of the tent over it, as the Lord had commanded Moses.

²¹And 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.

²⁵and set up the lamps before the Lord, as the Lord had commanded Moses.

Exo. 40: 34-38

³⁴Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. ³⁵And 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. ³⁶Throughout all their journeys, whenever the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the people of Israel would set out. ³⁷But if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not set out till the day that it was taken up. ³⁸For 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.

Summary:

The whole Bible reveals God’s desire to dwell with humanity. This theme begins in Genesis and finds its fulfillment in Revelation. The tabernacle is a clear expression of God’s desire to live among His people. Soon after the Israelites left Egypt, God instructed Moses to build the tabernacle. When it was completed and erected, the glory of God filled it, signifying His presence among His people.

Even after Israel’s failure in the incident of the golden calf, God remained willing to dwell among them. He did not wait until His people had become holy and fully transformed before coming to live among them. Rather, He came to dwell in their midst in order to transform them. This is true for us as well. God does not wait until we have been transformed before drawing near to us. He comes to us, dwells with us, and by His presence begins the work of changing us.

We have the assurance of Jesus’ promise that He is with us always (Matt. 28:20), and we look forward to the day when this promise will be fully realized: “God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them” (Rev. 21:3). From Genesis to Revelation, the story of Scripture is ultimately the story of God making His dwelling among His people.

Exodus 1-2 are about 80 years. Exodus 3-40, from leaving Egypt to erecting the tabernacle is about one year.

A summary of Exodus
1. God’s people are in slavery and under oppression. They cry out to God. God knows, God sees, and God hears
2. God raises up Moses to lead His people out of Egypt. He forms Moses through out his life for this purpose.
3. God judges Egypt and defeats the gods of Egypt through the 10 plagues
4. Israel crosses the Red Sea, coming out of Egypt and passes through the wilderness to Mount Sinai.
5. There they are given the 10 commandments – a new way of life, very different from their life in Egypt
6. A covenant is made between God and His people
7. The major failure of the golden calf, breaking the 10 commandments, and the covenant with God. Yet God still met with Moses and talked with him in the tent of meeting.
8. The instructions for the tabernacle had been given but the golden calf incident happened before the tabernacle was constructed.

Purpose of the tabernacle

The whole Bible shows us that God desires to dwell with humanity.
1. Eden
2. Tabernacle
3. Temple
4. Jesus
5. Holy Spirit
6. New Heaven and New Earth
- From the dawn of creation, God has expressed an unwavering desire to be with His people, longing to walk with us, guide us, and draw us into worship. This profound yearning for connection is a consistent thread woven throughout Scripture. Chris Adams
- In the Garden (Genesis 2): God’s desire for intimacy was first seen in the Garden of Eden. He provided a perfect home for Adam and Eve, walking with them in idyllic communion. Sin, however, shattered this perfect relationship and their dwelling.
- In the Tabernacle (Exodus 25): After rescuing Israel, God instructed Moses to construct a portable Tabernacle. This sacred tent served as a designated meeting place, allowing God to commune with His people as they journeyed through the wilderness for forty years.
- In the Temple (1 Kings 6): King Solomon later built the Temple, a permanent structure symbolizing God’s presence. This became a focal point for worship, embodying God’s desire for a fixed dwelling among His people.
- Through Jesus (The Gospels): The ultimate expression of God’s desire came through Jesus. As fully God and fully man, He “dwelt” on earth, teaching and demonstrating the Father’s love, culminating in His death, resurrection, and ascension.
- Through the Holy Spirit (Acts 2): The outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost marked a pivotal shift. God now chose to reside within each of His followers, revolutionizing the nature and location of His presence among us.
- In the New Jerusalem (Revelation): Revelation offers a glimpse into our eternal future. Upon Jesus’ return, He will establish a new heaven and earth. There, we will experience perfect, unhindered worship and complete, unending communion with God forever. This is the ultimate fulfillment of His desire, prompting our fervent cry, Come quickly, Lord Jesus! https://chrisadams.blog/2025/06/29/gods-enduring-desire-to-dwell-among-us/
- Michael Morales’s study persistently argues that “the Pentateuch’s main theme [is] YHWH’s opening a way for humanity to dwell in the divine Presence.” [Andrew S. Malone “Drawing Near to God,” SBJT, V. 23.1 (2019) p. ]
- “The primary theme…of the Pentateuch…is YHWH’s opening a way for humanity to dwell in the divine Presence.” [L. Michael Morales, Who Shall Ascend the Mountain of the Lord? p. 23]
- The Pentateuch’s “dominating concern…is the way in which humanity may come to dwell in the house of God. Under the Mosaic covenant, that way opened by YHWH was through the Tabernacle…its priesthood & rituals.” –L. Michael Morales
1. Instructions for the building of the tabernacle had been given before the golden calf episode. Exo. 25-31. Repeated in 35-39
  1. This included every detail and who was to oversee the building of the tabernacle
    1. Bezalel and Oholiab –
    2. Exo. 31: 1-6 The Lord said to Moses, ²“See, I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, ³and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with ability and intelligence, with knowledge and all craftsmanship, ⁴to devise artistic designs, to work in gold, silver, and bronze, ⁵in cutting stones for setting, and in carving wood, to work in every craft. ⁶And behold, I have appointed with him Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan. And I have given to all able men ability, that they may make all that I have commanded you.
    3. Exo. 35:30-35 ³⁰Then Moses said to the people of Israel, “See, the Lord has called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah; ³¹and he has filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, with intelligence, with knowledge, and with all craftsmanship, ³²to devise artistic designs, to work in gold and silver and bronze, ³³in cutting stones for setting, and in carving wood, for work in every skilled craft. ³⁴And he has inspired him to teach, both him and Oholiab the son of Ahisamach of the tribe of Dan. ³⁵He has filled them with skill to do every sort of work done by an engraver or by a designer or by an embroiderer in blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen, or by a weaver—by any sort of workman or skilled designer.
  2. All the people contributed material – 35:29
2. They did everything according to the command of the Lord
  1. This phrase that everything was made “according to the command of the Lord” occurs 23 times in the last 6 chapters of Exodus.
  2. Indicates a change or repentance after the golden calf disaster
    - This refrain occurs eight times regarding the making of the priestly garments (see note on 39:1-31), and the repeated refrain appears eight more times regarding the setting up of the tabernacle (vv. 16,19,21,23,25,27,29,32). The repetition emphasizes that Israel obeys the Lord’s commands in contrast with their earlier apostasy involving the golden calf (ch. 32). The tabernacle’s architecture and the design and location of each item of furniture precisely follow the divine blueprint (25:40). NIV Zondervan Study Bible
    - In correspondence to the repeated concluding statements that the people had done all that the Lord had commanded through Moses in constructing the tabernacle and its pieces (see 39:1, 5, 7, 21, 26, 29, 31, 32–42), this section emphasizes that when he erected the tabernacle, Moses did; according to all that the LORD commanded him (40:16); it repeats that he did as the LORD had commanded (vv. 19, 21, 23, 25, 27, 29, 32–33) and that he finished the work (v. 33). The people’s strict obedience to God’s commands demonstrated their repentance after the golden calf disaster and made possible the fulfillment of God’s promise to dwell among them (vv. 34–38). ESV Study Bible
3. The purpose of the tabernacle – God wants to dwell among his people
  1. A place for God to dwell with his people. Exo. 25:8 And let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell in their midst.
  2. Rev. 21:3
    Then I heard a loud voice from the throne: Look, God’s dwelling [tabernacle] is with humanity, and he will live with them. They will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them and will be their God. (CSB)
  3. Moses’ tent of meeting was not a dwelling place; it was a place where Moses talked with God.
  4. In John’s gospel Jesus became the fulfillment of God’s dwelling with humanity. John 1:14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
  5. The Spirit has been given to be with us, to dwell with us and in us and to guide and to speak to us.
    - John 14:16-17 ¹⁶And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, ¹⁷even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.
    - John 16:13 ¹³When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.
4. The tabernacle was both the place where God lived among his people as well as the tent of meeting, the place of communion with God.
  1. Before the tabernacle was erected there was the tent of meeting
    1. It was outside the camp
    2. It was the place Moses went to speak with God.
  2. The completed Sanctuary was designated both ‘the Tabernacle’ and ‘the Tent of Meeting’
    1. Exo. 40:2 You are to set up the tabernacle, the tent of meeting, on the first day of the month.
    2. Exo. 40:6 Position the altar of burnt offering in front of the entrance to the tabernacle, the tent of meeting
    3. Sometimes the word tabernacle is used and sometimes tent of meeting. Interchangeable
    4. Significance:
      1. God dwells (tabernacles) among us – we don’t go to a place to dwell with God
      2. God speaks, communes with us (tent of meeting) where we are
      3. We don’t need to go to a place, a building, a church, to meet with God. He is with us all the time, where we live, where we work.
5. The cloud in the book of Exodus
  - The cloud that previously descended on top of Mount Sinai (24:15-18) now descends on the tabernacle and fills it with the glory of the Lord, barring access even to Moses (v. 35). Thereafter the cloud dictated Israel’s travel itinerary (vv. 36-38; cf. 13:21). All this not only seals the tabernacle construction with the Lord’s approval but, more important, it answers Moses’ petition (33:15-18) and concretely expresses the ultimate goal of the exodus: Israel is to be a holy nation in relationship with God, a kingdom of priests who serve in his presence (29:44-46). Thus, a book that begins with God’s apparent absence ends with his glorious and ongoing presence in the midst of his redeemed people. NIV Zondervan Study Bible
  1. Signifying presence and protection in the beginning as they left Egypt
    - The cloud first appears in Exodus 13:21-22, where it is described as a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night, guiding the Israelites as they departed from Egypt. This cloud was not merely a natural occurrence but a visible representation of God's presence and protection. "And the LORD went before them in a pillar of cloud to guide their way by day and in a pillar of fire to give them light by night, so that they could travel by day or night" (Exodus 13:21). Bible Hub
  2. Signifying presence, guidance, and holiness at the completion of the tabernacle
    - 40: 34 The cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.
    - The cloud's most significant role is seen in its association with the Tabernacle, the portable sanctuary constructed by the Israelites as instructed by God. In Exodus 40:34-38, the cloud covers the Tent of Meeting, and the glory of the LORD fills the Tabernacle....This event marks the completion of the Tabernacle and signifies God's dwelling among His people. Bible Hub
    1. The cloud also directed them people. They moved with the cloud.

It was a guide, indicating when the Israelites should set out or camp during their journey. Numbers 9:17-23 details how the Israelites followed the cloud's movements: "Whenever the cloud was lifted from above the tent, the Israelites would set out; and wherever the cloud settled, there the Israelites would camp" (Numbers 9:17). Bible Hub

It was assurance of his presence and protection
- Moreover, the cloud provided protection and assurance of God's continual presence. In Numbers 10:34, it is noted that "the cloud of the LORD was over them by day when they set out from the camp" , emphasizing God's protective oversight. Bible Hub
During the day it was a cloud, during the night there was a fire in the cloud

Exo. 40: 38 For the cloud of the Lord was over the tabernacle by day, and there was a fire inside the cloud by night, visible to the entire house of Israel throughout all the stages of their journey.

In spite of all the failings of God’s people, He still desires to live and dwell among them.
- God doesn’t wait for them to be holy before He dwells with them
- God dwells among them to make them holy.
Moses is unable to enter the Tabernacle (Ex. 40:35)
- “Moses was unable to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud rested on it, & the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.” (Ex. 40:35)
- After what’s gone before, “the utterly unexpected statement in Ex. 40:35 that he [Moses] is ‘not able…to enter’ is…remarkable… [Why is this?] …With YHWH’s descent upon the tabernacle…[it] has been sanctified by His Presence…Yet there is no new humanity –a dramatic tension to be remedied in Leviticus 1-9, as Aaron is consecrated …[for] approaching the divine Presence via divinely-sanctioned sacrifices [in Leviticus].” [L. Michael Morales, Tabernacle: Mountain of God in the Cultus of Israel, pp. 117-8]

The Structural Significance of the glory-filled Tabernacle in the Pentateuch
1. Exodus 40:34–38 isn’t just a closing scene — it’s the resolution toward which the whole book has been building, and its placement is carefully constructed. Scholars have noted that Exodus 25–40 is arranged as a chiasm with the golden calf apostasy sitting at its very center:
- God’s glory manifest at Sinai (Ex. 24:15–18)
  - Instructions for the tabernacle (25:1–31:11)
    - Sabbath command (31:12–18)
      - Apostasy, forgiveness, covenant renewal (32–34)
    - Sabbath command repeated (35:1–3)
  - Tabernacle actually built (35:4–40:33)
- God’s glory manifest at the tabernacle — Moses cannot enter (Ex. 40:34–38)
- Victor Hamilton, Exodus proposed this chiastic shape…The effect is that the golden calf sits literarily inside the tabernacle narrative — sin is bracketed on both sides by God’s determination to dwell with his people anyway. Structurally, Israel’s worst failure is enclosed within God’s unwavering intention to ‘move in’ with Israel.
- There’s also a deliberate echo back to Ex. 24…Umberto Cassuto…noticed a verbal echo: the wording of 40:34 (“the cloud covered... the glory of Yahweh filled”) deliberately mirrors 24:15–16 (“the cloud covered the mountain... the glory of Yahweh dwelt”) — the glory that once sat remotely on the mountaintop now comes down and takes up residence in the camp. Exodus therefore ends where Genesis began: with God present among his creation.
- So, in Pentateuch-wide terms: Genesis ends with humanity outside Eden; Exodus ends with God moving into the camp of a people who, forty days earlier, had built an idol. That’s the theological trajectory — not away from Eden forever, but toward a new, portable meeting place between a holy God and a sinful people.
1. The rest of the Pentateuch
  - Grace Isn’t Retroactively Earned
  - This is worth pressing further, because Numbers shows that God’s presence in the Tabernacle, among God’s people (at the center of the camp) doesn’t fix Israel’s heart. The very next narrative-book [Numbers] opens with the tabernacle at the center of the camp (Num. 2) and immediately proceeds through the complaints at Taberah, the craving at Kibroth-hattaavah, Miriam and Aaron’s rebellion, the spies’; unbelief at Kadesh, Korah’s revolt — the presence of God dwells among them through all of it. God doesn’t wait for Israel to stop complaining before he moves in, and he doesn’t withdraw the moment they complain again.
  - That sequencing matters theologically: the indwelling glory in Exodus 40 isn’t a reward for good behavior that then obligates good behavior going forward. It’s closer to what Paul would later describe — grace given while the recipients are still characteristically sinful (Rom. 5:8: “God proves his own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”) God through His Spirit indwells us as His temple (tabernacle), even though we are still untransformed. God’s presence in the camp is the ongoing condition Israel lives inside, not a status they maintain by their conduct.
Application
1. God’s desire is to dwell with and among his people
2. God desires to lead him people with his presence.
3. We should do things according to God’s command.
4. We should give to God for his dwelling place. To what am I giving my resources?
5. We need to realize that God is living among us all the time and traveling with us.
6. Dwelling and communing with God go together.

Bible Reading:

Exo. 35:4-9

Exo. 35:29-35

Exo. 40:16, 19, 21, 25

¹⁶This Moses did; according to all that the Lord commanded him, so he did....

19 he spread the tent over the tabernacle and put the covering of the tent over it, as the Lord had commanded Moses....

²¹And 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....

²⁵and set up the lamps before the Lord, as the Lord had commanded Moses.

Exo. 40: 34-38

Sermon Summary:

Small Group Discussion

Read the following verses. Exodus 25:8 And let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell in their midst. Read Rev. 21:3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.
1. What is the common thread in these two verses?
2. What other portions of scripture support this thread?
3. How should this influence our thoughts about God’s relationship with us?
God instructs His people to build a tabernacle. Right after this they build a golden calf and worship it. Soon after the tabernacle is built. What does this say about God in relation to his sinful people?
What is the parallel of Romans 5:8 with the story of Exodus?
What do you think glory in the bible signifies?
What does it signify in Exodus 24:15-18?
The glory descending on the tabernacle in chapter 40 is not a reward for good behavior. What does the glory descending signify?
God through His Spirit indwells us as His temple (tabernacle), even though we are still untransformed. What does this say about God? What should be our response?

Pray:

Pray that God will deepen your understanding of His desire to dwell with us?
For the needs of your group members.

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The God Who Dwells with Humanity

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