John Calvin Commentary Exodus 37:1

"And Bezalel made the ark of acacia wood: two cubits and a half was the length of it, and a cubit and a half the breadth of it, and a cubit and a half the height of it:" — Exodus 37:1 (ASV)

If the repetition in these chapters, which might appear superfluous, should become wearisome to us, let us reflect on the Holy Spirit's intention. For in recounting the completion of the work, He uses almost the identical words in which He had previously established God's commands, so that we may understand that Moses, and the craftsmen themselves, did not deviate in the smallest detail from the rule prescribed to them.

God had commanded the Ark of the Covenant to be made, together with its cover; and Moses relates how it was completed, so that the craftsmen did not omit even its very minutest detail. He ordered a table to be made for the offering of bread, and not a single particular is neglected. As for the candlestick, there was the same scrupulous obedience, so that they did not alter it in any part. In the altar of incense, there was no dissimilarity between the command and the work; and, finally, the composition of the oil exactly corresponds with the command.

It is clear, then, that Moses commends obedience as the foundation of true piety. At the same time, he reminds us that there was no place for human invention in the entire service of the tabernacle, because nothing is more contrary to the purity of religion than to do anything that is not commanded.