Exodus - Tabernacle

I always wondered why the Bible went off on a long excursion about how to build the tabernacle while God was meeting with Moses on the top of Mount Sinai. Then it occurred to me that maybe the purpose of the tabernacle was to build sort of portable Mount Sinai - a place where God and the people could meet no matter where they were. The word "tabernacle" itself means "abode" or "tent". It's the word used in the first chapter of the gospel of John to describe God's dwelling with us in the person of Jesus "...and the Word became flesh and "tented" among us...". All throughout this section of Exodus the text keeps returning to the topic of God's dwelling with us - meeting with us - abiding with us. This section really isn't about constructing a portable building as it is about paying attention to how we relate to God. ... imagine that...a portable mountain!?!?...