Commentary - Exodus 40:1-16

Bird's-eye view

After the detailed, heavenly blueprints of chapters 25 through 31, and the meticulous, earthly construction of chapters 35 through 39, we finally come to the day of assembly. This passage is the hinge between construction and consecration. God gives Moses the command for the final setup of the Tabernacle, a structure that will serve as the dwelling place of God among His people. The instructions are precise, orderly, and sequential, moving from the inside out, from the most holy place to the outer court. This is followed by the commands to consecrate both the structure and its designated ministers, Aaron and his sons. The passage concludes with the simple but profound statement of Moses' perfect obedience. This is not merely about putting up a tent; it is about God establishing His ordered, holy presence in the midst of a redeemed but still sinful people. It is the culmination of the Exodus, where the God who brought them out of Egypt now prepares to move in among them.

The central theme is the establishment of holy space, holy objects, and holy people, all according to a divine pattern. God does not leave the details of worship up to human ingenuity or preference. He specifies the time, the place, the arrangement, and the personnel. This entire chapter is a powerful demonstration that fellowship with a holy God is possible, but only on His terms. The detailed instructions for the Tabernacle and its service are a tangible gospel, a pre-incarnate blueprint of how God would one day tabernacle among us in the person of His Son.

Outline

Context In Exodus

Exodus 40 is the grand finale of the book. The first part of Exodus details the deliverance of Israel from Egypt (chapters 1-18). The central section details the giving of the Law at Sinai (chapters 19-24). The final section is dedicated entirely to the Tabernacle (chapters 25-40). This final section was dramatically interrupted by the golden calf apostasy in chapter 32, a national sin that threatened to nullify the entire covenant. But after Moses' intercession and God's gracious renewal of the covenant, the people responded with overwhelming generosity, and the Tabernacle was built (chapters 35-39). Chapter 40 is therefore the triumphant conclusion. It is the visible sign of God's forgiveness and His restored fellowship with His people. The God of Sinai is coming down from the smoking mountain to dwell in a tent in the center of their camp. This chapter is the answer to the question that hangs over the entire book: How can a holy God live among a sinful people? The answer is: through this divinely-ordered system of sacrifice, priesthood, and worship.

Key Issues

God's House, God's Rules

After all the painstaking work of crafting the elements of the Tabernacle, the day has come to put it all together. And we should note right at the top that the assembly is no more left to human discretion than the design was. God gave the blueprint, and now He gives the assembly instructions. This is a fundamental principle of true worship. We do not get to invent our approach to God. We do not get to consult our own preferences, our own sense of what might be meaningful, or what the surrounding culture finds compelling. God's house is to be ordered according to God's rules, from start to finish.

The orderliness here is not just for the sake of efficiency. The sequence of the assembly is theologically significant. It teaches Israel, and it teaches us, how one approaches a holy God. You start with God's presence at the center and work your way out. You deal with the furniture that represents God's immediate presence first, and then move outward to the places of sacrifice and cleansing. This is a lesson in priorities. God is central. His glory, His testimony, His light, His provision, these are the heart of the matter. The entire structure is a map of fellowship with God, and if you want to read the map correctly, you have to follow the divine cartographer's instructions.

Verse by Verse Commentary

1-2 Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “On the first day of the first month you shall set up the tabernacle of the tent of meeting.

The timing is significant. The first day of the first month is New Year's Day on the sacred calendar. This is a new beginning. Almost a year has passed since the first Passover and the Exodus from Egypt. Now, the redeemed nation is going to begin its new life with the manifest presence of God at its very center. God is establishing His rhythm, His calendar, for His people. Their life is no longer to be ordered by the seasons of Egypt but by the seasons of worship. Setting up the Tabernacle on this day is a declaration that the life of this new nation revolves entirely around the presence and worship of Yahweh.

3 You shall place the ark of the testimony there, and you shall screen the ark with the veil.

The first piece of furniture to be placed is the most important: the Ark of the Testimony. This is the throne of God, the place where His presence will dwell between the cherubim. It contains the tablets of the Law, the testimony of God's covenant with them. The first act of setting up house for God is to establish His throne and His covenant law as the central reality. But immediately, a barrier is put in place. The veil, or curtain, screens the ark. This teaches a crucial lesson from the outset: God is present, but He is also holy and unapproachable for sinful man. Access is restricted. The way into the holiest of all is not yet made manifest.

4 You shall bring in the table and arrange what belongs on it; and you shall bring in the lampstand and mount its lamps.

After the Most Holy Place is secured, Moses moves to the Holy Place, the next chamber out. He brings in the Table of Showbread and the golden Lampstand. The table represents God's provision for His people; He is the one who feeds and sustains them. The lampstand represents the light of God's presence and His truth. Before you can have fellowship with God, you must have His provision and walk in His light. These are not things we bring to God; they are things He provides for us in His house.

5 Moreover, you shall set the gold altar of incense before the ark of the testimony and set up the veil for the doorway to the tabernacle.

The final piece of furniture in the Holy Place is the Altar of Incense. It is placed right before the veil that separates the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place. This is the altar of prayer and intercession. The smoke of the incense represents the prayers of the saints ascending to God. Its position is key; prayer is what bridges the gap between us and the immediate presence of God. After this, the entrance to the tent itself is screened off, another layer of separation.

6-7 You shall set the altar of burnt offering in front of the doorway of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting. You shall set the laver between the tent of meeting and the altar and put water in it.

Now we move outside the tent itself, into the courtyard. The first thing you would encounter is the great bronze Altar of Burnt Offering. This is the place of sacrifice, of blood, of atonement. The lesson is clear: no one can even approach the tent where God dwells without first dealing with sin through a substitutionary sacrifice. Between this altar of blood and the entrance to the tent is the Laver, a basin of water for cleansing. After the sacrifice, the priests must wash. This signifies that we need both blood-atonement and water-cleansing to approach God. We need both forgiveness and sanctification.

8 You shall set up the court all around and hang up the screen for the gateway of the court.

Finally, the outer boundary is established. The courtyard fence is set up, separating the holy ground of the Tabernacle from the rest of the camp. This creates a zone of holiness. Inside the court is the realm of ordered worship; outside is the common world. The gate shows that there is a designated way in, but it also shows that not just anyone can wander in at will.

9-11 Then you shall take the anointing oil and anoint the tabernacle and all that is in it and set it apart as holy and all its furnishings; and it shall be holy. You shall anoint the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, and set the altar apart as holy, and the altar shall be most holy. You shall anoint the laver and its stand, and set it apart as holy.

Once everything is in its proper place, the act of consecration begins. Anointing with the special holy oil is an act of setting apart. It is a divine claim of ownership. These ordinary materials, gold, wood, bronze, are now declared holy, belonging exclusively to God for His service. Notice the gradation. The Tabernacle and its furniture are made holy. But the altar of burnt offering is declared most holy. Why? Because this is the place where the central transaction between God and man occurs. It is the place of atonement, where wrath is satisfied by blood. This place is set apart in a preeminent way.

12-13 Then you shall bring Aaron and his sons to the doorway of the tent of meeting and wash them with water. You shall put the holy garments on Aaron and anoint him and set him apart as holy, that he may minister as a priest to Me.

The building is consecrated, and now the ministers must be consecrated. Aaron and his sons are brought to the entrance. They are not yet qualified to go inside. First, they must be washed with water, a symbol of purification. Then, they are clothed in the special garments God designed for them. This is a picture of imputed righteousness; they are given a status they do not possess on their own. Finally, after being washed and clothed, Aaron is anointed. Like the furniture, he is set apart for God's exclusive service. He is now a holy person, designated to serve a holy God.

14-15 You shall bring his sons and put tunics on them; and you shall anoint them even as you have anointed their father, that they may minister as priests to Me; and their anointing will be for them for a perpetual priesthood throughout their generations.”

The consecration extends to Aaron's sons. They too are clothed and anointed. God is not just establishing a single priest; He is establishing a priesthood. This office is to be perpetual, passed down through the generations. This ensures that Israel will always have a designated mediator to stand between them and God. Of course, this is a temporary arrangement that points forward to the final, perfect, and perpetual priesthood of the Lord Jesus Christ, who is a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.

16 Thus Moses did; according to all that Yahweh had commanded him, so he did.

This verse is the capstone of the entire section. It is a profound statement about the nature of true faithfulness. Moses' obedience is not partial, it is not approximate, and it is not reluctant. He did all that Yahweh commanded. The repetition emphasizes the completeness of his obedience. The house of God was built and assembled exactly according to the divine pattern. There was no room for human improvement or creative editing. This is the foundation of all that follows. God will fill this Tabernacle with His glory precisely because it was built His way.

Application

This passage is far more than an ancient architectural instruction manual. It is a foundational lesson in the grammar of worship. First, we learn that God's presence requires order. The layout of the Tabernacle, from the bloody altar outside to the glorious throne room inside, is the pattern of our own approach to God. We come through the sacrifice of Christ, we are washed, and only then can we enter into fellowship, guided by His light and sustained by His provision, offering up our prayers which are made acceptable through our Mediator. We must not try to rearrange the furniture.

Second, we learn that holiness is about being set apart for God's use. The anointing oil marked every part of the Tabernacle and its priests as belonging to God. In the new covenant, all believers are anointed with the Holy Spirit. You have been set apart. You are not your own; you were bought with a price. You are the temple of the Holy Spirit, and you are called to be holy in all your conduct. Your body, your time, your money, your family, all of it has been consecrated to God.

Finally, we see the standard of obedience in Moses. "According to all that Yahweh had commanded him, so he did." This is the model for us. We are not called to be creative in our obedience, but faithful. Our task is not to question or improve upon God's commands, but to do them. This kind of meticulous obedience is not legalism; it is the natural response of a heart that has been redeemed and loves the Redeemer. It is the only proper foundation for a life, a family, or a church that desires to be filled with the glory of God.