¹⁸Moses set up the tabernacle; he laid its bases, and set up its frames, and put in its poles, and raised up its pillars;¹⁹and he spread the tent over the tabernacle, and put the covering of the tent over it; as the Lord had commanded Moses.²⁰He took the covenant^* and put it into the ark, and put the poles on the ark, and set the mercy-seat^* above the ark;²¹and he brought the ark into the tabernacle, and set up the curtain for screening, and screened the ark of the covenant;^* as the Lord had commanded Moses.²²He put the table in the tent of meeting, on the north side of the tabernacle, outside the curtain,²³and set the bread in order on it before the Lord; as the Lord had commanded Moses.²⁴He put the lampstand in the tent of meeting, opposite the table on the south side of the tabernacle,²⁵and set up the lamps before the Lord; as the Lord had commanded Moses.²⁶He put the golden altar in the tent of meeting before the curtain,²⁷and offered fragrant incense on it; as the Lord had commanded Moses.²⁸He also put in place the screen for the entrance of the tabernacle.²⁹He set the altar of burnt-offering at the entrance of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting, and offered on it the burnt-offering and the grain-offering as the Lord had commanded Moses.³⁰He set the basin between the tent of meeting and the altar, and put water in it for washing,³¹with which Moses and Aaron and his sons washed their hands and their feet.³²When they went into the tent of meeting, and when they approached the altar, they washed; as the Lord had commanded Moses.³³He set up the court around the tabernacle and the altar, and put up the screen at the gate of the court. So Moses finished the work.

The Cloud and the Glory

34 Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.³⁵Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud settled upon it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.³⁶Whenever the cloud was taken up from the tabernacle, the Israelites would set out on each stage of their journey;³⁷but if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not set out until the day that it was taken up.³⁸For the cloud of the Lord was on the tabernacle by day, and fire was in the cloud^* by night, before the eyes of all the house of Israel at each stage of their journey.

A reconstruction of the Tent of meeting

The tent, or Dwelling Place is where the people “meet” with God. It’s quite small, with space only for a few people inside it. The various articles placed inside it are signs of the covenant between the people and God and constitute a two-way invitation: one, to the people, that they should approach God; the other, to God, that He should visit his people. The commandments of God are central sign of God’s goodness and the people’s obedience. When God’s glory fills the tent, no human can be present, making it an odd holy place where humans can come only when God is absent. This is an image of God’s holiness. God, in the shape of his cloud, guides the people, taking the initiative in journeying or in resting. These details are very precise descriptions of the meaning of the people’s faith, both as regards their devotion and their discipleship. They have made a space at the centre of their community life for the God who guides their journey.

Matthew 5:38-48

Concerning Retaliation

38 ‘You have heard that it was said, “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.”³⁹But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also;⁴⁰and if anyone wants to sue you and take your coat, give your cloak as well;⁴¹and if anyone forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile.⁴²Give to everyone who begs from you, and do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you.

Love for Enemies

43 ‘You have heard that it was said, “You shall love your neighbour and hate your enemy.”⁴⁴But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,⁴⁵so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous.⁴⁶For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax-collectors do the same?⁴⁷And if you greet only your brothers and sisters,^* what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?⁴⁸Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

rain on the paddy fields

In this passage the “better righteousness” demanded by Jesus reaches its high point where Jesus commands his disciples to be like God. Tall order, we might say, and many have predictably said that these commands are not meant for the world as it is and were only given because Jesus (wrongly) thought that this world was coming to an end. That is nonsense. The world where people are smacked on the face, sued for their shirts and bullied into slave labour, is the world we know, all right. It’s precisely in this world that disciples of Jesus are commanded to forego the law of tit-for-tat by responding peacefully to the violence and generously to the importunity of others. Indeed it’s right here in this world that they are expected to love their enemies, that is, to act out concern for enemies as well as themselves and their friends. Notice that Jesus immediately gave  a wonderful illustration of God’s love for enemies. It’s no mere emotion; it’s the very structure of the universe, that provides equally for good and evil people alike. Christians are inclined to limit God’s love for enemies to the sending of his son Jesus, but Jesus himself makes it implicit in creation from the beginning: the making of the universe as the cradle of life is a statement of God’s equal love for all his creatures, even the ones who go wrong. Each new day that dawns is a declaration of God’s love for me, his sinful creature.