Christ in the Old Testament

Exodus 25:22

There, above the cover between the two cherubim that are over the ark of the covenant law, I will meet with you and give you all my commands for the Israelites.

Today’s Reading: Exodus 25:10-22

As we study the tabernacle and all of its contents, we will use the following picture as a reference developed by Logos Bible Software.

Everything concerning the tabernacle points to Jesus and we will dig deep this year to find as many of these hidden treasures as we can. Today we are going to start with the Ark of the Covenant. The Ark was in the Holy of Holies where God dwells.

“Have them make an ark of acacia wood—two and a half cubits long, a cubit and a half wide, and a cubit and a half high” (Ex 25:10). The first detail God gives Moses are the precise dimensions of the ark. A cubit was based on the length of the forearm from the elbow to the tip of the middle finger. It was an exact length of measure at the time. We estimate that a cubit was equivalent to about 20 inches. So this makes the ark about 4 feet long, 2.5 feet wide and 2.5 feet high.

We also see in verse 17 that the cover of the ark is same length and width. Why these specific dimensions? We will dedicate some days to all the dimensions of the tabernacle and its contents in our study. Let me just say that God is a God of order. Paul says, “For God is not a God of disorder but of peace” (1 Cor 14:33). God thinks and designs mathematically. Everything that exists in the universe is perfectly proportioned has a complex mathematical relationship holding it all together.

In fact, James in teaching about wisdom links disorder with evil. “For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice” (James 3:16). We also know that certain numbers carry significance in the Bible. Many numbers repeat themselves to point us to a revelation of God. So when God specifies these exact dimensions, there is a reason. If for no other reason, God is doing it because His nature is order. And we will try to figure it out. But on another day.

“Overlay it with pure gold, both inside and out, and make a gold molding around it. Cast four gold rings for it and fasten them to its four feet, with two rings on one side and two rings on the other. Then make poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. Insert the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark to carry it” (Ex 25:11-14). The ark and the poles are made of acacia wood overlayed with pure gold and trimmed with gold molding. The acacia wood symbolized Jesus’ humanity and the gold overlay denoted his deity. Let’s dig into these two materials.

Acacia trees are prevalent in the wilderness of this region. Acacia wood is hard, dense and extremely strong. It makes for a great building material and its strength makes sense for the construction of the poles used to carry the ark. Acacia is also resistant to decay because insects find it unpalatable and it’s density make it almost water-proof. If you recall from our study on the burning bush, some species of Acacia are thorny and we speculated that the burning bush was Acacia symbolizing the fallen state of man. Being used as the main material for the ark, we see Acacia again symbolizing that Jesus was fully human. And as a side note, we don’t know for sure but we can also reasonably speculate that Jesus’ crown of thorns was also Acacia.

The Israelites had a lot of gold and it is prevalent in the construction of the tabernacle and all of its contents. The ark is covered inside and out in pure gold. The Hebrew word for pure here is ṭāhôr which is the same word translated as clean as in ceremonially clean. Gold is in some sense the perfect metal. It is the least reactive of all metals meaning that substances like air, water and oil don’t affect it. Thus it never tarnishes. From a chemical standpoint, gold is the metal that is most resistant to change.

So from a practical standpoint, gold is the perfect protective metal to preserve the ark forever. It’s also the easiest metal to work because of its malleability and relatively low boiling point. One ounce of gold can be beaten into a sheet covering almost 100 square feet which speaks to its strength and sturdiness. It is also very precious and valuable. Not so rare in that it can’t be obtained. But rare enough to make it synonymous with riches. So you can easily see how gold is symbolic of God’s holiness and in the Ark it points to the fact that Jesus is God.

The Ark points to Jesus in many more ways that we will discover tomorrow. But for today, know that Jesus is both fully human and fully God. He is readily available yet precious and rare. He is strong and sturdy enough to carry the weight of your sins and bear your burdens. His body did not decay and he never changes. He is “the same yesterday and today and forever” (Heb 13:8).

Today’s Prayer: Thank you Jesus for all that you are to me. Help me to give you my worries and my cares since you are strong enough to carry the weight of them for me.