Simplifying Exodus 25-40

I just finished reading the book of Exodus. When people do the "Read the Bible in a Year" thing, midway through Exodus is where they slow down. If they actually make it through, many if not most die in Leviticus.

So, what's the point of all the bronze and the bars and the gold and the wood and the pomegranates? Well, have you ever noticed the phrase "just as the LORD had commanded Moses" is repeated over and over again in chapter 39-40 -- I counted some 18 times in 76 verses!

They had to do everything EXACTLY as God wanted it (cf. 39:42-43) and Moses had to do everything EXACTLY as God wanted it (cf. 40:16).

So what was the result of their perfect obedience to the commands of God? It is the key to the last half of Exodus, namely, God's fellowship with His people: "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" (40:34-35).

It's easy to passover (no pun intended) these short verses, but EVERYTHING from Exodus 25-40 is meant for this one result.