OBEDIENCE

Text: Exodus 40:16-35

Thus did Moses: according to all that the LORD commanded him, so did he.
And it came to pass in the first month in the second year, on the first day of the month, that the tabernacle was reared up.
And Moses reared up the tabernacle, and fastened his sockets, and set up the boards thereof, and put in the bars thereof, and reared up his pillars.
And he spread abroad the tent over the tabernacle, and put the covering of the tent above upon it; as the LORD commanded Moses.
And he took and put the testimony into the ark, and set the staves on the ark, and put the mercy seat above upon the ark:
And he brought the ark into the tabernacle, and set up the vail of the covering, and covered the ark of the testimony; as the LORD commanded Moses.
And he put the table in the tent of the congregation, upon the side of the tabernacle northward, without the vail.
And he set the bread in order upon it before the
LORD; as the LORD had commanded Moses.
And he put the candlestick in the tent of the congregation, over against the table, on the side of the tabernacle southward.
And he lighted the lamps before the LORD; as the
LORD commanded Moses.
And he put the golden altar in the tent of the congregation before the vail:
And he burnt sweet incense thereon; as the LORD commanded Moses.
And he set up the hanging at the door of the tabernacle.
And he put the altar of burnt offering by the door of the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation, and offered upon it the burnt offering and the meat offering; as the LORD commanded Moses.
And he set the laver between the tent of the congregation and the altar, and put water there, to wash withal.
And Moses and Aaron and his sons washed their hands and their feet thereat:
When they went into the tent of the congregation, and when they came near unto the altar, they washed; as the LORD commanded Moses.
And he reared up the court round about the tabernacle and the altar, and set up the hanging of the court gate. So Moses finished the work.
Then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.
And Moses was not able to enter into the tent of the congregation, because the cloud abode thereon, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.

Our text today contains God's specific instructions on how Moses should handle the Tabernacle. We do not learn serious obedience more than we read detailed sections like our scriptural passage.

Source

When you ponder some of God's specific teachings, do you ever wonder why He commanded a certain way? Have you ever wondered why Jesus frequently "came on so strong"? Sometimes I have. We can only conclude that God, our all knowing Father, knows best!

In Exodus 40, between verses 16 and 35, we are told no less than eight times that Moses took specific actions" as the Lord commanded him." We can and should be inspired by Moses' exacting obedience He may have wondered about some of the details, yet his actions demonstrate his conviction that God knows best.

Whenever we obey God through hearts of faith, the Glory of the Lord will be revealed (notice verses 34 and 35).

Leviticus 8:1-13

And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
Take Aaron and his sons with him, and the garments, and the anointing oil, and a bullock for the sin offering, and two rams, and a basket of unleavened bread;
And gather thou all the congregation together unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.
And Moses did as the LORD commanded him; and the assembly was gathered together unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.
And Moses said unto the congregation, This is the thing which the LORD commanded to be done.
And Moses brought Aaron and his sons, and washed them with water.
And he put upon him the coat, and girded him with the girdle, and clothed him with the robe, and put the ephod upon him, and he girded him with the curious girdle of the ephod, and bound it unto him therewith.
And he put the breastplate upon him: also he put in the breastplate the Urim and the Thummim.
And he put the mitre upon his head; also upon the mitre, even upon his forefront, did he put the golden plate, the holy crown; as the LORD commanded Moses.
And Moses took the anointing oil, and anointed the tabernacle and all that was therein, and sanctified them.
And he sprinkled thereof upon the altar seven times, and anointed the altar and all his vessels, both the laver and his foot, to sanctify them.
And he poured of the anointing oil upon Aaron's head, and anointed him, to sanctify him.
And Moses brought Aaron's sons, and put coats upon them, and girded them with girdles, and put bonnets upon them; as the LORD commanded Moses.

Moses, Aaron, and his sons were called to obey the Lord. Note how many times we're told that Moses "did as the Lord commanded him." They were instructed to follow a ceremony in front of the congregation that would mark them as God's anointed.

We, too, are called to‘obey God. And we also follow a ceremony that marks us as God' 5 anointed. In baptism We have the outward manifestation of our inner decision to follow Christ-as well as the joy of having done" as the Lord commanded" (Acts 2:38).

The ceremonial dress we put on isn't the physical dress described here-the ephod, the breastplate, and the crown-but the armor of God described in Ephesians 6: 13-17. And though you can't see the helmet of salvation or the breastplate of righteousness that we adopt when we dedicate ourselves to Christ-like the Israelites could see the priestly garb-when we really obey God, it can be seen in our lives.

Ceremony seems foolish sometimes. But when we have faith in God-the kind of faith that makes us follow Him-then we embrace the opportunity to obey Him, no matter what the conditions.