When they went into the tent of the congregation, and when they came near unto the altar, they washed; as the LORD commanded Moses. Exodus 40:32
As we read through Exodus 40, we encounter the expression ‘as the Lord commanded Moses’ seven times; our text is the seventh time. So this expression must be important. It was used as Moses and the Israelites were setting up the completed Tabernacle for the first time. After each of the major steps in the project, we find these words; ‘as the Lord commanded Moses’. They occur the final time as Aaron and his sons, the priests, wash themselves as they approach the altar in the tabernacle to commence their service. Doing as the Lord commanded has always been important, and it continues to be.
The first commandment God gave to mankind was the prohibition against eating fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in Eden. All suffering since then has flowed from our first parents’ disobedience to that command. We add to that suffering today as we disobey what God tells us to do in His Word. The opposite is also true: all blessing flows from obedience to what God tells us to do. If we obey the Gospel, we are saved for time and eternity. If we obey God’s pattern for gathering, we enjoy Christ’s presence. If we obey His call for submission to His will, we receive all that for our very best in our lives. If we obey His instructions to put on the whole armour of God, we are protected against our spiritual enemies. If we heed his plea for us to trust Him, He will fulfil all of His exceeding rich and precious promises to us.
Trust and obey, for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey. -Jim MacIntosh
Here is the link to the video of this message: https://youtu.be/tt3C6NrjQk0