Lessons from the Tabernacle of the Wilderness Pt. 3 by Chris White

“And there I will meet with you and from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are on the ark of the testimony, I will speak to you about all that I will give you in the commandment for the sons of Israel.”    Ex. 25:22

The ark of the covenant was essentially the throne of God on earth that furnished His kingly presence chamber in the tabernacle called the Holy of Holies or the Holiest Place.  This presence chamber was not open to the Israelites or priesthood.  Only the high priest could attend the holiest place and that only once a year to bring a blood sacrifice in atonement for the sins of the nation to God.  The ark itself was a box made from a common wood found in the desert and overlaid with gold.  The lid was known as the mercy seat and it was made of pure gold.  At each end were cherubim facing one another reminding us of the angels that surround God’s throne in heaven and minister to Him in purity and holiness.  Inside the box were the table of the 10 commandments, the rod of Aaron, and a pot of manna.  Each of these speak to how Christ would fulfill with His life that which humanity cannot do in his fallen nature.  Man cannot keep the law of God except in fits and starts because he is enslaved to sin.  The manna pot is testimony to God’s provision in the wilderness, but also a testimony to our failure to do God’s will.  Israel’s disobedience to God made a short purposeful pilgrimage into 40 years of wasted time until a generation passed.  Finally, Aaron’s rod speaks to God’s appointed leadership and our rebellion against it.  We resist submission to authority because we desire autonomy.  But these three things were surrounded by the gold overlaid box which is a type of Jesus Christ—fully human as seen in the common wood, fully God as symbolized by the gold.  Christ was able to fully keep the law, fully obeyed the will of God, and was fully submitted to the Father.  As Christians we are joined to this life and forgiven for the failures of our old life.  The mercy seat was made of solid gold and was therefore imperishable unlike the ark.  On top of this seat blood was sprinkled for the sins of Israel each year.  Just above this seat was the shekinah or presence of God.  What this pictures quite perfectly is standing between a holy God and a fallen, condemned humanity is an imperishable covering made possible by the sacrificial death of the God-Man Jesus Christ.  Next time: The Table of Showbread

Lessons from the Tabernacle of the Wilderness Pt. 2 by Chris White

“And there I will meet with you and from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are on the ark of the testimony, I will speak to you about all that I will give you in the commandment for the sons of Israel.”    Ex. 25:22

It may seem odd to start with the Ark of the Covenant and not the tent and outer court but that is exactly where God started.  Man usually starts with a building and furnishes it later (providing he hasn’t run out of money first!) but God started his plan with the most important piece of furniture and then designed the building around it.  God works that way in us as well.  He starts with phase 1 which is renovating and creating a new heart within us and then works on the externals of our lives which is phase 2.  Now, unless you are Indiana Jones, most of us have no idea what an ark is all about.  Arks were a common furnishing in the temples of Egypt.  They were a throne with a covering and handles on it for the god (represented by its idol) to sit and be ministered to by his priests and be carried around if he was to be present for an outdoor function.  God wanted Moses to make Him an ark too but this would be different.  First, there would be no statue of God on the throne, but rather He actually would be present and visible as the Shekinah (pillar of fire, protective cloud).  Second, He didn’t need his priests to give Him a hand by carrying Him around.  He would move on His own and this would signal that the ark, the tent, and the whole camp were to follow Him around.  Once again, God’s action in using the ark in the tabernacle vividly shows us that He is a God who accommodates our frailty and humanity by using language and earthly things to help us understand Him.  He is a communicator because He is a God of love and relationship.  Next time: The Ark of the Covenant pt. 2