Exodus culminates with the tabernacle being erected and the glory of the Lord descending upon it. God has taken up residence with his people. And Who are the people among whom God is present and to whom God reveals his glory? In Exodus 40, they were the people whose previous act was to build an idol. They were the people who had just chosen an inanimate calf over the living God. They were sinners steeped in sin—they were people like you and me. God revealing himself to Moses is all well and good, but what about those of us who can’t be like Moses? The glorious good news of the story of the exodus is that God is present among sinners like you and me. The God who drew near then, also draws near to us. The God who saved his people then can also save his people now. The God who worked in power then also works in power now. When God draws near as long as we stay close we have nothing and no one to fear.
Cambridge: Exodus