Exodus 40

This was sometime in March or April. The Israelites followed a lunar calendar, based on the cycles of the moon. The writer earlier called the first month of the new year Abib (Exodus 34:18), an older name of the month that became known as Nisan (March-April). In fact, the month is called Nisan in Exodus 12:2, where the feast of Passover is first discussed. Following a lunar calendar, every month starts at the first tiny crescent after the new moon. A new moon is when the moon is hidden behind earth’s shadow for one day. The sun, moon, and earth are aligned, with earth in the middle. Nisan is when Jews celebrate one of their most revered holidays: Passover. The month falls around Eastertime. Jesus went to Jerusalem to observe Passover when he was arrested and crucified.

Better known as the Ark of the Covenant, Israel’s most sacred relic, kept in the Most Sacred Room in the tent worship center.

Worship utensils such as lampstands were considered holy because they were reserved for sacred use, devoted to God. People, too, were considered holy when they devoted themselves to God.

More literally “the Testimony” or “the Agreement.” Moses put the two stones in a gold-covered box often called the Ark of the Covenant, which essentially means the Box of the Contract. It was a contract or agreement between God and Israel. Israel agreed to follow God’s laws and God promised to protect them and to take them to their new home.

The box containing the Ten Commandments was isolated in the Most Sacred Room, sometimes known as the Holy of Holies. Only Moses and the high priest, Aaron, could go in there. Aaron’s sons, the remaining priests, were limited to the tent’s main room, the Sacred Room.

The table was for displaying consecrated bread, known as the Bread of the Presence or Shewbread. Every Sabbath day, priests put 12 fresh loaves of bread on the table. A week later, priests ate those loaves and replaced them with another dozen loaves of bread (Leviticus 24:5-9).

The Hebrew word, anan, can mean “cloud,” “smoke,” or “mist.” It’s associated with God’s presence; it appears when God arrives. When the people of Israel were on the move, they followed what is most often translated as a pillar of cloud. But that “cloud,” too, can also mean smoke, whether natural or supernatural. Since this is a pillar of fire at night, it might seem logical to presume it’s a pillar of smoke and fire during the day.

The Hebrew word for “glorious presence” is kabod, often translated as “glory.” It refers to God. It’s a word that can also mean: splendor, honor, dignity, wealth.

It’s unclear if Moses was afraid to enter the tent or if he felt that God needed a moment in this new place or if he felt that with God filling the tent, there wasn’t even standing room available. We could keep guessing. But Leviticus is next.

This cloud of smoke and fire sounds a like part of the same occurrence described in Exodus 13:21, “The LORD traveled in front of them, in a rising column of smoke by day and a column of fire at night, which lit their way. That allowed them to travel day or night.”