We're going to Exodus chapter 40. So in our study of Exodus, this is our final message. It is message number 48, entitled Glory Came Down. We're looking at verses 34 to 38. So I did go back and look. I preached through Exodus over 10 years ago and had nearly 80 sermons going through the book. and probably averaged between 50 and 60 minutes per sermon. So, I don't know if I'm just getting old and tired or what it is, but hopefully this has been a better study than what that one was then. Anyway, so we're going to begin here with verse number 34 as we get started. Then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation. and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. So chapter 40, it is the final chapter in Exodus. It serves as the conclusion to this book. Now, the first part of the chapter we looked at earlier concludes that final section of the book that's all about the building of the tabernacle and all those related items. And then the beginning of chapter 40 gives the instructions for setting it all up in place and then the following of those instructions. And we have that verse 32 that very fittingly ends that section with our verse 33 rather, so Moses finished the work. It brings that section to an end. Now the conclusion highlighted once again that everything was done according to what God commanded Moses and we always have to remember how that context, that setting changed because of the golden calf incident and making chapter 40 a very remarkable conclusion given what we have seen to this point in the book. Now conclusions to books don't generally add new information or themes to the book. They don't usually raise a lot of questions that aren't answered, but rather their conclusions are giving closure to what has come before, and this is a very fitting closure to this book of Exodus. So chapters 1 and 2 opened up with Israel in Egypt suffering affliction in slavery. And in those early chapters, it seems like God was absent. Where was God in all of their suffering? And you could almost maybe hear those kind of questions. So he was not present. The Egyptians were becoming more hostile toward them and their very existence as a people was threatened. And the opening of the book really focused on their external problems. It doesn't mean they didn't have internal problems. They did. They really weren't worshiping the Lord. They didn't really know Him. They're in Egypt, but really focusing on those external problems of the afflictions they were suffering. Now, after they left Egypt, the book then begins to reveal to us internal problems. They had more problems than just being enslaved in Egypt. They're grumbling and complaining, which showed rebellious sort of thoughts toward the words of God and leadership through. Moses, whom God had appointed to that task. So the problems of their hearts was beginning to be revealed in this book, and that, of course, reaches the grand climax in chapter 32, where they actually worshipped a golden calf that they had Aaron make, and 3,000 of their leaders in that sin were killed by God's command. Now, by the end of the book, though, they have a tabernacle. They have a priesthood. Essentially, they have the solution to their problems. They've been delivered from Egypt to go toward the land that was promised to them through their fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. They have an altar, and they have priests to serve and to make offering and sacrifice and to make atonement for them. They have God's presence among them, a pillar of cloud by day and a fire by night. So the book resolves at the end. Again, it does come to that closure at the end. But of course this isn't the final end. There's a lot more Bible to go after Exodus. But by this point, We have learned a lot about God. We have learned a lot about the blood required for forgiveness of sins and the approaching Him according to His commandments. And so the final part of this chapter, the final part of this book is really the grand conclusion. Everything is ready. God's presence will fill the tabernacle, and the rest of the story is set up as the book ends with Israel ready for their journeys. And then, of course, those journeys happen over the next few books of the Pentateuch, though not the journey in Leviticus, but beginning in Numbers especially. So we want to look at the final verses of this chapter, verses 34 to 38 where the presence of God and His glory fills the tent of the congregation. Let's look at verses 34 and 35. So much like what happened back at Sinai in chapter 24, verses 15 to 18, the cloud came over the tent of the congregation and God's glory filled the tabernacle. Of course, we don't have the thunder and lightnings and some of the things that we had there on top of the mount, but God's glory that is mentioned here is It's thematic in this book, and we'll consider that theme of God's glory in the book of Acts, we'll consider that a little more at the end. But there's an interesting note here. In verse 35, Moses was not able to enter into the tent of the congregation because the cloud and because the glory of the Lord had filled the tabernacle. Moses wasn't able to enter. He could not go in the tabernacle. Now, reading to this point in the book, we know that Moses was the one who was commanded to take off his shoes at the burning bush because he was in the presence of God. And so the ground was holy where he stood. Moses met with God. on top of the mountain for 40 days and 40 nights, two different times, meeting with God also in the tent, that temporary tent of meeting that was set up that he moved outside the camp after the golden calf incident. Moses saw God's glory. He asked to see God's glory, and he saw God's glory, and his face shone so that he had to put a veil on it in order to talk to Israel. So why could Moses not enter the tabernacle? Well, at the very least, this note about Moses not being able to enter the tabernacle provides us an important messianic foreshadowing. You see, Moses would tell Israel later, that God is going to raise you up a prophet like Him in the future who would command them and they must hear and obey. Of course, that's Deuteronomy 18, verse 15, "...the Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me, unto him ye shall hearken." Peter later referred, in the book of Acts, he later referred back to this particular prophecy as having been fulfilled in Jesus Christ. In Acts 3, verses 22-26, For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren like unto me, him you shall hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you. And it shall come to pass that every soul which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people. Yea, and all the prophets from Samuel, and those that follow after, as many as have spoken, have likewise foretold of these days. Ye are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our father, saying unto Abraham, And in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed. Unto you first God, having raised up his son Jesus, sent him to bless you and turning away every one of you from his iniquities. So Peter is very clear, and the apostles are very clear, the New Testament is very clear Jesus was that prophet that Moses was talking about that God was going to raise up. So in a sense, he's the new Moses or the second Moses. But actually, more than that, he's greater than Moses. A point which is made in the book of Hebrews 9, verses 23 to 26. It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these." Now, what he's talking about, the pattern of the things in the heavens, that's the tabernacle. That's everything that we've been reading about, all these things that were made and were set up. And how was atonement made for those things? It was made through sacrifice. Consecration was made through anointing. He says, the heavenly things themselves The things in the heavens that the tabernacle was modeled after had to be purified, he said, with better sacrifices than these. He goes on to say, for Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands. He didn't enter into the tabernacle or the temple that Moses or Solomon or later was built in the second temple. That's not what he entered into. He said these things are figures of the true. but into heaven itself now to appear in the presence of God for us. Nor yet that he should offer himself often as the high priest entereth into the holy places every year with blood of others. For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world. But now once in the end of the world, and that's the word for age, hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. Jesus did. what Moses could not do. So you have this little note almost seemingly of no consequence that, well, nobody could enter in. God's glory is filled this tabernacle. Moses couldn't enter into that. But Jesus Christ himself could and did into the very presence of God and is now at his right hand or he will be until his time of return. Jesus is truly the greater Moses. Now we proceed here in this passage with the last few verses, beginning with verse 36. And when the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the children of Israel went onward in all their journeys. But if the cloud were not taken up, then they journeyed not till the day that it was taken up. For the cloud of the Lord was upon the tabernacle by day and fire was on it by night in the sight of all the house of Israel throughout all their journeys." So this concluding note that we have here pertaining to their journeys, to their moving onward, it really sets up the rest of the Pentateuch and Israel's journey on toward the promised land. So the cloud and the fire was now over the tabernacle. while it was set up. And when that cloud or that fire removed and moved, then Israel was to move, and they were to follow where that cloud went. Now, in verses 36 and 37, we actually have a word that's repeated here, and it's a word that's obviously thematic throughout the Pentateuch. Here in verse 36, translated onward, in verse 37 it's translated journey, and in fact the word at the end of verse 38 that's translated journeys is also from that same root word. That word is used a bunch of times in Genesis, and generally in Genesis when it's used, it's talking about the journeys of the patriarchs, the moving on of the patriarchs, the setting out. It's used in Exodus of the journeys of Israel to Sinai. It's used in the rest of the Pentateuch of their journeys toward the promised land. So the book does end Again, setting us up for the books that are to follow, which is not unusual for books that you might consider to be in a series when there's an ongoing and unfolding story. The story of the Exodus is coming to an end, but the story of Israel is not at an end. The story of Israel continues on. And the note about their moving when the cloud or the fire moved and the staying put when it remained. That draws attention to the fact that their journeys were under God's guidance. They moved when He moved and they stayed put when He remained. And also, when they did move, they went where He went, where He led them. So in other words, they're journeying toward the land that was promised. But the way that they went, the time that they went, and how much time they spent in places when they settled for a time, all of that was according to God's guidance. Moses didn't have a meeting with those who were the most geographically apt and discuss different routes and determine what the best way was going to be to go. No, they went purely and solely by the guidance of God. They stayed in a place when God remained there. In other words, they couldn't leave. All of this was according to his own will and according to his time. Well, the conclusion of this book gives us a preview of God's purpose for His creation. We have here, obviously, the prominent feature at the end of this book is the glory of the Lord filling the tabernacle. And, of course, that's but just a preview of when the kingdom comes to this earth after this age and His glory fills the earth. resolves God's seeming absence at the beginning of the book with his overwhelming presence at the end of the book, even so much that Moses could not enter into the tabernacle. Well, the theme of God's glory in the book of Exodus actually leads us right to this very grand conclusion of this book and this little preview of the future. It's similar to what Isaiah saw in Isaiah chapter 6, that preview of the future, similar to what Peter and James and John saw on the Mount of Transfiguration in that preview of the future. It's similar to what John saw Christ in his glory there in the beginning of the book of Revelation. This little preview of the future and what is coming. Now the first reference to God's glory in the book of Exodus and this word for glory is that word Kavod, Kavod HaYahweh. It is the glory of the Lord and the first reference to it comes after the Exodus from Egypt and after the crossing of the Red Sea. So after the crossing of the Red Sea, God's victory over the nation, over the nation of Egypt, it occasioned the Old Song. That's in Exodus chapter 15. We spent some time looking at that and talking about that when we were there. But that old song, all of this anticipates his victory over all the nations in the day of Yahweh, which will occasion the singing of the new song, which we talked about back in Exodus 15, talked about numerous times when we were going through the Psalms. beginning there in Psalm 33 and then several psalms after that and then a few other incidents. We've talked a lot about this new song. It is the song of victory at the coming of the kingdom with the coming of Jesus Christ to this earth. So after that is when his glory is seen in Exodus chapter number 16. Again, it's the first time that it shows up in Exodus. And it was seen in the provision of the manna, the miraculous provision of the manna. That's chapter 16 and verse number 7. So His glory was seen in God miraculously, supernaturally providing for the needs of Israel to sustain them because He had led them into the wilderness. But His glory is also seen In that same instance, chapter 16 and verse number 10, it's also seen in a judgment. against their complaining and their murmuring, their lack of faith. That's important to understand about God's glory and really we've had a lesson about God's glory in the book of Exodus. His glory was later seen with his presence on Sinai in chapter 24 verses 16 to 17. Terrifying! Israel, the mountain, the very mountain quaked And the people trembled, the terrifying sight of God's glorious presence on top of Mount Sinai. And there he gave Israel his covenant law. His glory would also be his presence in the tabernacle, which would sanctify Israel as that holy nation they are predestinated to be. That's chapter 29 and verse number 43. And though that will actually be fulfilled in the future, through the New Covenant, it is spoken of there. Now, after the golden calf, God was righteously angry with Israel and, so to speak, could have destroyed them. Of course, Moses, in that setting, asked to see God's glory. Chapter 33 and verse number 18. We looked at that and we talked about what an odd request that was. Everything that was going on, and in that context, Moses asked to see God. It's almost like it comes out of nowhere. But really, we understand, because he did see God's glory, that God's glory means the full compass of his being and attributes. In essence, Moses was asking, God show me your glory, don't show me only your wrath, which is wrath is always righteous, but don't show me only your wrath, show me your mercy. Show me your grace. Show me the full spectrum, as it were, that His glory comprehends. Exodus 34, verse 6 and 7, And the Lord passed by before him and proclaimed, The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and upon the children's children unto the third and to the fourth generation." And that is the fulfilling of the request for Moses to see God's glory. So finally, we come to this place where God's glory has filled the tabernacle. showing God's covenant faithfulness and God's commitment to his own glory. If you remember Moses' intercession, which is a very covenantal prayer, essentially saying to God, you can't do this. You can't destroy this nation. And it seems very strong language and it really ought to make us maybe take a step back. Women, you can't talk to God that way. tell God He can't do something? Moses essentially said, you can't do this. Well, why can't God do that? Well, God couldn't do that because His name, His very name, His glory was on the line if He destroyed that nation because of His loving kindness as was spoken of, His covenant faithfulness. He had made promises just as Peter talked about those promises that he had made to Abraham. He'd made promises. He could not violate those. And sometimes people get caught up in what God can't do and what God can do. Here's one thing God can't do. God cannot ever contradict or violate his own word. He cannot. He would simply cease to be God. He wouldn't be God if he could do such a thing. He cannot do that. this glory of God fulfilling this tabernacle and fulfilling His promises and showing this preview of what is going to occur. And, of course, as we go on through Scripture, we've learned so much about God's glory here in the book of Exodus. And what we go on to learn is that Every knee, every human knee that's ever existed or ever will exist is going to bow before Him. And every human tongue is going to confess His glory. And that's going to be done in one of two ways. It's either going to be done in judgment, when he will be glorified in every human being by their condemnation, or it's going to be done in salvation as they confess his glory. But it's going to happen. His glory is going to fill this earth one day. much as it filled the tabernacle. And of course, the good news is that you can be saved. You can be saved by turning away from your sins, by turning away from your efforts and trusting fully in Jesus Christ for salvation. And you'll be forgiven and God will be glorified. Well, the conclusion with these final verses about Israel's journeys provides us another important lesson, and you're probably tired of hearing lessons about service at this point. We've had quite a few of those as we've been going through these last chapters. Well, here we get another one of these kind of lessons right at the very end of this book as it pertains to these journeys. Well, the book starts. with Israel in bondage. They are enslaved in the nation of Egypt. And the book ends with Israel free and on their way to their own land. Well, this emphasis that we get on God's guidance and His restraint of their movements shows us really what redemption means. You see, freedom from Egypt did not mean that Israel was free to do whatever they wanted, to go whatever they wanted, any time that they wanted when it was going to be convenient for them. What it meant was freedom To serve God. All the way back to that word that God sent through Moses and Aaron to Pharaoh. Let my people go that they may serve me. They've been enslaved in Egypt. He says, let them go that they may serve me and not Egypt. Freedom to do his will. Freedom to keep his words. So redemption. and salvation is not just about what you are saved from. Now, what we are saved from is truly wonderful. Freedom in Jesus Christ through the gospel. You don't have to be a slave to your sins. You don't have to be a slave to your failures and weaknesses of humanity, your miseries. Jesus Christ can break all of those chains and set you free. But redemption, salvation, is also about what you are saved to. Redemption means being bought with a price. The very word means to loose with a price, to pay a price, to pay the redemption, the ransom price. Paul said that being redeemed means that you are now the purchased possession of Jesus Christ. Paul said that means that you have been bought and paid for at the cost of His precious blood and therefore belong to Him. Of course, Paul's conclusion there in his letter to the Corinthians is, so therefore glorify God in your body. You're His. Your life on this earth, live it to His honor and glory. Submit yourself to His service. You are His possession. Well, again, we see that highlighted right at the very end of this book. They weren't set free from Egypt just to do whatever they wanted. They were set free from Egypt to serve God, to live in the freedom of His grace. the book of Exodus. And I hope that we can all come away from studying this book with a better understanding of truly how foundational that this book is. And it's really how that God's revelation to us works. It builds up just like putting block upon block. Maybe also we can come away from this book with maybe a better appreciation for the Old Testament as a whole. The Old Testament is oftentimes neglected. It's usually not among our favorite reading, if we're reading the Bible or studying the Bible. Or, you know, if you announce a sermon series on the book of Leviticus, it's not, you know, what really sort of stirs the embers of the heart. Well, can't wait for that. It can be difficult. But I hope that maybe through this study that we can gain a better appreciation and learning from it.