What do top commentators say Exodus 40:35 means?
What do top commentators say Exodus 40:35 means?
SCRIPTURE
"And Moses was not able to enter into the tent of meeting, because the cloud abode thereon, and the glory of Jehovah filled the tabernacle." — Exodus 40:35 (ASV)
God's Overwhelming Presence:
Commentators explain that the 'glory of the Lord' filling the Tabernacle was so powerful and dazzling that even Moses, who had spoken with God on Sinai, was unable to enter. This event, mirrored at the dedication of Solomon's Temple, powerfully demonstrates God's immense holiness and the awe His manifest presence commands.
Access Through Christ Alone:
Matthew Henry highlights a profound truth: what Moses could not do, Jesus has done. Moses' inability to enter the holy place underscores humanity's inability to approach a holy God on our own. Jesus, our great High Priest, is the one who has entered God's presence for us, granting believers bold access to the throne of grace.
A New Protocol for Worship:
Scholars suggest Moses' inability to enter signaled a new protocol for approaching God. With God now dwelling among His people in the Tabernacle, access was no longer as it had been on the mountain. Moses had to wait to be called (Leviticus 1:1), showing that God alone sets the terms for how He is to be approached in worship.
But what Moses could not do, our Lord Jesus has done, whom God caused to draw near; and who has invited us to come boldly, even to the mercy-seat.