Exodus 25:10-22 - The Ark of the Covenant
Notes
Transcript
10 “They shall make an ark of acacia wood. Two cubits and a half shall be its length, a cubit and a half its breadth, and a cubit and a half its height. 11 You shall overlay it with pure gold, inside and outside shall you overlay it, and you shall make on it a molding of gold around it. 12 You shall cast four rings of gold for it and put them on its four feet, two rings on the one side of it, and two rings on the other side of it. 13 You shall make poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. 14 And you shall put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark to carry the ark by them. 15 The poles shall remain in the rings of the ark; they shall not be taken from it. 16 And you shall put into the ark the testimony that I shall give you. 17 “You shall make a mercy seat of pure gold. Two cubits and a half shall be its length, and a cubit and a half its breadth. 18 And you shall make two cherubim of gold; of hammered work shall you make them, on the two ends of the mercy seat. 19 Make one cherub on the one end, and one cherub on the other end. Of one piece with the mercy seat shall you make the cherubim on its two ends. 20 The cherubim shall spread out their wings above, overshadowing the mercy seat with their wings, their faces one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubim be. 21 And you shall put the mercy seat on the top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the testimony that I shall give you. 22 There I will meet with you, and from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim that are on the ark of the testimony, I will speak with you about all that I will give you in commandment for the people of Israel.
Introduction
Introduction
Starts with the most important part.
A golden chest
Only furniture in the Most Holy Place (Holy of Holies)
Symbolized the presence of God
The heart of the Tabernacle.
The Nature and Use of the Ark
The Nature and Use of the Ark
Ark is an older English word for chest or box.
The royal cubit used in Egypt was 20.6 inches.
Roughly 4.25 feet in length (51.5 inches)
The depth and height were about 2.5 feet (30.9 inches)
It was made of a hard wood overlaid in gold.
Pure gold (11) - has been purified of all impurities and was used in the places closest to the presence of God
Regular gold used on the rings and the poles (12-13)
The ark was to be carried by poles and never touched by human hands.
1 Chron 13:10 “And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah, and he struck him down because he put out his hand to the ark, and he died there before God.”
Carried on the shoulders and thus exalted above the people.
This chest was designed to hold important things (16).
The testimony (literally witness) (25:16) are the two tablets of stone.
A copy of the covenant document to be kept in the sanctuary. (both copies)
Contents of the Ark :
in Hebrews 9:4 “having the golden altar of incense and the ark of the covenant covered on all sides with gold, in which was a golden urn holding the manna, and Aaron’s staff that budded, and the tablets of the covenant.”
Ex 16:33 “And Moses said to Aaron, “Take a jar, and put an omer of manna in it, and place it before the Lord to be kept throughout your generations.””
The mercy seat (lid to the chest) was made of solid gold.
It was the place where the high priest brought the blood of the animal sacrificed on the Day of Atonement.
Lev. 16:13-15 “put the incense on the fire before the Lord, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is over the testimony, so that he does not die. 14 And he shall take some of the blood of the bull and sprinkle it with his finger on the front of the mercy seat on the east side, and in front of the mercy seat he shall sprinkle some of the blood with his finger seven times. 15 “Then he shall kill the goat of the sin offering that is for the people and bring its blood inside the veil and do with its blood as he did with the blood of the bull, sprinkling it over the mercy seat and in front of the mercy seat.”
Cover was the same size to fully cover the ark and its contents (the law)
John Mackay:
Exodus The Ark of the Covenant (25:10–22; See Also 37:1–9)
to show that the full requirements of the Law engraved on the stone tablets was completely covered by the efficacy of the atonement that was made
Cherubim on the lid on either side (17-18)
Plural of cherub
Angels
Mentioned 90+ times in OT
They guarded the entrance to the garden of Eden after the fall.
More guardians of the holy and attendants of God than messengers.
Exodus 26:1 “Moreover, you shall make the tabernacle with ten curtains of fine twined linen and blue and purple and scarlet yarns; you shall make them with cherubim skillfully worked into them.”
15 foot golden Cherubim in the temple (1 Kings 6:23-28)
God’s presence dwelt above the mercy seat between the wings of the cherubim.
His manifest presence
He is omnipresent
Ex 25:22 “There I will meet with you, and from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim that are on the ark of the testimony, I will speak with you about all that I will give you in commandment for the people of Israel.”
Atonement and revelation.
This is why the tabernacle was identified with the presence of the Lord with His people.
Spiritual Realities
Spiritual Realities
Yahweh is enthroned on the Cherubim
2 Sam 6:2 “And David arose and went with all the people who were with him from Baale-judah to bring up from there the ark of God, which is called by the name of the Lord of hosts who sits enthroned on the cherubim.”
Ps. 80:1 “Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph like a flock. You who are enthroned upon the cherubim, shine forth.”
Representative of the throne room in heaven
The Mercy Seat
Boice, The mercy seat...
The Life of Moses: God’s First Deliverer of Israel The Ark of the Covenant
taught the people again and again that though the broken law requires judgment, God has provided, by the blood of the innocent sacrifice, a way to show his mercy to the guilty sinner
The mercy seat is a covering which covers the ten commandments. It covers the penalty of the law upon which Israel was judged.
John Mackay:
Exodus Reflection
The position of the atonement cover above the tables of the law makes clear that what is being covered is the penalty that is demanded for infringements of the sovereign commands of the covenant King. Those who have broken his law are justly condemned, but the atonement cover points to the possibility of this sentence being dealt with in another way
It had to be sprinkled with the blood of a sacrifice.
The work of Christ is presented symbolically.
Mark 10:45 “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
11 But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) 12 he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.
Propitiation
Propitiation is the same word in the Greek translation of the OT
Mercy seat is literally the atonement covering.
1 John 2:2 “He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.”
Rom 3:25 “whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.”
The sacrifice on the Day of Atonement sprinkled on the mercy seat signified the atoning work that Christ will do.
Christ is the fulfillment of the mercy seat, and the Day of Atonement, and the Tabernacle.
His sacrifice covers our sin and the penalty of the law.
The sacrifice at the mercy seat temporarily provided what Jesus’ sacrifice eternally provided. (God previously passed over sins)
He has secured for us an eternal redemption.
The ark is not needed today:
Jer 3:16 “And when you have multiplied and been fruitful in the land, in those days, declares the Lord, they shall no more say, “The ark of the covenant of the Lord.” It shall not come to mind or be remembered or missed; it shall not be made again.”
Yet it reappears in Rev. 11:19 “Then God’s temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant was seen within his temple. There were flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake, and heavy hail.”
Closing Hymn: 520 Jesus, Thy Blood and Righteousness
Benediction: Now Christ has entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing for you an eternal redemption.”