The Pillar of Fire

Exodus 40:1-38

Key Verse 40:38

“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.”

A while ago, based on Exodus 24, we saw how the Lord successfully wooed the Israelites to get into a relationship with him. It was like a Prince Charming looking for a fiancé, and on finding her inviting her to a long period of courtship and then finally winning her heart, so that she could say to him, "Yes, I will marry you." In this way Exodus 24 was like a wedding ceremony between God and his bride, the Israelites, and it was followed by a wedding reception, so to speak. 

Now that the wedding ceremony had been over, the next task was to find a place for the couple to live. In the passage for today the Lord took the initiative. He established a plan for a "dwelling place" - the place called a "tabernacle."  

What the Lord did for the Israelites prefigures what God has been doing during the New Testament era to invite his children back to him and his kingdom through Jesus, the Son. The passage for today then represents God's specific plan to restore God's kingdom in the hearts of all who believe in Jesus Christ. Understanding this passage is critical to understanding the way salvation works. 

I. Set up the Tabernacle, the Tent of Meeting (What is it?)

Let us look at verses 1 and 2. According to v. 17, it was the first day of the first month of the second year that the Lord commanded Moses to set up the tabernacle. To the Israelites, the institution of the Passover (the day when the Israelites sacrificed the lamb, which took place about 14 centuries before Christ) marked the first day of their national independence. It is like July 4th, 1776 for Americans. The Lord God blessed their faith in him and granted them freedom from slavery. Now that they came out from the bondage of Pharaoh they came to be in a position to live a life that can truly be called a "life". 

Since the Passover, exactly one year had passed. During this period of time, according to the pattern the Lord showed Moses on the mountain, the Israelites worked to prepare the components to build the tabernacle. And it took about a year. (You may wish to read Exodus 25 to 40 to see the details of the materials used and furnishings for the tabernacle.) 

Now that all the parts and furnishings were ready to be set up, on the first day of the first month of the second year, the Lord commanded Moses to set up the Tent of Meeting - the place where the Holy God and unholy people were to meet regularly.

One may ask, "What does the making of the tabernacle that took place more than three thousand years ago have anything to do with us living here in the 21st Century? Why do we have to study this ancient event?" We can find the answer to this question in the history of man's fall. In Genesis 1-2 we see that God created a beautiful universe. After creating the beautiful universe, especially the earth, the Lord planted a Garden in the east called Eden in order to ensure that Adam should have life and have it to the full. In Hebrew the word Eden means "delight, or pleasure." According to Miriam Webster’s Dictionary, the word "delight" means "a high degree of gratification, extreme satisfaction, something that gives great pleasure, or the power of affording pleasure." This dictionary definition raises a question: "What was so special about the garden that this garden afforded such great boon?" Close study of the Scriptures, especially Genesis 3:8 indicates that what made the Garden such a wonderful place is NOT the physical environment such as rivers, trees, animals, precious stones, or even the relationship between Adam and his beautiful wife Eve, but the fellowship with the Lord himself: after all it was the Lord who provided for Adam what he needed - the physical needs as well as the spiritual needs. As Adam maintained a perfect relationship with the Lord, then, out of this relationship, Adam derived all the deep needs for the deep longings of his soul. The joy, untainted pleasure, peace, and comfort, satisfaction for the desire to fulfill what is noble or the desire to excel in all he does, and constant provisions that are necessary to meet all other sophisticated needs of the soul such as the need for recognition or appreciation and self esteem, became the order of life. 

But since the fall of Adam his relationship with the Lord remained broken. It was too painful for a sinner to have to live with the holy God. To give him a relief, the Lord banished him from the Garden of Eden. The rest of the struggles of Adam and his descendants are history. 

But thank God. From day one of Adam’s fall, the Lord God patiently worked to restore the relationship between him and Adam. Indeed the Bible history recorded from Genesis 3 all the way down to Exodus 40 are filled with God's efforts to restore his relationship with fallen men. As we already saw the Lord trained Abraham to be worthy of the relationship with him, that is, faith in the absolute goodness of the Lord. Moved by his faith, the Lord kept working on opening the relationship with Abraham's descendants as a nation. And now the time came: in order to restore the Israelites back to a permanent relationship with him, the source of delight that had been preserved in the Garden of Eden, the Lord commanded the Israelites to build and set up the tabernacle. At the tabernacle the Lord chose to dwell amidst his children. In turn the Israelites had a way to approach the Lord for a fellowship with him. The two parties, who remained separated, now came to meet together for a reunion. Thus, the tabernacle is the Garden of Eden reopened.   

II. Moses did everything just as the Lord had commanded him. (How does it work?)

Note that the tabernacle was made according to the "pattern" shown on the mountain. The word "pattern" means "configuration," "plan," "design," or "system." So what was the design, plan, or configuration? Here it is. [Diagram of the layout]

Before man's fall, the way for man to come to the Lord and vice versa was not sophisticated, for the two parties could communicate and converse freely and naturally. 

But after the Fall, it became not as simple, spontaneous, and natural as it used to be. But the Lord pioneered the way. And we find the way (or system) in Exodus 40:3-8, and 12-15. We can sum up the plan with 8 bullet points:

* The ark of the testimony

* The table of showbread

* The lampstand

* The altar of incense 

* The water basin

* The altar of burnt offerings

* The courtyard

* The priestly system

 

Full understanding of the meanings of the above requires semesters of devoted study. But to make the matter easy for us the Lord God visualized their meanings in the person and work of Jesus Christ. In fact speaking of this truth, the Scripture says that these regulations written in the law of Moses are merely a shadow of the reality to come, that is, Jesus Christ (Heb 10:1; Col 2:16,17).

The ark of the testimony refers to Moses' Ten Commandments. This law commands us to love God with all our heart, with all our soul, and with all our mind. Likewise it requires us to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. On our own it is impossible to obey the command. But Jesus who came to fulfill the law enables us to obey the command. The table of showbread denotes our presence before God by virtue of representation. Jesus is our High priest. As the high priest Jesus represents you and me in the presence of God at the heavenly sanctuary. The lampstand lets God's light shine within us. And in Jesus we have this light shining constantly within us (John 9:5). The gold altar of incense stands for the privilege to offer prayers to God. And in Jesus' name we can offer prayers to God. The water basin denotes daily cleansing of our sins, for when Jesus came he washed his disciples' feet with water saying, "A person who has had a bath needs only to wash his [hands and] feet." The altar of burnt offering is best exemplified by Jesus' willing sacrifice, for before his arrest Jesus prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will" (Matthew 26:39). Then Jesus went to the cross to die for the sins of the world. The courtyard provides for the people with a protected environment; the area is surrounded by walls which separate the sanctuary from the world outside.  The courtyard can be accessible through a gate made of curtain. This gate stands for Jesus who said, "I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture" (John 10:9). Most importantly, Jesus serves in the presence of the Lord as our high priest who approaches God, representing all who believe in the Lord. 

The Scripture also says that we are his temple. To make our body his temple, Jesus said, "Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me" (Revelation 3:20). This passage then indicates that as we believe in Jesus, a miracle happens, that is, God opens up the Garden of Delight just within us!

 

III. Then the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle (What will it do?) 

According to the Lord's instructions, Moses finished the work. Then what happened? Let us read vs. 34-38. This passage tells us that by opening his presence in the heart of each believer, the Lord provided for the Israelites with all the means by which to live as a source of blessings for all peoples on earth. 

First, protection and provision

In this passage we see the word "cloud" repeated five times. This cloud works like a canopy that "covers" the tabernacle. And one of its meanings is God's protection for his children. The Israelites needed God's special protection, for they were to journey through a desert land. The desert was vast and dreadful. It consisted of a long and wide stretch of thirsty and waterless land with venomous snakes and scorpions (Deu 8:15).

Plus, we see the word "travels" repeated twice. It has been said that travel is called travel for it is troublesome. Imagine more than two million people who got out of a slave camp traveling together for not just one or two weeks or months but for forty long years! How troublesome! And in the desert land they had no electricity, no 7-11 stores or Am-Pm markets, no job opportunities, no land to till and produce food, no laundry machines, no motels, no bathrooms, nothing.  

Yet, during the forty years that the Lord led them through the desert, their clothes did not wear out, nor did their sandals on their feet! Clothes are for our body, sandals for feet. And it was not just their physical bodies but also their souls and spirits that the Lord protected and made provisions for. This reminds us of the nature of the life in the Lord who is the source of the joyous life in the Garden of Eden. Since the fall, man had to toil and sweat, only to turn to dust. God had mercy on fallen men. Now by opening up the fellowship with his children the Lord made the vision for fallen men to repent and turn to the Lord, so they can live in the Garden of Eden for good. 

Second, production

In the passage, we see the expression, "the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle," repeated twice. Here the word "glory" refers to the majestic, excellent, and superior qualities that inhere in the Lord's person, such as wisdom, knowledge, understanding, loving kindness, due diligence, compassion, power and strength, and much more. 

For us who live in the 21st century the tabernacle corresponds to our body, soul and spirit (1Co 6:19). So the glory that filled the tabernacle is the same as Jesus Christ residing within a believer. Speaking of this wonderful phenomenon, the Apostle Paul says in 2 Corinthians 3:18, "And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit." The word "glory" or "likeness" then points to the efficiency in production. In the past the Israelites used to live a life that is unproductive or counterproductive. But now that the Lord came to be with them, they were positioned to live a life that is truly fruitful and fulfilling. 

Why then did the Lord do so much for them? Genesis 2:10 answers the question: “A river watering the garden flowed from Eden; from there it was separated into four headwaters.” The expression “flowed from” points to the Israelites functioning as a source of blessing. The word “four” denotes the four corners of the world, so as the Lord blesses his children they are motivated to share the blessings with all peoples on earth. 

We confirm this being the case when we think about the purpose of God's call for Abraham. Why did God call Abraham? It was to establish him as a source of blessing for all peoples on earth (Gen 12:2-4). 

Finally, let us consider the word "fire" which was inside the cloud. This "fire" is different from physical fire in that although it covers what is physical (such as curtains, wooden posts, etc.) it does not consume them but protects and preserves them. Yet, it is still fire coming with abilities to do what physical fires can do. [Consider the brush fires we used to have in the LA basin.] One of the properties of the "spiritual" fire as revealed in the pillar of fire (Exo 13:21, etc.) includes God's passion and zeal to save and serve his children. The Lord God appeared to Moses in the form of flames of fire in a burning bush. This fire provided for Moses with the strength to serve the Lord faithfully.  

Last week I prayed to the Lord as to how I, as well as all of us in Downey, can apply this message. The Lord remained silent. But the revelation came last night. As I was still praying during the flight, the airplane was passing over the night sky of Las Vegas. Then on the TV screen they presented special reports: one on the Hoover Dam and another on Las Vegas. The Hoover Dam (especially the power plant) benefits people in three states in many ways. For example, each and every day it generates 20k mega watts of electricity. Without it people in three states (California, Nevada, and Arizona) would be in trouble. However, mostly Las Vegas, Sin City, promotes what is counter-productive, the report suggests. The Lord then showed me the vision that in our ministry as each person operates as a spiritual Hoover Dam, especially through one to one Bible studies and disciple making, God’s work would explode exponentially, so that we can reach out to “all” peoples on earth before this generation passes. 

In conclusion, let us read v. 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." In many ways our life here on earth is like the Israelites’ journeying through the vast and dreadful desert with venomous snakes and scorpions. But when we deeply repent and turn to the Lord, the Lord establishes his blessed presence in us. Then he fills us with his Spirit who in turn meets all our needs, so that as we put trust in the Lord continually, and keep in step with the Spirit, the Lord will enable us to live as a source of blessing for all peoples on earth.

One word: The pillar of fire (Num 14:14)

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