In Exodus 28 the Lord described how Aaron and his sons were to be consecrated to serve at the tabernacle. He reissues the instructions for their consecration to Moses and Moses performs these duties.
"Bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance to the tent of meeting and wash them with water. Then dress Aaron in the sacred garments, anoint him and consecrate him so he may serve Me as priest. Bring his sons and dress them in tunics." (Exodus 40:12-14) We studied the priestly garments in detail in Chapter 28.
It's interesting that Moses is asked to wash and dress his brother and nephews instead of having the men perform these duties for themselves. I believe this has to do with Moses being the mediator of the covenant between the Lord and Israel. Only Moses can perform the consecration ceremony for them and make them outwardly pure in the eyes of the Lord, just as only Christ (the mediator of the new covenant) can consecrate a person and make them pure from the inside out.
"Anoint them just as you anointed their father, so they may serve Me as priests. Their anointing will be to a priesthood that will continue throughout their generations." (Exodus 40:15) It was to Aaron and to his sons and to their descendants that the priesthood was assigned---to the tribe of Levi. This is why throughout the Bible you will find the priests referred to as Levites and why you'll find their calling in life referred to as the Levitical priesthood.
"Moses did everything just as the Lord commanded him. So the tabernacle was set up on the first day of the first month in the second year. When Moses set up the tabernacle, he put the bases in place, erected the frames, inserted the crossbars and set up the posts. Then he spread the tent over the tabernacle and put the covering over the tent, as the Lord commanded him." (Exodus 40:17-19) This set up will need to be performed every time the Israelites break camp and move to another location.
"He took the tablets of the covenant law and placed them in the ark, attached the poles to the ark and put the atonement cover over it. Then he brought the ark into the tabernacle and hung the shielding curtain and shielded the ark of the covenant law, as the Lord commanded him." (Exodus 40:20-21) Other objects will later be added to the ark. The Apostle Paul, who is believed to be the author of the book of Hebrews, says: "This ark contained the gold jar of manna, Aaron's staff that had budded, and the stone tablets of the covenant." (Hebrews 9:4) The budding of Aaron's rod (shepherd's staff) will take place in Numbers 17. We don't know when Aaron's rod and a golden jar of manna were added to the ark but they are missing from it when we arrive at 1 Kings 8:9 and 2 Chronicles 5:10. By the time Paul writes the book of Hebrews the ark itself is missing. It disappears from the pages of the Bible around the time Jerusalem falls to the Babylonians; however, my opinion is that it was not taken by King Nebuchadnezzar but was hidden before the city fell to the invaders. I believe there is a very distinct possibility that the ark still exists and has been kept for safekeeping until the third temple is built. There are many scholars who believe this to be true; there are many who disagree with them. If you have time and are interested in the subject you can find plenty of reading material about the ark online but I'd caution you to be careful of the source. I can only personally recommend consulting reputable Jewish or Christian websites or else you'll end up with more bizarre and unscriptural theories than you can shake a stick at. In good conscience I can't recommend researching the ark on any "alternative" websites because I've looked at some of those and they contain either occult-related materials or theories that directly contradict the Bible.
"Moses placed the table in the tent of meeting on the north side of the tabernacle outside the curtain and set out the bread on it before the Lord, as the Lord commanded him. He placed the lampstand in the tent of meeting opposite the table on the south side of the tabernacle and set up the lamps before the Lord, as the Lord commanded him. Moses placed the gold altar in the tent of meeting in front of the curtain and burned fragrant incense on it, as the Lord commanded him. Then he put up the curtain at the entrance to the tabernacle. He set the altar of burnt offering near the entrance to the tabernacle, the tent of meeting, and offered on it burnt offerings and grain offerings, as the Lord commanded him. He placed the basin between the tent of meeting and the altar and put water in it for washing, and Moses and Aaron and his sons used it to wash their hands and feet. They washed whenever they entered the tent of meeting or approached the altar, as the Lord commanded Moses." (Exodus 40:22-32) Moses isn't placing the furnishings in the tabernacle according to however they look best to him. He's placing them where the Lord told him to earlier in the book of Exodus. Everything inside the tabernacle has a purpose and a place, so he puts them where the Lord commanded him.
"Then Moses set up the courtyard around the tabernacle and altar and put up the curtain at the entrance to the courtyard. And so Moses finished the work." (Exodus 40:33) Moses deserves to be congratulated on a job well done and so do all his fellow Israelites. This work is good and acceptable to the Lord because it was done in obedience to His instructions. He is pleased with their work and in tomorrow's passage He proves it by dwelling among them---in the tabernacle---in a way never before seen by them.
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