And Moses was not able to enter into the tent of the congregation, because the cloud abode thereon, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. Moses was not able to enter. He might not have been called, and he would not attempt to enter without a call (Exodus 24:16). But it is said that he "was not able to enter;" and his inability might arise partly from the dense magnitude of the cloud, which filled every part of the tabernacle, and partly from reverential awe for the symbol of the divine presence. How does this circumstance show the incapacity of man, in his present state, to look upon the unveiled perfections of the Godhead!
Moses could not endure the unclouded effulgence, nor the sublimest of the prophets (Isaiah 6:5). But what neither Moses nor the most eminent of God's messengers to the ancient Church, through the weakness of nature, could endure, we can all now do by an exercise of faith-looking unto Jesus, who reflected with chastened radiance the brightness of the Father's glory; and who, having, as the Forerunner for us, entered within the veil, has invited us to come boldly to the mercyseat. While Moses was compelled, through the influence of overwhelming awe, to stand aloof, and could not enter the tabernacle, Christ entered into the holy place not made with hands; nay He is Himself the true tabernacle, filled with the glory of God, even with the grace and truth which the shechinah typified.
What reason have we to thank God for Jesus Christ, who, while He himself was the brightness of the Father's glory, yet exhibited that glory in so mild and attractive a manner as to allure us to draw near with confidence and love into the divine presence!