What happened when the tabernacle was finished and how did Israel know when to move?
When the tabernacle was finished, the Shekinah glory came down upon it. Israel knew when to move because every time the glory lifted and moved, they took down the tabernacle and followed it. This marked God's presence and direction for their journey.
Les teaches that after God gave Moses the instructions for building the tabernacle, Israel accomplished all that while still in the wilderness of Sinai. As the tabernacle was finished, the Shekinah glory came down upon it. Then every time the glory lifted and moved, they took down the tabernacle and followed it. That was part of the giving of the Law, and they carried it on after the 40 years of wilderness into the Promised Land. Later the tabernacle sat as a temporary tent north of Jerusalem until God gave David, and then Solomon, permission to build a permanent dwelling place, Solomon's Temple. Les emphasizes this was all part of the Law given to Israel, not to the Gentiles.