The Ark of the Covenant - A Picture of Christ (Part 1)

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Exodus 25:10-22

Every physical thing in the OT is a picture of a much greater Spiritual thing to come. Whilst the NT tells us how to live, the OT tells us why to live. The OT is the foundation to the NT and should not be neglected. Joshua 1:8 tells us to meditate in the word day and night. We should be pouring over the OT and seeing what it reveals to us. The greatest revelations from reading God's Word will come from the OT. Those revelations will then be clarified and understood through reading the NT.

The greatest physical picture of grace and Christ is the Ark of the Covenant.

Exodus tells us of the beginning of the Israelites. It follows the exodus from Egypt, the giving of the covenant and the instructions of God to build the tabernacle - a House for God to be.

The Ark of the Covenant was a place where the Lord God abided. It was placed in the centre room of the Tabernacle, known as the 'Holy of Holy's'. Exodus 25:2 tells us that it is from the seat on the top of the Ark that God abided and spoke from.

The Ark is a perfect picture of Christ and what is to come. It is both a picture through how it is made and what it represents.

Exodus 25 tells us the two materials that the Ark is made of. The first is acacia wood (Exodus 25:10). The second is gold (Exodus 25:11). These two materials represent Christ. 

The wood represents Christ's humanity. If we read Hebrews 2:14 we see that: "inasmuch then as the children have partaken in flesh and blood... He Himself likewise shared in the same..." Hebrews 2:16 states: "For indeed He does not give aid to angels, but He does give aid to the Seed of Abraham." Jesus did not come as a heavenly angel, but as a man - the seed of abraham (which as Christians, we are [Galatians 3:29]).


The wood was made of acacia. Acacia wood is a very hard wood that is impervious to decay. A common use for acacia wood was for the coffins of Egyptian Pharaohs. Acacia wood represents Christ's incorruptible humanity. Hebrews 4:15 tells us: "For we do not have a High Priest who cannotsympathise with our weaknessses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin."





The gold represents the Divinity of Christ. Christ came as both human and Divine. That is why He is called our ultimate High Priest - because He was tempted and weak to all things that we are, yet He remained perfect.

1 Corinthians 3:12-17 differentiates between 'wood and hay' and gold. Whilst wood and hay will be burnt up, Gold will stand the test of fire and will remain eternally. The materials show that Christ is human, incorruptible, Divine and eternal. These are the attributes of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Exodus 25:10-22 (The Ark of the Testimony)

10 “And they shall make an ark of acacia wood; two and a half cubits shall be its length, a cubit and a half its width, and a cubit and a half its height. 11 And you shall overlay it with pure gold, inside and out you shall overlay it, and shall make on it a molding of gold all around. 12 You shall cast four rings of gold for it, and put them in its four corners; two ringsshall be on one side, and two rings on the other side. 13 And you shall make poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with gold. 14 You shall put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark, that the ark may be carried by them. 15 The poles shall be in the rings of the ark; they shall not be taken from it. 16 And you shall put into the ark the Testimony which I will give you.
17 “You shall make a mercy seat of pure gold; two and a half cubits shall be its length and a cubit and a half its width. 18 And you shall make two cherubim of gold; of hammered work you shall make them at the two ends of the mercy seat. 19 Make one cherub at one end, and the other cherub at the other end; you shall make the cherubim at the two ends of it of one piece with the mercy seat. 20 And the cherubim shall stretch out their wings above, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and they shall face one another; the faces of the cherubimshall be toward the mercy seat. 21 You shall put the mercy seat on top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the Testimony that I will give you. 22 And there I will meet with you, and I will speak with you from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are on the ark of the Testimony, about everything which I will give you in commandment to the children of Israel.

 Amen.

-BACChristian

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