Exo 25:10-22  Building the Ark of the Covenant

[Study Aired October 10, 2022]

Exo 25:10  And they shall make an ark of shittim wood: two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof.
Exo 25:11  And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, within and without shalt thou overlay it, and shalt make upon it a crown of gold round about. 
Exo 25:12  And thou shalt cast four rings of gold for it, and put them in the four corners thereof; and two rings shall be in the one side of it, and two rings in the other side of it. 
Exo 25:13  And thou shalt make staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold.
Exo 25:14  And thou shalt put the staves into the rings by the sides of the ark, that the ark may be borne with them.
Exo 25:15  The staves shall be in the rings of the ark: they shall not be taken from it. 
Exo 25:16  And thou shalt put into the ark the testimony which I shall give thee. 
Exo 25:17  And thou shalt make a mercy seat of pure gold: two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof. 
Exo 25:18  And thou shalt make two cherubims of gold, of beaten work shalt thou make them, in the two ends of the mercy seat.
Exo 25:19  And make one cherub on the one end, and the other cherub on the other end: even of the mercy seat shall ye make the cherubims on the two ends thereof. 
Exo 25:20  And the cherubims shall stretch forth their wings on high, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and their faces shall look one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubims be. 
Exo 25:21  And thou shalt put the mercy seat above upon the ark; and in the ark thou shalt put the testimony that I shall give thee. 
Exo 25:22  And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel. 

Introduction – What Does the Ark Signify?

This section of Exodus chapter 25 deals with how to build an ark. In order to understand the passage of scripture we are reviewing today, we need to understand spiritually what an ark signifies. The first time the word “ark” appeared in the Bible was when the Lord commanded Noah to build an ark.

Gen 6:13  And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
Gen 6:14  Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch.

This ark is a prototype of the ark Moses was required to build by the Lord in this chapter we are reviewing. There are many similarities between these two arks. The following verses of scriptures bring our what the ark stands for spiritually:

Num 10:33  And they departed from the mount of the LORD three days’ journey: and the ark of the covenant of the LORD went before them in the three days’ journey, to search out a resting place for them.

Num 10:35  And it came to pass, when the ark set forward, that Moses said, Rise up, LORD, and let thine enemies be scattered; and let them that hate thee flee before thee.

2Sa 6:2  And David arose, and went with all the people that were with him from Baale of Judah, to bring up from thence the ark of God, whose name is called by the name of the LORD of hosts that dwelleth between the cherubims.

Jdg 20:27  And the children of Israel enquired of the LORD, (for the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days,

From these verses, it becomes obvious that the ark of the covenant represents our Lord Jesus Christ, just like the ark the Lord commanded Noah to build is also Christ. When we are in Him, we are delivered from the flood waters of false doctrines, carnality, traditions, human wisdom, etc.

Gen 6:17  And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and every thing that is in the earth shall die.
Gen 6:18  But with thee will I establish my covenant; and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons’ wives with thee.

Noah, his wife and sons, and his son’s wives represent the elect who have fled to take refuge in our Lord Jesus Christ. We need to note that it is through the Lord’s judgment of the flood that Noah and all those saved took refuge in the ark. Our Lord’s judgment of our old man is what facilitates our being found in Christ. Noah’s ark resting on the seventh month is another way of saying that the Lord rested on the seventh day from all His work. All of these are to confirm to us that the ark represents the Lord Jesus Christ.

Gen 8:4  And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat. 

Gen 2:2  And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.

Inside the ark of the covenant, we have three items – the golden pot holding the manna, Aaron’s rod that budded and the tables of the covenant.

Heb 9:3  And after the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of all; 
Heb 9:4  Which had the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant;
Heb 9:5  And over it the cherubims of glory shadowing the mercyseat; of which we cannot now speak particularly.

On a positive note, the golden pot containing the manna represents the Lord’s words. It is through the word that we find ourselves in Him as He is in us. The Lord commanding Noah to bring food into the ark emphasizes the point that it is through the word of the Lord that we find ourselves in Him.

Joh 14:20  At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.

As we are aware, a rod signifies discipline or judgment. Thus, Aaron’s rod refers to the judgment we must go through in order to be found in Christ. As we know, the flood was the catalyst that resulted in Noah and his family being found in the ark in (Christ).

Psa 89:32  Then will I visit their transgression with the rod, and their iniquity with stripes.

Pro 13:24  He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes.

1Pe 4:17  For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?

The third item in the ark is the tables of stones on which were written the commandments of the Lord. The tables of stones remind us of our spiritual poverty state as we were not able to obey the Lord’s commandments as our hearts were hardened like the tables of stones. To be in Christ therefore, we must first acknowledge that we were spiritually bankrupt as our hearts were hardened like stones, but through the grace of God, we now have a heart of flesh.

2Co 3:3  Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.

Similarly, the Lord commanding Noah to bring into the ark beasts (both clean and unclean) and the fowls of the air are to remind us that a prerequisite to being in Christ is to recognize our beastly nature and the devil’s influence (fowls of the air) on our live, that is our spiritual poverty. This is what the tables of stones in the ark remind us of.

Gen 7:2  Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his female: and of beasts that are not clean by two, the male and his female. 
Gen 7:3  Of fowls also of the air by sevens, the male and the female; to keep seed alive upon the face of all the earth.

Today’s study focuses on the construction of the ark, which therefore symbolizes how we become like Jesus Christ. Let us therefore take a closer look at what the Lord commanded Moses regarding the building of the ark.

Exo 25:10  And they shall make an ark of shittim wood: two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof.

The ark was to be made of shittim wood from shittah tree, probably from acacia. They were found growing wild in the Sinai desert and the Jordan River valley. Growing wild means that it is not planted and taken care of by man. In other words, it is not the work of man. If we are to become like Christ, then we need to know that from the beginning until our maturity, it is all the work of God – not man. Even our sins are all part of the work of God. All we do to become like Christ is to believe in Him.

Joh 6:28  Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? 
Joh 6:29  Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.

The ark of the covenant in the tabernacle (Exo 37:1) had the following dimensions: Two and half cubits in length and a cubit and half in breadth and height. What is significant about the measurements are that they are all in halves. This means that we cannot obtain the stature of Christ in this life. It is in resurrection that we become perfected like Jesus Christ.

1Co 13:9  For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.
1Co 13:10  But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.
1Co 13:11  When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.
1Co 13:12  For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.

Another significant point to note in verse 10 is that to become like Christ means we are constantly being measured to see if we have obtained the standards of Christ. This means that we are constantly being judged to conform to the standards of Christ. All those who are not measured are not part of the commonwealth of Israel or His elect. They belong to the Gentiles!!

Rev 11:1  And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein.
Rev 11:2  But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.

Exo 25:11  And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, within and without shalt thou overlay it, and shalt make upon it a crown of gold round about.

Overlaying the ark with gold means that to become like Christ, we must be refined just like gold refined in the fire. This is the judgment of our old man which brings us to learn righteousness. That is what will qualify us to be crowned with gold just as our Lord Jesus Christ overcame and is wearing a crown of gold.

Rev 3:18  I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.

Exo 25:12  And thou shalt cast four rings of gold for it, and put four rings of gold that  them in the four corners thereof; and two rings shall be in the one side of it, and two rings in the other side of it. 

In Ezekiel chapter 1, the living creatures who represent the elect have wheels which are rings full of eyes. These living creatures represent the elect. The four cast rings of gold are therefore the elect which are placed in every corner of the earth even as the Lord fills the earth. The number four means the whole of all the elect scattered over the four corners of the earth. The fact that two are placed on one side and two on another is to let us know that we serve as witnesses of Christ on this earth.

Eze 1:15  Now as I beheld the living creatures, behold one wheel upon the earth by the living creatures, with his four faces. 
Eze 1:16  The appearance of the wheels and their work was like unto the colour of a beryl: and they four had one likeness: and their appearance and their work was as it were a wheel in the middle of a wheel.
Eze 1:17  When they went, they went upon their four sides: and they turned not when they went. 
Eze 1:18  As for their rings, they were so high that they were dreadful; and their rings were full of eyes round about them four.

Rev 7:1  And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree.

Exo 25:13  And thou shalt make staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold.
Exo 25:14  And thou shalt put the staves into the rings by the sides of the ark, that the ark may be borne with them.
Exo 25:15  The staves shall be in the rings of the ark: they shall not be taken from it.

The staves are long rods of wood which pass through the rings to make it easier to carry the ark so that the ark is not touched. The function of the staves suggests that spiritually, they represent the spirit of the Lord which helps us bear Christ wherever we go. These staves are made from shittim wood and therefore are not of man’s origin but the Lord. In verse 15, the staves being in the rings means the promise of the comforter being within us to lead us into all truth so that we can have the mind of Christ and therefore “carry” Christ wherever we go.  The commandment that the staves shall not be taken from the rings in verse 15 is to assure us that the spirit of the Lord or the Comforter has come to stay in the elect.

Joh 14:16  And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
Joh 14:17  Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
Joh 14:18  I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.

Exo 25:16  And thou shalt put into the ark the testimony which I shall give thee.

The testimony is the two tables of stone upon which the commandments of the Lord had been written.

Exo 31:18  And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God.

Exo 32:15  And Moses turned, and went down from the mount, and the two tables of the testimony were in his hand: the tables were written on both their sides; on the one side and on the other were they written.

The placing of the two tables of stones bearing the commandments into the ark is why the ark is later called the ark of the testimony as shown in the following verses:

Exo 30:26  And thou shalt anoint the tabernacle of the congregation therewith, and the ark of the testimony,

Exo 31:7  The tabernacle of the congregation, and the ark of the testimony, and the mercy seat that is thereupon, and all the furniture of the tabernacle,

The question is, “Why are the two tablets of stones called the testimony?” Testimony is evidence or proof of something. What this means is that the two tablets of stones upon which the commandments of the Lord were written provide proof or testify that we are really sinners who have been saved by grace before God. This is to affirm to us that in order to be in Christ, we must acknowledge that we are sinners or spiritually poor. The difference between the elect and those in Babylon is that the elect are aware of their spiritual poverty while those in Babylon do not even know that they are spiritually poor. The law of Moses written on the tablet of stones is what brings us to acknowledge our sinful state.

Rev 3:17  Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:
Rev 3:18  I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.

Rev 18:7  How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.

Exo 25:17  And thou shalt make a mercy seat of pure gold: two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof. 

One of the significant aspects of the ark is the mercy seat. This is to make us aware that the heart of our Lord Jesus Christ is to show mercy to humanity.

Psa 145:8  The LORD is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy.

Psa 147:11  The LORD taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy.

Mat 9:13  But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

If we are to be like Christ (the ark), then the mercy we have received from the Lord should translate into us being merciful in all our dealings. This is what the Lord requires of us.

Rom 11:30  For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief: 
Rom 11:31  Even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy.
Rom 11:32  For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all.
Rom 11:33  O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! 
Rom 11:34  For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor?

The scriptures above show us that we have a significant role to play in showing mercy to humanity during the lake of fire age. The measurement of the mercy seat is to let us know that as His elect, we are being measured regarding our mercy attribute. What this means is that as we fall short of this measure, we are being disciplined to conform to Christ.

The fact that the measurement of the length and breadth of the mercy seat are given as two and half cubits and a cubit and half are to remind us that we cannot grasp the fullness of our Lord’s mercy in this age until we are perfected.

1Co 13:12  For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.

Exo 25:18  And thou shalt make two cherubims of gold, of beaten work shalt thou make them, in the two ends of the mercy seat.

We need to know what the Cherubims represent in order to understand what is being said here. The Cherubims are living creatures, and it is in the midst of these Cherubims that the Lord dwells and speaks to His people.

Eze 10:20  This is the living creature that I saw under the God of Israel by the river of Chebar; and I knew that they were the cherubims.

1Sa 4:4  So the people sent to Shiloh, that they might bring from thence the ark of the covenant of the LORD of hosts, which dwelleth between the cherubims: and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God.

2Sa 6:2  And David arose, and went with all the people that were with him from Baale of Judah, to bring up from thence the ark of God, whose name is called by the name of the LORD of hosts that dwelleth between the cherubims.

This is what we know about where the dwelling place of God is – among His people. This means that the cherubims represent His people or His elect.

Exo 29:46  And they shall know that I am the LORD their God, that brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, that I may dwell among them: I am the LORD their God.

Rev 21:3  And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.

2Co 6:16  And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

What verse 18 is therefore telling us is that in order to become like Christ, we must be like the beaten work of gold. Gold can be beaten to assume any shape only when it is melted through heat. It is through our fiery trials (heat) that the Lord can make us become like Him.

Rev 3:18  I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.

1Pe 4:12  Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:
1Pe 4:13  But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.

The fact that Moses was required to make two cherubims suggests that through the beaten work of gold, we become witnesses of Christ.

Exo 25:19  And make one cherub on the one end, and the other cherub on the other end: even of the mercy seat shall ye make the cherubims on the two ends thereof. 
Exo 25:20  And the cherubims shall stretch forth their wings on high, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and their faces shall look one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubims be.

What these verses tell us is that the mercy seat is between the two Cherubims who cover it with their wings as they behold each other. The mercy seat is where the Lord dwells. Wings in the scriptures serve as a hiding place and also a place of protection.

Psa 17:8  Keep me as the apple of the eye, hide me under the shadow of thy wings,

Psa 57:1  To the chief Musician, Altaschith, Michtam of David, when he fled from Saul in the cave. Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast.

The wings of the Cherubims hide the mercy seat where the Lord dwells. This means that the Lord is hidden in the elect in this age.

As we are aware, Christ is the word of God. The mercy seat sandwiched  between the two Cherubims means that the two Cherubims protect the mercy seat. This means that the role of the elect is to protect the truth of the word of the Lord in this age. This role was made clear to us when the Lord was laying the foundations of the earth. We are the ones who are keeping the way of the tree of life, which is Christ and His words, through a flaming sword which turns in every way.

Gen 3:24  So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.

Exo 25:21  And thou shalt put the mercy seat above upon the ark; and in the ark thou shalt put the testimony that I shall give thee.

Putting the mercy seat above upon the ark is not to say that mercy is greater than our Lord Jesus Christ who occupies the mercy seat. What is being said here is that to the elect, represented by the two Cherubims beholding the mercy seat, the Lord has elevated His mercy for them to see clearly. In other words, mercy is one of the key characteristics of the Lord which He wants His elect to appreciate. In a later age, all humanity will also see His mercy.

Psa 89:14  Justice and judgment are the habitation of thy throne: mercy and truth shall go before thy face.

Psa 57:10  For thy mercy is great unto the heavens, and thy truth unto the clouds (the elect).

Psa 86:15  But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth.

As indicated earlier, the first step toward being found in Christ is to acknowledge our spiritual poverty. This is the work of the testimony that is put into the ark to remind us of the law which was our schoolmaster until Christ came.

Gal 3:23  But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.
Gal 3:24  Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 
Gal 3:25  But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.
Gal 3:26  For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. 
Gal 3:27  For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

Exo 25:22  And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel.

It is between the two Cherubims which are upon the ark that the Lord meets us to commune with us. In other words, the Lord speaks in our midst. It is in the assembly of the elect that the Lord speaks to us through what every joint supplies.

Eph 4:15  But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:
Eph 4:16  From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.

May the Lord avail to us more of His mercy to be able to know Him more as He gathers us under His wings just as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings. Amen!!