Message 185
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Scripture Reading: Exo. 40
In Exo. 40:1-16 we have the commandments of the Lord to Moses concerning the raising up of the tabernacle, and in verses 17 through 33, the actual erection of the tabernacle. Regarding the erection of the tabernacle, we see the following sequence: the raising up of the boards (Exo. 40:18); spreading the curtains and the coverings (Exo. 40:19); placing the ark of the testimony into the Holy of Holies (Exo. 40:20-21a); putting up the veil to cover the ark of the testimony (Exo. 40:21b); placing the table in the Holy Place on the north side, outside the veil, and setting in order upon it the bread before the Lord (Exo. 40:22-23); placing the lampstand in the Holy Place, opposite the table, on the south side, and lighting the lamps before the Lord (Exo. 40:24-25); placing the golden altar in the Holy Place before the veil and burning upon it the incense of fragrant spices (Exo. 40:26-27); putting up the curtain of the door of the tabernacle (v. 28); placing the altar of burnt offering at the door of the tabernacle and offering upon it the burnt offering and the meal offering (Exo. 40:29); placing the laver between the tabernacle and the altar and putting water there for washing the hands and the feet of the priests (Exo. 40:30-32); raising up the court round about the tabernacle and the altar (Exo. 40:33a); and hanging up the curtain of the gate of the court (Exo. 40:33b).
In Exo. 40:40:34-38 we have a record of the glory of the Lord filling the tabernacle. Verse 34 says, “Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of Jehovah filled the tabernacle.” This verse speaks of two aspects; it speaks of something that happened outside the tent of meeting and something that happened inside the tabernacle. The cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory filled the tabernacle. The same structure was both the tent of meeting and the tabernacle. With respect to man, it was the tent of meeting. But with respect to God, it was the tabernacle. We may also say that outwardly it was the tent of meeting and that inwardly it was the tabernacle.
In the church life today there is a difference between the tent of meeting and the tabernacle. We may have the church life and be in the church life, but we may be on the outside and not on the inside. This means that our church life may be merely the tent of meeting, not the tabernacle.
If we study the book of Exodus carefully, we shall see that the first mention of the tent of meeting was shortly after the children of Israel practiced idolatry by making a golden calf and worshipping it. Moses moved his tent outside the camp, and then his tent became the tent of meeting.
In the church life we may simply be gathered around the tent of meeting. We may not be in the tabernacle. In Exodus 40 the tent of meeting was covered by the cloud, but the tabernacle was filled with glory. Those who only gather around the tent of meeting may have the cloud. However, we need to enjoy not only the cloud upon the tent of meeting, but also the glory within the tabernacle.
By the Lord’s mercy I can testify that during the early years I was under the cloud, but today I am inside the tabernacle that is filled with glory. No longer is my enjoyment only that of the cloud, but it is also that of the glory. How about you? Are you enjoying only the cloud upon the tent of meeting, or are you also enjoying the glory within the tabernacle? Certain saints who are very happy and bubbling in the church life may be under the cloud, not in the glory. Such saints need more experience of the church life in order to enter into the tabernacle and see the glory that is inside.
The term “tabernacle” in the Bible refers to something deep concerning God and His testimony. The phrase “tent of meeting” is positive; however, the significance is not as deep as that of the tabernacle. The tabernacle is related to God’s testimony, but the tent of meeting is related mainly to God’s interest on earth and to His move. You may wish to keep this distinction in mind as you read through the Old Testament. Remember that the word “tabernacle” points to something directly related to God’s testimony and that the term “tent of meeting” points to something that is more outward, external, related to God’s interest and move.
As an illustration of this distinction, let us consider chapter one of Leviticus. According to Leviticus 1:1, the Lord spoke to Moses out of the tent of meeting. In this verse we are not told that the Lord spoke to Moses out of the tabernacle. When we read this verse, we may think that it is a wonderful matter for God to speak out of the tent of meeting. Yes, God’s speaking out of the tent of meeting is wonderful. However, it is not as wonderful as His speaking in the tabernacle.
It is important for us to understand the relationship between the cloud and the glory. We may say that the cloud is the outer part, the “shell,” of God’s glory. By shell we mean an outer covering. If we understand the word shell in this way, we may say that an orange has a peeling as its shell, and we may say that the human body has the skin as its shell. The skin covers the body, and the body contains our being. But the shell covering the human body is not our actual being. Rather, our being is the spirit. Those who were outside the tabernacle could see the shell. Anyone who entered into the tabernacle would see not the shell, but would see the inward glory of the tabernacle.
The young people may enjoy the church life and testify how wonderful it is. However, they may be enjoying only the shell of the church. But this does not mean that they should give up this enjoyment. On the contrary, they should go on to enjoy the inward glory of the tabernacle. Young people, do not be disappointed by my word, and do not throw away the shell because you do not yet have much of the inward glory.
I believe that many of us can testify that when we were in Elden Hall in Los Angeles, we were on the “roof” of the church life enjoying the cloud. Perhaps some would say that the church life in Anaheim is not as exciting as that in Elden. I agree. Nevertheless, we must admit that what we are enjoying today is something deeper and more inward than what we enjoyed in Elden Hall. We may no longer be on the roof enjoying the cloud, but we are learning to intercede at the incense altar. Anyone who intercedes at the incense altar is no longer in the cloud that covers the tent of meeting. Rather, this one is encompassed by the glory that is on the inside of the church life. I hope that more of us will see this and experience it.
Some of the older saints may feel bothered or frustrated. They may say to themselves, “Why are we not as fresh as we used to be? Why is the church life not so exciting?” It is good to be excited and it is also good to be able to excite others. However, it is mainly the young ones who are excited and exciting, for they are enjoying the cloud outside the tent of meeting. But it is difficult for the older ones who are experiencing the glory within the tabernacle to be excited. I can testify that as an older one I may not be excited outwardly, but I find it wonderful to intercede at the incense altar. How I love to enjoy the bread at the table and to linger at the incense altar!
Those in the outer court may gather around the altar of burnt offering and see the cloud covering the tent of meeting. But if they want to see the glory, they need to come inside the tabernacle. The glory is not on the roof; it is within the tabernacle. When we come into the tabernacle, we shall see that the glory is there.
According to 40:36-38, the cloud of Jehovah’s glory became the guidance of the sons of Israel. When the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the people journeyed: “And when the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the sons of Israel journeyed in all their journeys.” But if the cloud was not taken up, they would stay where they were: “And if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not journey until the day it was taken up.” Verse 38 tells us that the “cloud of Jehovah was upon the tabernacle by day, and fire was in it by night, before the eyes of all the house of Israel in all their journeys.”
Today Christians often talk about the Lord’s will, leading, and guidance. But according to the typology in Exodus 40, apart from God’s dwelling place there is no guidance or leading. The dwelling place of God is the unique leading. When the cloud moved, all the people of Israel moved as well. But if the cloud did not move, they stayed. This means that the children of Israel followed the tabernacle with the cloud. Our Christian journey must be a journey that follows God’s move with His dwelling place. This is clearly portrayed by the picture in Exodus 40.
In the book of Numbers we can see that everything that God does is related to His dwelling place. This was true even in the matter of fighting against the enemies: God fought them with His dwelling place. His dwelling place, the tabernacle, was the best weapon. Whatever God’s people did and wherever they went was according to the situation with respect to God’s dwelling place. We need to apply this principle today in the church life. When God’s dwelling place stays, we stay with it. But when it moves, we move with it. Furthermore, when God’s dwelling place fights, we also fight.
Genuine leading and guidance are not according to our feeling, opinion, sight, or view. However, many believers seek the knowledge of God’s will or what they call God’s leading mainly according to their point of view, sight, feeling, or concept. Have you ever heard anyone speak about the Lord’s leading and will according to the church? There is very little talk of such a thing today. This is a further indication that the situation among God’s people is far from normal. This is the reason there is the need of the Lord’s recovery.
The Lord’s recovery, which is based upon the full revelation of the holy Word, is very different from the traditional way of religion. The living house of the living God is our leading concerning whether we should stay or move, whether it is time to fight or work. We would engage in all these activities not according to our opinion or viewpoint and not even according to the Bible in dead letters, but according to God’s dwelling place with His glory. When we have a proper relationship with God’s dwelling place, we enjoy rest, victory, and blessing. When we are one with God’s dwelling place, which is filled with His glory, we have everything we need. We have the Lord’s leading and guidance; we have His blessing and victory. Furthermore, we have righteousness and holiness. We thank the Lord for this clear picture in 40:36-38.
As a concluding word to this Life-study, I would like to compare the books of Genesis and Exodus. Genesis begins with God’s creation (Gen. 1:1) and ends with a coffin in Egypt containing a dead body (Gen. 50:26). Exodus begins with slavery in Egypt (Exo. 1:11) and ends with the tabernacle covered by and filled with the glory of God on account of His redemption (Exo. 40:34-38). The book of Genesis does not have a glorious conclusion. At the end of that book we see a man dead, placed in a coffin in the world (Egypt), the very man created by God in His image for His expression and dominion. The last verse of Genesis says, “So Joseph died...and he was put in a coffin in Egypt.” In this verse we can see death, which is the result of sin, and also the world. This is the conclusion of Genesis.
How different is the conclusion of the book of Exodus! At the end of Exodus we do not have a coffin containing a dead body; we have a tabernacle containing the glorious God.
At the beginning of Exodus we have a continuation of the conclusion of Genesis. We have seen that the book of Genesis ends with a dead person in a coffin in Egypt. Exodus begins with a picture of God’s people serving as slaves in Egypt. As we consider the situation both at the end of Genesis and at the beginning of Exodus, we see that we were dead, on the one hand, and also slaves of Satan, typified by Pharaoh, on the other hand. We all were usurped by Satan and were enslaved to him. But Christ as our Passover has delivered us, released us, from this slavery. Christ’s redemption has brought us out of the satanic slavery in Egypt into a land of freedom (the wilderness). In the wilderness God’s further activity brings us to a glorified tabernacle. Here there is no death, no sin, no world. Instead, we have God with His presence and glory. No longer are we dead and in the world, but now we are part of a living and moving tabernacle for the accomplishment of God’s purpose on earth.
There is also a second important comparison between the books of Genesis and Exodus. In Genesis an individual Israel was produced to express God and exercise His authority for Him. In Exodus a corporate Israel was produced to express God. This is more glorious than what we have in Genesis.
The individual Israel produced in Genesis bore God’s image and expressed Him, and he represented God and exercised His authority on earth. By the time this individual Israel had come to maturity, he was actually more powerful than Pharaoh. Even Pharaoh was under his blessing. The corporate Israel produced in Exodus also bore the image of God and exercised His authority. We must admit that the corporate Israel in Exodus is more glorious than the individual Israel in Genesis.
It is urgent that we all see this vision. Such a vision, such a revelation, will revolutionize our concept, change our daily life, and even transform our being. This vision is very different from a teaching presented from a human point of view. What we need is a revelation from God’s point of view. I believe that if you bring this concluding word to the Lord in prayer and consider it before Him, you will eventually have a clear view of these two books.
I believe it would be helpful to present a brief sketch of Genesis and Exodus. In Genesis 1 we were created by God, and in Genesis 3 we became fallen. Then, after Babel, we were called with Abraham and became river-crossers, Hebrews. Although we were called with Abraham, we became dead and also enslaved to serve Satan’s purpose in the world. Then one day we were saved. The calling was with Abraham in Genesis, but the saving was through Christ as the Passover lamb in Exodus.
Having been redeemed by the Passover lamb, we traveled through the wilderness and experienced Christ as the heavenly manna and enjoyed Him as the living water out of the cleft rock. Eventually, we were brought to Mount Sinai, and it is here that we have the church life, typified by the living of the children of Israel around the tent of meeting. Even if not all of us have entered into the tabernacle, we all are gathered around the tent of meeting, and we can see the cloud on the tent of meeting. Here there is no sin, no death, and no world. Here at the tent of meeting we have God in His presence and glory. Here we become His dwelling, and He becomes our dwelling. This is a mutual abode. With the tent of meeting what we have is not merely an individual expression; we have a people as God’s corporate expression. The goal of God’s purpose is to have such an expression through His redeemed people. This expression is the goal not only of God’s redemption, but also of His eternal purpose. What God desires is to have a corporate expression of Himself through His called and redeemed people.
We need to be deeply impressed that the Lord’s recovery is a great matter. We are here in the recovery not merely for spirituality, holiness, victory, or blessing. Rather, we are here for God’s eternal purpose. The books of Genesis and Exodus consummate with God’s tabernacle, His dwelling place, filled with glory. In like manner, the entire Bible will consummate in the New Jerusalem as the eternal tabernacle, a tabernacle filled with glory. In the church life as God’s dwelling place we have the leading and guidance of our God. He is one with us, and we are one with Him. How wonderful! Now we are in the proper position to hear the Lord’s voice, His speaking, as recorded in Leviticus.
We thank the Lord for what we have seen in the books of Genesis and Exodus. I have the full assurance that those who have been with us throughout the years can never be the same. Eternity will reveal what the Lord has been doing within us and among us for the fulfillment of His eternal purpose. Praise Him for the glorious conclusion of the book of Exodus!
