Golden Calf: Between the tabernacle instructions and its construction is the sad story of Israel’s idolatry. While Moses was learning how Israel would have God’s presence in their midst, the people grew impatient and asked Aaron to make them “a god who will go before us” (32:1). Aaron joined in their folly. He gathered their gold, casted a golden calf, ascribed to it their deliverance from Egypt, built an altar, and called for a feast to the LORD in the idol’s honor (32:2-5). They reduced the LORD to a molten calf. They then worshipped it, the very thing they had just covenanted not to do (24:7; cf. 20:4-5).

Tabernacle: Israel violated the covenant, therefore, God was about to cancel the tabernacle project and no longer go in their midst (33:3-5). But Moses prayed and God renewed the covenant (34:9-10). With everything prepared exactly as God had instructed (39:43), His holy presence came into their midst. The tent of meeting once outside the camp (33:9) was now the tabernacle in the middle of it (25:8) and full of God’s glory (40:34). But divine glory does not remain with Israel forever. Because of their idolatry, the glory departs from the temple, the tabernacle’s successor (Ezek. 10:18; 11:23). God’s glory next appears in the incarnation when “the Word became flesh and tabernacled among us” (John 1:14). Christ is the temple which is destroyed and raised up again (John 2:19). And in Him, the church grows into a holy temple in His likeness (Eph. 2:20-22; 4:13; 1 Pet. 2:4-5). At His return, the temple is filled with the glory of God once more (Ezek. 43:4-5) and the saints reign there (Rev. 20:4). Then for all eternity, God dwells among men, God within (John 14:16) and God without (Rev. 21:3).