NOTES for Исх 39:1-43
Throughout the book of Exodus we have encountered many times the way the people handed their rights over to Moses: the right to speak with God directly, the right to decide how and what to do, the right to be in charge. It did not always turn out smoothly and well, and this handing over of rights was not always reasonable.
But now, at the end of the book, when the tabernacle has been built, before us stands the way the people will live for many centuries. Everything is done as God told Moses, and as Moses passed it on. Against the background of the surrounding peoples, Israel preserves and fulfills complex commandments. The sanctuary that has been built is described by strict rules from which one may not depart, because outwardly this is exactly what distinguishes the chosen people from their neighbors, who worship stones or crudely molded idols. Worship of the true God in a pagan environment requires special restrictions.