Pequdei
Accounts
“The Glory of God”
Exodus 38:21-40:38
1 Kings 7:51-8:21 (A); 7:40-50 (S)
excerpted from TorahScope, Volume I
This week’s Torah portion, Pequdei, concludes the Book of Exodus. Although some important things occur in our selected reading, Exodus ends with some very meaningful words, as the Tabernacle is completed and the Ancient Israelites prepare to enter into the purpose which the Lord had set for them:
“Then the cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and the LORD’s glory filled the tabernacle. Moses wasn’t able to enter into the Tent of Meeting, because the cloud stayed on it, and the LORD’s glory filled the tabernacle. When the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the children of Israel went onward, throughout all their journeys; but if the cloud wasn’t taken up, then they didn’t travel until the day that it was taken up. For the cloud of the LORD was on the tabernacle by day, and there was fire in the cloud by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys” (Exodus 40:34-38, WMB).
In Pequdei, we see the appearance of the glory of God in the completed Tabernacle:
“[T]he cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and the Presence of the Lord filled the Tabernacle” (Exodus 40:34, NJPS).
For the past ten readings, since the introduction of Moses in Shemot, the Israelites have been on a somewhat soul-searching journey in the wilderness. Their emotional “roller coaster,” which began with their deliverance from Egypt, has now culminated with God’s glory residing in their very midst. If you did not know any better, you might think that a considerable amount of time had passed, because the people of Israel had been through an intense period of getting to know their God. But instead, it had really just been a little over one year since Moses first appeared and asked Pharaoh to let the people go. It is stated how the Tabernacle was finally assembled on the first day of the first month of the second year:
“In the first month in the second year, on the first day of the month, the tabernacle was raised up” (Exodus 40:17, WMB).
In just over a year, these several hundred thousand Israelites, coupled with the mixed multitude which had joined themselves to them (Exodus 12:38), now constituted the nation of Israel. This former rabble of slaves, were now free men and women chosen by God to be “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Exodus 19:6, WMB), in order to be His light unto the other nations of the world. The Prophet Isaiah would later declare,
“I, the LORD, have called you in righteousness. I will hold your hand. I will keep you, and make you a covenant for the people, as a light for the nations” (Isaiah 42:6, WMB).
Of course, even though Israel now had many of the things which would form its national identity, the new nation had a way to go. Through His servant Moses, the Lord had revealed enough about Himself and what He required for His glory (Heb. kavod; Grk. doxa) to reside among mortals, that for the first time since the Garden of Eden, His glory could now more tangibly dwell among people. The instructions for construction of the Tabernacle, its implements, and the courtyard had been followed. At the right time, Moses anointed and consecrated the Tabernacle and everything in it. He washed Aaron and his sons, and anointed them in their holy garments.[1] Exodus 40:16 summarizes, “You shall set the altar of burnt offering before the door of the tabernacle of the Tent of Meeting” (WMB).
One can only imagine the excitement which was running through the hearts of the Ancient Israelites as the construction project was completed. Remember, over the course of the previous year, the Lord through Moses had revealed a tremendous amount about who He was and what He required of His people. During that time, Israel had witnessed the judgment upon Egypt. They saw the ten plagues and their devastation, and avoided the death of their firstborn children and livestock. The miracles of the Red Sea crossing were still etched in their memories. The trauma of hearing the voice of God Himself from the trembling mountain, and the unanimous decision to let Moses be their mediator, could never be forgotten. Receiving the Ten Commandments, precepts, and other instructions started to outline rules and regulations for human interactions.
Of course, the golden calf incident of rebellion against their Deliverer God had horrific consequences. Not only did judgment fall upon the Israelites by sword-wielding Levites, but a plague sent by the Lord, judged all whose hearts were not right (Exodus 32:35). If you will recall, various material needs for the Tabernacle were actually mentioned in the text (Exodus 25:13-31:11) before the rebellion of idol worship occurred (Exodus 32:1-35). The Holy One used the remorse, and perhaps even guilt of these incidents, to generate an overwhelming response when the material was finally gathered. Hearts were stirred and the outpouring was so great that the people were ordered to stop (Exodus 35:21; 36:5-7).
The Glory of God
When I meditated upon Pequdei this week, a summary of the Book of Exodus kept coming to mind. It was surely incredible to tally what happened to the Ancient Israelites in just a little over a year of real time. From the bonds and burden of human slavery—to encampment around the newly constructed Tabernacle of the Lord—was quite a journey! Now His glory was in their midst, rather than the yoke of heavy servitude. It is recorded how once God’s glory fell, Moses was unable to enter into the Tent of Meeting:
“Moses wasn’t able to enter into the Tent of Meeting, because the cloud stayed on it, and the LORD’s glory filled the tabernacle” (Exodus 40:35, WMB).
Apparently, the presence of the Lord was so intense, that human interaction with it was difficult to achieve. Even the beloved Moses was unable to enter the Tent of Meeting. As I thought about this, I wondered about other recorded times when the glory of God fell upon Israel. The completion of Solomon’s Temple came to mind, when the glory once again fell upon those gathered. In these two passages, the same basic report is articulated: no one could stand because of the intensity of God’s presence:
“It came to pass, when the priests had come out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the LORD’s house, so that the priests could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud; for the LORD’s glory filled the LORD’s house” (1 Kings 8:10-11, WMB).
“when the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the LORD; and when they lifted up their voice with the shofars and cymbals and instruments of music, and praised the LORD, saying, ‘For he is good, for his loving kindness endures forever!’ then the house was filled with a cloud, even the LORD’s house, so that the priests could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud; for the LORD’s glory filled God’s house” (2 Chronicles 5:13-14, WMB).
Apparently, according to these statements about when the Tabernacle was completed, and the testimonies from when the Temple of Solomon was dedicated, the appearance of the glory of God was so intense—that one was either prevented from entering into His presence, or one was forced to prostrate before Him—because of its greatness. While considering these passages, I wondered about the times when I have felt His glory during my life. Of course, we know how God inhabits the praises of His people, as the Psalmist attested:
“But you are holy, you who inhabit the praises of Israel” (Psalm 22:3, WMB).
There have been times during praise and worship when I have felt His glory in the room where I was worshipping. These have been very special times, and as a spirit of unity among those gathered prevailed, the presence of the Lord has been more noticeable. We should each consider the vision of the Prophet Isaiah, and how serious it is to be invited into His presence, even if just for a short while:
“In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up; and his train filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each one had six wings. With two he covered his face. With two he covered his feet. With two he flew. One called to another, and said, ‘Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of Hosts! The whole earth is full of his glory!’ The foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. Then I said, ‘Woe is me! For I am undone, because I am a man of unclean lips and I live among a people of unclean lips, for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of Hosts!’” (Isaiah 6:1-5, WMB).
For some reason, whenever I think of this passage, I envision Isaiah prostrating on the floor, looking up at the throne of God, imploring Him for mercy. Here, he confessed his state of mortal sinfulness. It is interesting that Isaiah focused on his unclean lips, and the unclean lips of those among whom he dwelt.
Thinking about these verses from Isaiah, I was reminded about the title of our Torah portion for this week, Pequdei or “Accounts.” As our reading begins, we see meticulous details about the amount of actual weight in the precious metals used for the Tabernacle project. For some reason, is God reminding us that He is mindful of particulars? Without hesitation, I recalled a passage in the Gospels from Yeshua:
“I tell you that every idle word that men speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned” (Matthew 12:36-37, WMB).
Then, I wondered to myself about careless words which come from unclean lips. I looked at some of the verses surrounding Matthew 12:36-37. Yeshua warned against idle words when He was being accused of being demon possessed:
“But if I by the Spirit of God cast out demons, then God’s Kingdom has come upon you. Or how can one enter into the house of the strong man and plunder his goods, unless he first bind the strong man? Then he will plunder his house. He who is not with me is against me, and he who doesn’t gather with me, scatters. Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men. Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age, or in that which is to come. Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree corrupt and its fruit corrupt; for the tree is known by its fruit. You offspring of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. The good man out of his good treasure brings out good things, and the evil man out of his evil treasure brings out evil things” (Matthew 12:28-35, WMB).
I remembered a previous incident in my life, hearing about a particular individual who believed that when a gospel presentation was given—it was actually from Satan! This was an interesting attack, because he made his accusations from solely viewing a videotape, and perhaps not even that closely. If he looked closely at the video—which I also watched—he would have seen a number of people prostrated on the floor and on their knees as the good news went forth. When I saw this, I thought: Was the glory of God present at this message? There certainly were many evidences of His presence from the testimonies which came forth.
Then as I thought about this reality, the concepts of God’s glory, how He “inhabits our praises,” and a new thought about not properly discerning the Body of Messiah, all came into focus. I wanted to tell the man who haphazardly judged the work of the Lord: Do you remember the words of Paul, as he was instructing the Corinthians about properly examining oneself before taking of the bread and wine at Passover? Paul stated,
“But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy way eats and drinks judgment to himself if he doesn’t discern the Lord’s body. For this cause many among you are weak and sickly, and not a few sleep. For if we discerned ourselves, we wouldn’t be judged. But when we are judged, we are disciplined by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world” (1 Corinthians 11:28-32, WMB).
While reflecting on these truths, I often catch myself and pray for any person who believes that the work of the Holy Spirit is demonic. He or she is usually unable to discern the Body of Messiah, or to differentiate between the works of the Devil and the Spirit of the Most High—making judgments about things with insufficient information.
I also find myself confessing any unloving or improper thoughts I can have when I hear improper accusations. I know that I can also misunderstand the ways of the Lord and make incorrect conclusions. Steadfast is the admonition, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us the sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9, WMB).
Concluding Thoughts
As you can see from this final Torah portion of Exodus, the Ancient Israelites have come a long way from their deliverance from Egypt and to seeing the glory of God fall upon them in the Tabernacle in the wilderness. When we consider what we have read from this parashah, and the work it took to prepare God’s dwelling place—how much work has He had to conduct you through, preparing you to be an effective Believer in His service? Even with the permanent atonement and forgiveness from sins available in Messiah Yeshua, we still have to be readied for His service—following the proverbial “cloud” wherever it may lead us (Exodus 40:38).
My prayer is that each of us would seek the place where His glory would be upon us continually, as our lips offer Him praise! And what should we praise Him for? The fact that there are more people who have been reconciled with Him, who He can likewise inhabit!
NOTES
[1] Exodus 38:1-40:33.
