Dedication of the Tabernacle

Read Exodus 40:17-38

“Then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle” (v. 34).
There is a good feeling in tackling a work that takes care of a need. There is yet a bigger reward in finishing it. When something is built, there is a glory that goes to the contractor that does an excellent job. Many people usually give compliments on the good work. But when one acts in direct obedience to God, there is a glory from heaven that fills the soul almost to bursting.
“Moses finished the work” (v. 33). Then a cloud came and sort of hid the tabernacle. Sometimes a bit of gloom comes when we don’t expect it. But God has a reason for everything. This cloud may have helped cover the glory of the Lord that came and filled the tabernacle. That glory was so rich in splendor and power that Moses was not able to enter the “tent.” Moses, who had talked to God personally, and had been in His presence until his face shone, could not take this!
Why did God come in such glory? Moses and the men had just built Him a home. When young people go off to college sometimes they take some family pictures and a few other things to help them feel more at home. Well, God just wanted to bring a little of heaven with Him! (L. Wayne Covert)
A little girl, walking with her father on a starry night, when asked what she was thinking, said, “I was thinking that if the wrong side of heaven is so glorious what must the right side be?”