Exodus 40: Group Study Handout

How to use: read Exodus 40 aloud together, then take the questions in order. One page is enough for an evening.

Overview

Yahweh instructs Moses on the setup of the tabernacle, starting on the first day of the first month (vv. 1-2). He gives specific orders for placing the ark, table, lamp stand, and altar (vv.

Key verse

“Then the cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and Yahweh’s glory filled the tabernacle.”
Exodus 40:34 (WEB)

Outline

Exodus 40:1–9 Instructions for Setting Up the Tabernacle
Exodus 40:10–15 Anointing and Consecration of the Altar and Priests
Exodus 40:16–21 Moses Completes the Tabernacle Setup
Exodus 40:22–27 Arranging the Furnishings
Exodus 40:28–30 Finalizing the Tabernacle and Offerings
Exodus 40:31–33 Priestly Cleansing and Completion
Exodus 40:34–38 The Glory of Yahweh Fills the Tabernacle

Discussion questions

In v2, what specific day is Moses instructed to raise up the tabernacle?
What does Moses do in v17 on the first day of the first month?
In v15, what does 'everlasting priesthood' imply about the role of Aaron and his sons?
In v34, what does the cloud covering the Tent of Meeting indicate about God's presence?
When have you felt a space or moment was made holy, like the tabernacle in v9?

Go deeper

Passages that echo Exodus 40: Exodus 26, Numbers 9, Exodus 30.

Before next time: read Leviticus 1.