Neville Goddard on Exodus 40:16-33 - Mystical Bible Interpretation

Read Exodus 40 in context

Scripture Focus

16Thus did Moses: according to all that the LORD commanded him, so did he.

17And it came to pass in the first month in the second year, on the first day of the month, that the tabernacle was reared up.

18And Moses reared up the tabernacle, and fastened his sockets, and set up the boards thereof, and put in the bars thereof, and reared up his pillars.

19And he spread abroad the tent over the tabernacle, and put the covering of the tent above upon it; as the LORD commanded Moses.

20And he took and put the testimony into the ark, and set the staves on the ark, and put the mercy seat above upon the ark:

21And he brought the ark into the tabernacle, and set up the vail of the covering, and covered the ark of the testimony; as the LORD commanded Moses.

22And he put the table in the tent of the congregation, upon the side of the tabernacle northward, without the vail.

23And he set the bread in order upon it before the LORD; as the LORD had commanded Moses.

24And he put the candlestick in the tent of the congregation, over against the table, on the side of the tabernacle southward.

25And he lighted the lamps before the LORD; as the LORD commanded Moses.

26And he put the golden altar in the tent of the congregation before the vail:

27And he burnt sweet incense thereon; as the LORD commanded Moses.

28And he set up the hanging at the door of the tabernacle.

29And he put the altar of burnt offering by the door of the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation, and offered upon it the burnt offering and the meat offering; as the LORD commanded Moses.

30And he set the laver between the tent of the congregation and the altar, and put water there, to wash withal.

31And Moses and Aaron and his sons washed their hands and their feet thereat:

32When they went into the tent of the congregation, and when they came near unto the altar, they washed; as the LORD commanded Moses.

33And he reared up the court round about the tabernacle and the altar, and set up the hanging of the court gate. So Moses finished the work.

Exodus 40:16-33

Biblical Context

Moses completes the tabernacle exactly as commanded, setting up each element and sanctifying space for God’s presence. The space is prepared for the Presence of God to dwell.

Neville's Inner Vision

Exodus 40:16-33 becomes a map of inner construction. Moses’ obedience is not merely ritual; it is a turning of consciousness to the I AM, the Lord within. Each action—setting the sockets, raising the boards, spreading the tent, placing the ark, lighting the lamps, and washing at the laver—represents a disciplined movement of imagination toward order and holiness. When you imagine the tabernacle as your own heart’s sanctuary, the commands become conditions your awareness freely satisfies. The Presence of God is not distant; it is the steady awareness that arises when you align your inner dispositions with divine intention. The walls, altar, table, and candlestick mirror your personal boundaries, nourishment, clarity, and illumination. To obey is to revise your state until the space feels inhabited by I AM presence, not by fear or doubt. The final fencing and completion announce: you have finished the work within, and the sacred dwells where you choose to dwell.