Women of the Word

Exodus 39:27 – 40

As chapter 39 draws to a close, a short description is given of the priestly vestments woven for Aaron and his sons, and, then, finally, “all the work of the Tabernacle of the Tent of the Presence was completed.” (vs. 32) Everything: Tabernacle, furnishings, Ark, sacred vessels, vestments, is brought before Moses who inspects it, is pleased with it, and blesses it.



In the final chapter, 40, Moses follows God’s instructions to set up the Tabernacle on a specific day and to place the altar and the Ark within according to a detailed plan. Aaron’s consecration as priest is described in a few verses (the J writer is not as attached to the Levites as the Priestly writer, obviously). Once these tasks are completed, “the cloud covered the Tent of the Presence, and the glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle.” (vss. 34-35) From this time on, if the “cloud lifted from the Tabernacle, the Israelites broke camp; but if the cloud did not lift from the Tabernacle, they did not break camp until the day it lifted.” (vss. 36-37)



Throughout chapters 39 and 40, as the writer describes the weaving of linens and the work on the precious metals, the thread of a refrain keeps returning: “as the Lord had commanded Moses.” Everyone’s labor had a higher purpose; it was not for individual glory.



When the Women of the Word group began the study of this book last fall, we were, like most people, well-versed on the beginnings of the Exodus story: Moses in the bulrushes, Pharaoh’s refusals to release his Hebrew slaves and the subsequent plagues, and the famous parting of the Red Sea as the Israelites flee Egypt. However, these events take up only the first 15 chapters of this important book. The rest, a full two-thirds, recount the saga of God’s covenant with His chosen people and the building of that covenant through his messenger Moses.



“It is possible to summarise the faith of Moses as follows:

a) He believed in a personal God, who had revealed Himself in former days to the fathers, and who was once more manifesting Himself to His people. This God, whose sacred name was Jehovah, was not bound to the Hebrews because of any blood relationships or any external necessity—the relationship between Him and them rested upon His own free determination; hence Israel was the people of Jehovah because He had chosen them. No other nation had ever had such a thought about its god.

b) He believed in a God whose fundamental attributes were righteousness and mercy. . . .

c) He taught that this God, having concluded His covenant with the people, demanded on their side righteous conduct, justice, and brotherly kindness between man and man; hence he insisted on the indissoluble bond between religion and morality.”

(Dummelow, “One Volume Bible Commentary,” p. xviii)



As our study group wrapped up our reading of Exodus, we realized that Israel’s Sinai/wilderness experience highlighted the growing importance of a God who never left them, continually calling to them and wanting a response from them. As one member put it, God pursued Israel throughout the desert. The culmination of this response comes with the building of the Tabernacle and the Ark so that God would always have a place at the center of their existence, and God honored that.



Submitted by Karilyn Jaap