The following is a written version (though not exactly word for word) of a message I gave to the women at my church on a portion of our study (primarily chapter 40) of Exodus. You can instead listen to it here.

God heard the cries of his people enslaved in Egypt. Then God acted by protecting the birth, upbringing, and growth of Moses as the future deliverer (and uses 12 brave women to do so!). Next God rescued his people by calling Moses to return to Egypt to set them free. God reigned through the ten plagues and liberating the people out of Egypt and across the Red Sea. God covenanted with the people at Mt. Sinai, giving them the law and his promises to be their God and make them a holy nation.

And lastly God gave Moses a system of worship and a means by which he would dwell with them as he dwelt with them in the garden (Gen 3:8). In keeping with this desire to be with his people, he instructed Moses:

They are to make a sanctuary for me so that I may dwell among them. You must make it according to all that I show you—the pattern of the tabernacle as well as the pattern of all its furnishings.

Exodus 25:8

First God gave Moses the blueprint for the tabernacle and the priests (Ex 25–31). Now imagine doing this without written instructions, a smartphone to capture notes, voice memos, or even pen and paper. I have administrative gifts and a fairly keen attention to detail but I know I would certainly miss something. If it was me, I’d be running back to the temporary tent of meeting or up and down the mountain to ask again, “Now how many cubits is the side of the altar?” I’m sure Moses had a photographic memory or divine help to remember all those numbers and details!

Then God explained how to consecrate the tabernacle and the priests (Ex 29:44–46). The people brought all the materials (Ex 35), they built it (Ex 36–39), and God told them how to set it up (Ex 40:1–8). Then Moses anointed everything (Ex 40:9–15) and set it up as per God’s instructions (Ex 40:16–33). Only then did God’s glory come and dwell in the tabernacle (Ex 40:34–38). Let’s examine the key words in these passages and what they mean for Israel and for us.

Take the anointing oil and anoint the tabernacle and everything in it; consecrate it and all its furnishings, and it will be holy.

Exodus 40:9

Tabernacle (Ex 40)

Moses set up this Tabernacle or Tent of Meeting exactly one year after they left Egypt! The instructions were given on the mountain in the third month so this means it took nine months to build all the various elements of the tabernacle.

This giant tent was to be the God’s meeting place. The Hebrew word comes from the root word “dwell.” We’re talking about a giant tent, a portable sanctuary for God’s presence about 15 ft wide by 45 ft long. It was divided into two rooms—the outer called the “holy place,” and the inner called the “Most holy place”—surrounded by a tall fence enclosing a courtyard about the size of two basketball courts. When I think portable, I think carry-on luggage or the fancy new stroller my children use that, with one press of a button, converts into a car seat. But even though the tabernacle was clunky and heavy, it could be broken down and carried with them wherever they went.

Eight times the author states that “Moses did everything just as the Lord had commanded him.” The author of Hebrews tells us that getting it perfectly right was crucial because the tabernacle points to a better way of dwelling with God that was to come (Heb 8:5).

Consecrate (Ex 29:44; 40:9–12)

After building all the parts of the tabernacle Moses consecrated it, meaning he sanctified or set them apart. He did this by anointing them with oil to make them holy. The act of consecration involves taking something that was meant for common use and separating it out to be devoted to God’s purposes. Interestingly, this is the root word used to describe the sanctuary God told Moses to build in Exodus 25:8. In other words, the tabernacle is a “consecrated place.”

Believers too are consecrated. Jesus has set us apart for his purposes.

• Sanctify them by the truth; I have sent them into the world; For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified. (Jn 17:17–19)
• You are not your own; you were bought at a price. (1 Cor 6:19–20)
• I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. (Gal 2:20)

Now we consecrate ourselves for him.

• And He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died for them and was raised again. (2 Cor 5:15)
• Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. (Rom 12:1-2)

I consecrated myself when I was about 13. At that time two young women in my world tragically died. One was a young mother in the village where my parents served as Bible translators. Cerebral malaria struck fast and left her twin babies motherless. Some in her community mourned as those without hope. 

The other was a fellow TCK who died instantly in a motorcycle accident. She had been such a vibrant follower of Jesus that many of her peers believed for the first time or rededicated themselves to Christ.  As I witnessed the varied reactions, I decided then that I wanted to live my life in such a way that if I died, my life would point others to Jesus.

Have you set yourself apart to be used by God? This is not just for church staff, pastors, or missionaries. All who belong to God are not their own.

What special task might God want to set you apart for?

Anoint (Ex 40:9–15)

Consecration was done by anointing (smearing) the object or person with special oil carefully blended with fine spices according to a specific formula prescribed by the Lord (Ex 30:22–32).

Jesus Christ is God’s Anointed One. Christ is the Greek equivalent (Christos) to the Hebrew word Messiah (mashiach) and means “anointed one” or “chosen one.” Jesus Christ was anointed for the purpose of saving mankind (Jn 1:41, Lk 4:18).

Believers too are anointed by God. God does this by giving us his Holy Spirit at the moment of salvation and joining us to Christ, the Anointed One.

• But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth. (1 Jn 2:20)
• Repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. (Acts 2:38)
• Now it is God who strengthens us together with you in Christ, and who has anointed us. He has also put his seal on us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a down payment. (2 Cor 1:21–22)

We then do our part by living according to the Holy Spirit.

• Those who live according to the Spirit have their minds set on the things of the Spirit (Rom 8:5)
• Do not suppress (quench/grieve) the Spirit. (1 Thess 5:19)

In the Texas hot summer, I have to water my plants every day if I expect anything to survive. This means wrestling with the hose that invariably gets jumbled up, caught on a chair leg, and kinked, stopping the flow of the life-giving substance. I have to untangle the knots, remove obstructions, and straighten it so that the water can flow again.

Likewise, the Holy Spirit in me wants to flow freely, to guide my thoughts and actions so that I can live according to it and produce the fruit of the Spirit. But his flow can be obstructed by my sin, indifference, or willfulness. I can give control over to other things, thus quenching his Spirit in me.

In what ways might you be suppressing the Spirit’s work in your life?

Holy (40:9–13)

The elements of the tabernacle and the priests were declared holy (set apart) when they were anointed. In ancient Israel, holiness was a central concept that defined the relationship between God and His people. The idea of being “set apart” was integral to the covenantal relationship, where Israel was called to be a holy nation (Ex 19:6, Lev 11:45).

Jesus was holy. “What do you have to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!” (Mk 1:24)

Believers are declared holy through the sacrifice of Jesus.

• We have been made holy through the sacrifice of Jesus (Heb 10:10)
• But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his possession, so that you may proclaim the praises of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. (1 Pet 2:9)
• We are God’s holy people/saints (1 Cor 1:2, Eph 1:1, Rom 1:7)

We do our part by living holy lives.

• But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do. (1 Pet 1:14–15)
• So glorify God with your body (1 Cor 6:20)

All believers are saints. Just as the ordinary elements of the tabernacle were declared holy, so we, ordinary people, are anointed and made holy by the sacrifice of Jesus. God has declared it so. So now our daily life is all about learning to live according to what God has declared us to be. Believe it. Now live it.

How might you pursue holiness?

Dwell (Ex 25:8; 29:45–46; 40:35)

Only after the tabernacle was declared holy could God’s presence come dwell—inhabit, abide, rest, reside, or permanently stay—in it. “God, who does not live in buildings made with hands” (Acts 17:24) chose to put his presence, his glory, in an earthly tabernacle (a dwelling place) because he wanted to live with his people—physically and relationally—just as he had in the garden. He did this so they would know that he was the Lord their God (Ex 29:46).

Jesus then dwelt with us when he came to earth as a human. “The Word became flesh and dwelt (tented/made his dwelling/tabernacled) among us. We observed his glory, the glory as the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” (Jn 1:14).

God now dwells in believers.

• And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit. (Eph 2:22)
• That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith (Eph 3:17)
• You, however, are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. (Rom 8:9)
• Don’t you yourselves know that you are God’s temple and that the Spirit of God lives in you? (1 Cor 3:16; 1 Cor 6:19-20)

How amazing that the God of the universe chooses to dwell in me. The fact that I can feel his presence, turn my attention to him at any moment, and speak with him directly is truly incredible! Especially when I remember what Moses and the Israelites had to go through to have God dwell in their midst.

I live with my husband. But sometimes we get so busy we end up living together but not really dwelling together or being together. We are like ships that pass in the night—each waking at different times, eating meals on the go, working late, choosing different shows on different devices, going to bed at different hours. In these moments, we might live together, but we don’t dwell together. Dwelling takes intentionality and time, connection and conversation.

Since we desire to dwell with God, let’s abide in his love (Jn 15:9), pray continually (1 Thess 5:17), and practice his presence.

Since you are God’s tabernacle, how might you dwell with him?

As he did for the tabernacle, God has set us apart by Christ’s death on the cross. He has anointed us by his Holy Spirit and declared us holy so that he can now dwell in us. He has done his part. We now joyfully partner with him.

PRAYER

Dear Lord, How awesome it is that my God who does not dwell in man-made temples, dwells in me! Praise you, Lord! Now teach me how to experience your presence, to practice it. Prompt me to turn my attention to you regularly, to connect with you as often as possible, to converse with you as I do my closest friends.