Exodus 24:12

Come up to me. The remainder of the chapter narrates Moses’ 40 days of communion with God. Having given the Ten Commandments and the laws and “judgments” of the “book of the covenant,” God now proceeded to give instructions concerning the erection of the sanctuary, which was to be His dwelling place among the children of Israel (Exodus 25:8). If man is left to himself to determine the tangible, material features of religious worship, he may easily err. As a safeguard, a “pattern” was shown Moses of all that was to enter into their worship (Exodus 25:9; Hebrews 8:5), including exact details as to the material, size, shape, and construction of each object. These directions are recorded in Exodus 25 to 31. In order that Moses might have ample time to understand and remember the detailed instructions to be given him, he was to “be there,” that is, on “the mount,” for 40 days.