Replies

From: Exodus 40:16-21, 34-38

Moses’ Obedience to God’s Commands

[16] Thus did Moses; according to all that the Lord commanded him, so he did.
[17] And in the first month in the second year, on the first day of the month, the
tabernacle was erected. [18] Moses erected the tabernacle; he laid its bases,
and set up its frames, and put in its poles, and raised up its pillars; [19] and he
spread the tent over the tabernacle, and put the covering of the tent over it, as
the Lord had commanded Moses. [20] And he took the testimony and put it in-
to the ark, and put the poles on the ark, and set the mercy seat above on the
ark; [21] and he brought the ark into the tabernacle, and set up the veil of the
screen, and screened the ark of the testimony; as the Lord had commanded
Moses.

The Glory of God Fills the Tabernacle

[34] Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of’ the Lord filled
the tabernacle. [35] And Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting, be-
cause the cloud abode upon it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.
[36] Throughout all their journeys, whenever the cloud was taken up from over
the tabernacle, the people of Israel would go onward; [37] but if the cloud was
not taken up, then they did not go onward till the day that it was taken up. [38]
For throughout all their journeys the cloud of the Lord was upon the tabernacle
by day, and fire was in it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel.

*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:

40:34-38. The book of Exodus ends by speaking once again about the Lord’s
presence among his people, mentioning the cloud and the glory of God (cf. Ex
13:21-22). The cloud will stay with the people throughout their journey in the de-
sert (cf. Num 9:15ff), showing them the way to go. In Christian tradition the cloud
is seen as an image of faith, which guides the Christian night and day as he
makes his pilgrim way to the promised land. The Fathers also saw this cloud as
a figure of Christ: “He is the pillar who, keeping himself upright and strong, cures
our infirmity. By night he sheds light, by day he becomes opaque, so that those
who do not see are enabled to see and those who see become blind” (St Isidore
of Seville, “Quaestiones In Exodum”, 18, 1).

*********************************************************************************************
Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.