What is the context?
From within the cloud, God begins giving Moses instructions for the sanctuary and its furnishings. The materials are to come from Israelites whose hearts move them to give. The list includes valuable metals, fabric, leather, wood, oil, spices and stones, each serving the work God is about to describe.
The purpose is stated before the building details: God will dwell among His people. The Hebrew verb שָׁכַן, shakan (shah-KAHN), means to settle, remain or dwell (Brown–Driver–Briggs). Israel is to have a holy place where God makes His presence known among them. The word sanctuary describes a sacred place set apart to Him (Brown–Driver–Briggs).
The willing offering and the prescribed design belong together. The people freely supply the materials, while God shows Moses the pattern for what is to be made. The tabernacle is part of His provision for life with the people He has rescued.
How is this passage commonly understood?
The usual reading is that God is giving Israel an appointed place of worship and a visible assurance of His presence. Wesley emphasizes both willing giving and God’s presence among the people without His being confined to the structure. That distinction is also expressed in 1 Kings 8:27–30: even the heavens cannot contain God, yet He hears His people’s prayers.
Where does this fit in God's plan?
Hebrews 8:1–6 explicitly connects the sanctuary’s pattern with the heavenly reality and the greater ministry of Jesus. The earthly priests serve within a copy and shadow; Jesus ministers in the true sanctuary and mediates a better covenant.
God dwelling with His people becomes a central theme in the New Testament. John 1:14–18 describes the Word becoming flesh, dwelling among us and revealing God’s glory. Its verb for dwelling also carries the sense of living in a tent (Thayer). Ephesians 2:19–22 then describes people joined together in Christ as God’s dwelling through the Spirit. Finally, Revelation 21:1–4 announces God dwelling with His people in a world where death and grief are gone. The sanctuary’s stated purpose belongs within that larger story of God bringing people into life with Him.
What is our position?
As explained in The True Church According to Jesus, God now dwells in His people through His Spirit. That study connects His presence in the tabernacle with His presence in believers, calling for lives made holy by His indwelling.