Exodus 25-31 contains the instructions for building the tabernacle. A few comments:
When God lists the materials needed to build the tabernacle, He specifies that the collection of these things be voluntary. Ex. 25:2 "Speak to the people of Israel, that they take for me a contribution. From every man whose heart moves him you shall receive the contribution for me." God wants willing, whole-hearted worship, not worship grudgingly given nor coerced worship.
Then there is the reason God wants the tabernacle: Ex. 25:8 "And let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell in their midst." God wanted to be with His people and among them. This isn't shocking. From the beginning God has been among His people as much as possible. In Genesis three, God "catches" Adam and Eve in their sin when He comes down for their regular evening stroll through the Garden together, and descriptions of Heaven always include a close relationship with God. (Ezek. 43:5; Isa. 2:2; Ps. 23:6; Rev. 21:3) In fact, the word tabernacle just means any form of dwelling and is usually used of tents, "but here it means the dwelling place of Jehovah who, as king in His camp, had His dwelling or pavilion among His people, His table always spread, His lamps always lighted, and the priests, His attendants, always in waiting." (Adam Clarke) Thinking of the tabernacle as the king's pavilion in the midst of His people is something that I had never thought of, but is entirely apt and makes the tabernacle not just a place of worship, but the place one went to commune with God.
Finally, a perusal of the building instructions for the tabernacle shows an interesting mix of demands for the best and an understanding of limits. The tabernacle would have been by far the biggest, most spectacular tent in the camp, but it was still a tent. God didn't insist that His people (then nomads) build a stationary temple, but instead wanted a tent that could be moved with His people. The curtains, hangings, and veils were made of the finest cloths, hides, and linens available, dyed with the best dyes. The claps were solid silver and the furniture was overlaid with pure gold, but the furniture was constructed out of acacia wood. The best wood available in the world was cedar from Lebanon, which Solomon used in constructing the temple nearly 500 years later. Why didn't God demand this for His tabernacle? Because His people were at that point a mob of escaped slaves wandering in the wilderness. Workers dispatched to Lebanon would have taken 2-3 months for the round trip if they could even have figured a way to bring the wood back (unlikely). Acacia was a much inferior wood, but it was the best available in the wilderness.
From these building instructions we learn that God always wants our best, but He doesn't expect more than we can possibly give. This is comforting when we consider the history of kings who demanded payment of taxes even when the harvest failed or landlords who evicted lessees who lost their jobs due to forces they couldn't control (Great Depression?). God wants our best but He doesn't demand things we simply cannot do. God is reasonable and doesn't demand the ark be built out of cedar when only acacia is on hand, but He also will not accept a silver overlay when there is plenty of gold.
The building instructions of the tabernacle teach us that God is a reasonable God who wants to be among people who want to be near to Him.
Rev. 21:3 "And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God."
Lucas Ward