I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Exodus 39-40.

Today’s passage describes the making of the outfits worn by the priests in detail.  Once again, earlier we saw the description of the design God had given Moses for these, now we have the description of how they were actually made.  Sometimes I wish I had enough knowledge of sewing to see if I could duplicate these (without the carved gemstones).  Additionally, I would like to see two completely different people attempt to duplicate these from these instructions to see how different (or not different) they turned out.  Once the writer is done describing how the Tabernacle and the priestly garments were made, he describes the process of setting up the Tabernacle for the first time.  A casual reading of the passage would lead one to believe that Moses put the pieces of the Tabernacle together by himself.  However, several of the items would have been extremely difficult for one person to do and a few seem impossible.  

Having written all of that, this passage conveys the value of ritual and careful attention to detail in worship.  They are not always necessary, but they sometimes help us get into the right frame of mind to worship God properly.