Pekudei (Accountings of)

Exodus 38:21-40:38
Isaiah 43:21–44:23

“Stirred and Willing Hearts”

POSTED 07 MARCH, 2008

by Mark Huey
mhuey@outreachisrael.net

“Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud had settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. Throughout all their journeys whenever the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the sons of Israel would set out; but if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not set out until the day when it was taken up. For throughout all their journeys, the cloud of the Lord was on the tabernacle by day, and there was fire in it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel” (Exodus 40:34-38).

In P’Kudei, we see the appearance of the glory of God in the completed tabernacle:

“[T]he cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and the Presence of the Lord filled the Tabernacle” (Exodus 40:34, NJPS).

For the past ten readings, since the introduction of Moses in Shemot, the Israelites have been on a soul-searching journey into the wilderness. This emotional roller coaster that began with the deliverance from Egypt now culminates with God’s glory residing in their very midst. If you did not know any better, you might think that a considerable amount of time has passed, because the people of Israel have been through an intense period of getting to know their God. But instead, it has just been a little over one year since Moses first appeared and asked Pharaoh to let the people go. Here we are told that the Tabernacle was finally assembled on the first day of the first month of the second year:

“Now in the first month of the second year, on the first day of the month, the tabernacle was erected” (Exodus 40:17).

In just over a year, these several hundred thousand Israelites, coupled with the mixed multitude that had joined themselves to them (Exodus 12:38), now constituted the nation of Israel. This former rabble of slaves were now free men and women chosen by God to be “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Exodus 19:6), in order to be a light unto the other nations of the world. The Prophet Isaiah tells us,

“I am the Lord, I have called you in righteousness, I will also hold you by the hand and watch over you, and I will appoint you as a covenant to the people, as a light to the nations” (Isaiah 42:6).

Through His servant Moses, the Lord has revealed enough about Himself and what He requires for His “glory” to reside among sinful humans, that for the first time since the Garden of Eden, His glory can now dwell with His chosen people. The instructions for construction of the Tabernacle, its implements, and the courtyard have been complied with explicitly. Then at the appointed time, Moses anoints and consecrates the Tabernacle and everything in it. He washes Aaron and his sons, and anoints them in their holy garments. Exodus 40:16 says, “Thus Moses did; according to all that the Lord had commanded him, so he did.”

One can only imagine the excitement that was running through the hearts of the Israelites as the construction project comes to completion. Remember, over the course of the previous year, the Lord through Moses had revealed a tremendous amount about who He is and what He requires of His people. During that time, Israel had witnessed the judgment upon Egypt. They saw the ten plagues and their devastation, and avoided the death of their first-born children and livestock. The miracles at the Red Sea crossing were still etched in their memories. The trauma of hearing the voice of God Himself from the trembling mountain, and the unanimous decision to let Moses be their mediator, could never be forgotten. Receiving the Ten Commandments, precepts, and other instructions started to outline rules and regulations for human interactions.

Of course, the golden calf incident had horrific consequences. Not only did judgment fall upon the Israelites by the sword-wielding Levites, but a plague sent by God judged all whose hearts were not right (Exodus 32:35). If you will recall, the material needs for the Tabernacle were mentioned in the text before the rebellion of idol worship occurred. The Holy One used the remorse, and perhaps even guilt of these incidents, to generate an overwhelming response when the material was finally gathered. Moses records that hearts were stirred and the outpouring was so great that the people were ordered to stop:

“Everyone whose heart stirred him and everyone whose spirit moved him came and brought the Lord's contribution for the work of the tent of meeting and for all its service and for the holy garments” (Exodus 35:21).

“[A]nd they said to Moses, ‘The people are bringing much more than enough for the construction work which the Lord commanded us to perform.’ So Moses issued a command, and a proclamation was circulated throughout the camp, saying, ‘Let no man or woman any longer perform work for the contributions of the sanctuary.’ Thus the people were restrained from bringing any more. For the material they had was sufficient and more than enough for all the work, to perform it” (Exodus 36:5-7).

The Glory of God

When I meditated upon P’Kudei, a summary of the Book of Exodus kept coming to mind. It was incredible what happened to the people of Israel in just a little over a year of real time. From the bonds and burden of human slavery to encampment around the newly constructed Tabernacle was quite a journey! Now the “weight of His glory” was in their midst, rather than the yoke of servitude. We are told that once the glory fell, Moses was unable to enter the Tent of Meeting:

“Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud had settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle” (Exodus 40:35).

Apparently, the presence of the Lord was so intense, that human interaction with it was difficult to achieve. Even the beloved Moses was unable to enter the Tent of Meeting. As I thought about this denial, I wondered about other recorded times that the glory of God fell upon the Israelites. The completion of Solomon’s Temple came to mind when the glory once again fell upon those gathered. In these two passages, the same basic report is articulated: no one could stand because of the intensity of God’s presence:

“It happened that when the priests came from the holy place, the cloud filled the house of the Lord, so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord” (1 Kings 8:10-11).

“[I]n unison when the trumpeters and the singers were to make themselves heard with one voice to praise and to glorify the Lord, and when they lifted up their voice accompanied by trumpets and cymbals and instruments of music, and when they praised the Lord saying, ‘He indeed is good for His lovingkindness is everlasting,’ then the house, the house of the Lord, was filled with a cloud, so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the house of God’” (2 Chronicles 5:13-14).

Apparently, according the statements about when the Tabernacle was completed, and the testimonies from when the Temple of Solomon was dedicated, the appearance of the glory of God is so intense that you are either prevented from getting in His presence, or you are forced to prostrate before Him—because of the “weight of His glory.” While considering these passages, I wondered about the times I have felt the “weight of His glory” during my lifetime. Of course, we know that God inhabits the praises of His people, as the Psalmsist attests:

“Yet You are holy, O You who are enthroned upon the praises of Israel” (Psalm 22:3).

There are times during praise and worship I have literally felt the “weight of His glory” in the room where we were worshipping. These are very special times and as the spirit of unity among those gathered prevails, the presence of the Lord is more noticeable. As I pondered this thought, I was reminded of a vision that is written by the Prophet Isaiah that in some way conveys how one might respond if he were placed in the very presence of God:

“In the year of King Uzziah's death I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple. Seraphim stood above Him, each having six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called out to another and said, ‘Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts, the whole earth is full of His glory.’ And the foundations of the thresholds trembled at the voice of him who called out, while the temple was filling with smoke. Then I said, ‘Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts’” (Isaiah 6:1-5).

For some reason, whenever I think of this passage, I envision Isaiah prostrating on the floor, looking up at the throne of God, crying for mercy. Here, he confesses his state of sinfulness. It is interesting that Isaiah focuses on his unclean lips, and the unclean lips of those with whom he dwells. As I contemplated this passage, I was reminded of the title of P’kudei or “Accounts.” As the portion begins, We see meticulous details about the amount of actual weight in the precious metals used in the Tabernacle project. For some reason, God reminds us that He is very mindful of particulars. Then without hesitation, I recalled a passage in the Gospels from Yeshua:

“But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned” (Matthew 12:36-37).

Then, I wondered to myself about the careless words that come from unclean lips. I looked up the above passage and found the context. Yeshua made this statement when He was being accused of being demon possessed:

“But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. Or how can anyone enter the strong man's house and carry off his property, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house. He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me scatters. Therefore I say to you, any sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven people, but blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven. Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come. Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for the tree is known by its fruit. You brood of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak what is good? For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart. The good man brings out of his good treasure what is good; and the evil man brings out of his evil treasure what is evil” (Matthew 12:28-35).

I remembered hearing about a particular individual who believed that when a gospel presentation was given, it was from Satan himself. This is an interesting attack because he has made his accusations from viewing a videotape. If he looked closely at the video, he would have seen a number of people prostrated on the floor and on their knees as the gospel presentation went forth. I thought, was the glory of God present at that message? There certainly were many evidences of His presence from the testimonies that came forth.

Then as I thought about that reality, the concepts of “weight of glory,” “inhabits our praises,” and a new thought about not properly discerning the Body of Messiah came into focus. Do you remember the words of Paul as he was instructing the Corinthians about properly examining yourself when you take the “Lord’s Supper” at Passover?

“But a man must examine himself, and in so doing he is to eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks, eats and drinks judgment to himself if he does not judge the body rightly. For this reason many among you are weak and sick, and a number sleep. But if we judged ourselves rightly, we would not be judged. But when we are judged, we are disciplined by the Lord so that we will not be condemned along with the world” (1 Corinthians 11:28-32).

While reflecting on these truths, I often catch myself and pray for the person who believes that the work of the Holy Spirit is demonic. I pray for his or her soul, knowing that the individual is simply unable to discern the Body of Messiah, or differentiate between the works of the Devil and the Spirit of the Most High. I also find myself confessing any unloving thoughts I had when I heard such accusations. I know that I can also misunderstand the ways of the Lord and make incorrect conclusions. Thank you, Yeshua, for your work at Golgotha (Calvary) and our ability to keep our accounts very short with you! Let us never forget the words of the Apostle John, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

Concluding Thoughts

As you can see from this Torah portion, the Ancient Israelites have come a long way from their deliverance from Egypt and to seeing the glory of God fall upon them in the Tabernacle in the wilderness. In many respects, this is how the study of the Torah works to cleanse us of unrighteousness, by reminding us of our shortcomings and need for a Savior. Without His precious blood, and the unconditional love He has for us, we with unclean lips, living among those with unclean lips, would never be able to come into His presence. We know that He is there for us in all the challenges of life.

My prayer is that each of us would seek the place where the weight of His glory would be upon us continually as our lips offer Him praise!

Mark Huey (B.A., Vanderbilt University in History and Graduate Studies at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University) is the Director of Outreach Israel Ministries (www.outreachisrael.net). He is the author of several books, including: TorahScope, Volumes I & II, and Counting the Omer: A Daily Devotional Toward Shavuot. He is also co-author of Hebraic Roots: An Introductory Study.