For many of us, reading the second half of the Book of Exodus is challenging. It is full of details and can be quite repetitious. So we might be inclined to speed through these chapters or even skip over them. But we must resist this urge and consider why God gave them to us. What is He wanting to communicate in this large section of Exodus? The answer is found in the very thing that makes us stumble: the preciseness of the details.

As we read of a table being made (37:10–16), it is noteworthy that God didn’t just command His people to make any table. He prescribed the size, the materials, and even intricate details of the table. In doing so, He is expressing two things. First, that worship of Him is serious business. We are not to approach a holy God lightly. God takes this seriously, and we should, too. Second, the same care for details that God expresses here is given to us as well. God cares no less for the small, seemingly trivial details of our lives than He did for the tabernacle. Knowing this doesn’t make sections like this easier to read, but it at least helps us appreciate them.

• What “small” detail of your life do you need to trust that God knows and cares about?