Exodus 29:43

29:38-46 A lamb was to be offered upon the altar every morning, and a lamb every evening. This typified the continual intercession which Christ ever lives to make for his church. Though he offered himself but once for all, that one offering thus becomes a continual offering. This also teaches us to offer to God the spiritual sacrifices of prayer and praise every day, morning and evening. Our daily devotions are the most needful of our daily works, and the most pleasant of our daily comforts. Prayer-time must be kept up as duly as meal-time. Those starve their own souls, who keep not up constant attendance on the throne of grace; constancy in religion brings in the comfort of it.

And there will I meet with the children of Israel,.... Not only with Moses or with Aaron, and his successors, but with the people themselves, by granting them his gracious presence in public ordinances, giving them tokens of his goodwill unto them, and of his acceptance of their offerings, hearing their prayers put up by themselves, or by the priest interceding for them, and receiving their thanksgivings for mercies bestowed, and giving them instructions by the mouth of his priests: and the tabernacle shall be sanctified by my glory; by his Shechinah, or the glory of the divine Majesty, dwelling in it; or it may be supplied, the children of Israel shall be sanctified; set apart and distinguished by his glorious presence among them; the Targum of Jonathan is,"I will be sanctified in or by their princes, because of my glory.''

Exodus 29:43-44 . There I will meet with the children of Israel — I will make this tabernacle the seat of my cloud of glory, which will be the symbol of my divine presence, and from thence I will give frequent discoveries of my will, and tokens of my favour toward them. The tabernacle of the congregation — אהל מועד ohel mogned, the tabernacle of meeting, so called because there God and his people met together. I will sanctify Aaron and his sons — God sanctified, set them apart, and marked them out to be his priests in a solemn manner by the appearance of his glory at their first sacrifice, and by sending fire from heaven to consume their burnt-offering, Leviticus 9:23-24 .

The (tabernacle) shall be sanctified - The word "tabernacle" is certainly not the right one to be here supplied. What is probably meant is the spot in which Yahweh promises to meet with the assembly of His people. The verse may be rendered, And in that place will I meet with the children of Israel, and it shall be sanctified with my glory. See also the margin.

Verses 43-46. - GOD'S PROMISES. The chapter terminates with a parenthetic insertion of various promises, intended to cheer the Israelites under the hard circumstances of their wanderings in the wilderness, and growing out of the mention of the tabernacle as "the tabernacle of meeting" (ver. 42). "There," says God, "He will meet, not only Moses, to speak to him, but also the children of Israel, to receive their offerings, hear their prayers, and grant their requests. There will he meet them, and there his glory shall be; and the tabernacle shall be thereby sanctified. He will sanctify both the tabernacle and the altar; he will sanctify, moreover, both Aaron and his sons; and he will dwell among the children of Israel, and be their God; and they shall know him." Very precious and gracious promises, made absolutely; though, as the result showed ( 2 Chronicles 36:14-18 ), contingent on their obedience; and faithfully performed, as long as even a remnant was obedient, during a space of above seven hundred years from the Exodus to the Captivity! Verse 43. - There will I meet the children of Israel . Lay Israelites might not enter the tabernacle, and could only "meet God" at its entrance, when they brought their sacrifices to the altar. He promises, however, to meet them on these occasions with favour and. acceptance . The tabernacle shall be sanctified by my glory . Compare Exodus 40:34 .

43 . And I will meet there ] There is no emph. on ‘there’ in the Heb. In its probable original context (see on vv. 38–42), at the altar . the Tent] Heb. it , i.e., in its probable original context, the altar. by my glory ] When He enters it in His glory: see Exodus 40:34 f.; and cf. on Exodus 16:10 . Tent, altar, and priests ( v. 44) will alike be hallowed by the power of Jehovah’s sanctifying presence. 43–46 . Conclusion to the whole body of directions (chs. 25–29). In the sanctuary thus erected, Jehovah will appear in His glory; and dwell permanently in the midst of His people. The purpose of its construction, as laid down in Exodus 25:8 , is thus accomplished.

Ex 29:38-46. Institution of Daily Service. 38. two lambs of the first year day by day continually—The sacred preliminaries being completed, Moses was instructed in the end or design to which these preparations were subservient, namely, the worship of God; and hence the institution of the morning and evening sacrifice. The institution was so imperative, that in no circumstances was this daily oblation to be dispensed with; and the due observance of it would secure the oft-promised grace and blessing of their heavenly King.

להּ is to be understood ad sensum as referring to עולה. The daily morning and evening sacrifices were to be "for a sweet savour, a firing unto Jehovah" (see at Leviticus 1:9 ). In these Israel was to consecrate its life daily unto the Lord (see at Leviticus 1 and 2). In order that the whole of the daily life might be included, it was to be offered continually every morning and evening for all future time ("throughout your generations" as at Exodus 12:14 ) at the door of the tabernacle, i.e., upon the altar erected there, before Jehovah, who would meet with the people and commune with them there (see Exodus 25:22 ). This promise is carried out still further in Exodus 29:43-46 . First of all, for the purpose of elucidating and strengthening the words, "I will meet with you there" ( Exodus 29:42 ), the presence and communion of God, which are attached to the ark of the covenant in Exodus 25:22 , are ensured to the whole nation in the words, "And there I will meet with the children of Israel, and it (Israel) shall be sanctified through My glory." As the people were not allowed to approach the ark of the covenant, but only to draw near to the altar of burnt-offering in the sanctuary, it was important to declare that the Lord would manifest Himself to them even there, and sanctify them by His glory.