Commentary - Exodus 39:32-43

Bird's-eye view

This passage serves as the grand finale of the tabernacle's construction. It is a scene of final inspection and approval. After chapters of detailed instructions and equally detailed accounts of their execution, the work is now finished. All the individual components, meticulously crafted according to the divine blueprint, are brought before Moses for a formal review. The central, repeated theme is the absolute fidelity of the people to God's commands. This is not just about building a tent; it is about the nature of true worship, which is always obedient worship. The passage climaxes with Moses seeing their faithfulness, confirming it, and pronouncing God's blessing upon them. The entire scene is a magnificent Old Testament tableau of the principle of justification: a finished work is presented, it is inspected and found to be perfect according to the standard, and a blessing is declared as the result. It is a shadow of a greater finished work, a greater inspection, and a greater blessing to come.

In short, this is the final audit. Every piece is accounted for, measured not against human ingenuity but against the divine command. The long, seemingly repetitive list is not tedious filler; it is the detailed evidence of their corporate faithfulness. The blessing at the end is not a casual "good job," but a formal, covenantal pronouncement of God's favor upon an obedient people. This is what it looks like when God's people do God's work in God's way.

Outline

Context In Exodus

This section concludes the third major division of Exodus. The book can be broadly seen in three parts: Israel's redemption from Egypt (Ch. 1-18), Israel's covenant relationship with God at Sinai (Ch. 19-24), and Israel's worship of God centered in the tabernacle (Ch. 25-40). This final section itself has two parts: the divine instructions for the tabernacle (Ch. 25-31) and the actual construction of the tabernacle (Ch. 35-39). Our passage is the capstone of this entire construction account. It is the moment that bridges the gap between the blueprint and the building's dedication. In chapter 40, the tabernacle will be erected and the glory of God will fill it. But before God moves in, His mediator must first inspect the house and declare it fit for a divine habitation. This passage is that final inspection, confirming that the house was built to the King's precise specifications.

Key Issues

The Divine Audit

We live in an age that prizes creativity, spontaneity, and authenticity in worship. The modern assumption is that if it comes from the heart, God must be pleased with it. This passage stands in stark, bracing opposition to that entire mindset. The central virtue celebrated here is not creativity, but conformity. The highest praise given to the Israelites is not that they were innovative, but that they were obedient. They did according to all that Yahweh had commanded Moses. This is the bedrock of true worship. God is the one who sets the terms. He provides the pattern, and our job is to follow it. This is what theologians call the regulative principle of worship: we are to do in worship only what God has commanded in His Word. The long inventory in these verses is God's audit, with Moses as the auditor, checking every last detail against the heavenly blueprint. And because they pass the audit, they receive the blessing.

Verse by Verse Commentary

32 Thus all the service of constructing the tabernacle of the tent of meeting was completed; and the sons of Israel did according to all that Yahweh had commanded Moses; so they did.

The verse gives us two crucial facts: the work was done, and it was done right. The word completed is significant. It echoes the completion of creation in Genesis 2:1. God finished His work of creation, and now His people have finished their work of building His dwelling place. But the emphasis is on the second clause. The completion is only meaningful because it was a completion of God's express commands. The final phrase, "so they did," drives the point home with the force of a hammer. It was not a near miss, not a "pretty close." It was exact. This is the foundation of all that follows. Without this precise obedience, the inspection would be a failure and the blessing would be a curse.

33-41 They brought the tabernacle to Moses, the tent and all its furnishings...

What follows is a long, detailed inventory. The people bring everything to Moses. He is the mediator, the one who received the commands from God, and so he is the one who must verify their fulfillment. The list is not haphazard. It seems to move from the inside out: from the structure of the tent itself, to the most holy furniture (the ark), to the holy place (table, lampstand, altar of incense), to the courtyard (bronze altar, laver), and finally to the priestly garments. This is an orderly presentation of all the evidence. Each item, every clasp, board, bar, and pillar, is a testimony to their obedience. This is what corporate faithfulness looks like. It is not a vague feeling in the heart; it is a mountain of tangible, verifiable work done according to the Word of God.

42 Thus, according to all that Yahweh had commanded Moses, so the sons of Israel did in all their service.

This verse serves as a summary statement, bookending the long list and reiterating the main point of verse 32. After listing all the evidence, the narrator gives the verdict again. Why the repetition? Because in God's economy, this is the only thing that ultimately matters. All their skill, all their generosity in giving the materials, all their hard work would have been for nothing if it had not been channeled into strict obedience to God's revealed will. Their service was not defined by their own intentions, but by God's instructions.

43 And Moses saw all the work, and behold, they had done it; just as Yahweh had commanded, so they had done. Then Moses blessed them.

Here we have the climax of the entire narrative of the tabernacle's construction. Moses inspects, and Moses approves. The language here is a powerful echo of the creation account. Seven times in Genesis 1, we read "God saw that it was good." At the end of the sixth day, "God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good" (Gen 1:31). Here, Moses, acting as God's covenant representative, saw all the work, and behold, it was exactly as commanded. The standard for "good" here is not aesthetic, but covenantal. It is "good" because it is what God ordered.

And upon this basis, and this basis alone, Moses blessed them. This is not a simple prayer or a word of encouragement. This is a formal declaration of divine favor. Obedience is the pathway to blessing. When God's people walk in His statutes, they place themselves under the waterfall of His prescribed blessings. This entire scene is a beautiful type of our salvation. Jesus Christ completed the work the Father gave Him to do, and He did it perfectly, according to all that was commanded. God the Father looked upon His finished work, saw that it was perfect, and blessed Him, raising Him from the dead. And now, all who are in Christ are presented before the Father, and He inspects not our shoddy work, but the perfect work of His Son. On that basis, He blesses us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.

Application

First, this passage is a direct challenge to the sloppy, man-centered worship that is so prevalent today. God has given us a blueprint for worship in His Word. He has told us how He is to be approached. Our task is not to invent new and exciting ways to worship, but to faithfully execute the pattern He has given. The question we must constantly ask of our church services is not "Was it entertaining?" or "Did it make me feel good?" but rather, "Was it biblical? Did we do what God commanded?"

Second, we see the importance of details in the Christian life. The Israelites had to be faithful in the great things, like the Ark of the Covenant, and in the small things, like the tent pegs and cords. Our obedience to God must extend to all areas of our lives, not just the parts we deem important. God is glorified in our faithful handling of finances, in our honest speech, in our sexual purity, and in our daily work, just as He is glorified in our Sunday worship.

Finally, this passage points us to the gospel. As we read of Israel's perfect obedience, we should be driven to confess our constant failure to be perfectly obedient. Our work is never fully "completed" according to God's commands. But the good news is that there is one whose work was completed. On the cross, Jesus said, "It is finished." He perfectly fulfilled all the commands of God. He is the true tabernacle, the true priest, and the true sacrifice. When God looks at us, if we are in Christ, He does not see our flawed and incomplete work. He sees the perfect, inspected, and approved work of His Son. And because of that work, He does not condemn us. Instead, He blesses us.