As we continue to study this most extensive of God's pictures, we will today consider the final piece of furniture in this Tabernacle, and all it means.
This last piece of furniture is the most important, as it is the very Throne of God in the midst
of His people. It is in the Most Holy Place, separated from the Holy
Place by a curtain, or veil, which is also embroidered with the guarding
cherubim.
The
high priest was the only one permitted into this Most Holy Place, only
once a year, and only with the blood of the atoning sacrifice on the Day
of Atonement. He was to burn the incense before he entered, so its
smoke would cover and hide the Ark of the Covenant from his eyes as he
went in to sprinkle the blood on the Mercy Seat (Leviticus 16: 12-14).
This
Ark of the Covenant is a wooden box, representing the humanity of
Jesus; completely covered inside and out with the finest gold, showing
His divinity (Exodus 25: 10-15). Inside this box Moses put what God told him to put into it: the Tables of the Testimony, the 10 Commandments (Exodus 25: 16); Aaron's rod that budded (Numbers 17: 8-11); and the pot of manna (Exodus 16: 31-34. See also Hebrews 9: 3-5).
God
had Moses preserve these three items so we could know the One who is
the True Bread to nourish us, the great High Priest to intercede, and
glorious liberty through the fulfillment of the Law.
The
lid on that box was made of solid gold, made in one piece with the
cherubim that knelt on it, one at each end, bowing their faces toward
the Ark, their wings overshadowing it (Exodus 25: 17-21). This is
called the Mercy Seat, for it is here that the Lord God would meet with
Moses to grant mercy to the people through the commandments (Exodus 25: 22).
God's
Presence came down to rest on the Mercy Seat between and above the
cherubim. This Presence affected the Ark, making it dangerous to
approach casually.
Even
when the Lord was not resting on it, it had danger about it. We see several times when God's rules were not followed, and the
consequences:
I Samuel 4:1 -6:16
tells us about when Israel was fighting the Philistines, and brought
the Ark to the battlefield, using it as a good luck charm. They were
defeated, and the Philistines took the Ark into their territory and put
it as equal to their god Dagon with frightening results. And God
"ravaged them and smote them with tumors" and they realized it was
because of this Ark of God, so they made arrangements to send it back to
Israel. God had protected His priests and Levites from these cancerous
effects.
And when some men in Beth-Shemesh disrespected it by looking into it, they were "struck down" (I Samuel 6: 16-21).
And
when King David wanted to bring the Ark back, he neglected to move it
in the proper manner, by its poles, and "placed the Ark of God on a new cart."
This resulted in Uzzah putting his hand on the Ark to steady it so it
wouldn't tip over, and the power in the Ark struck him dead! Was he
electrocuted? We don't know, but that really put a pall on the whole
celebration (2 Samuel 6: 1-11).
Then
three months later, King David again moved it, this time by having the
Levites carry it on their shoulders with the poles, as God had directed,
and it was successfully delivered to the City of David to the tent that
David had prepared for it (2 Samuel 6: 12-19).
Even the camping arrangements of the children of Israel in the wilderness reflect this care God took to protect His people (see Numbers 2). The tribes were to camp "around the tent of meeting at a distance." And the Levite families were to camp between the rest of the tribes and the Tabernacle, on the four sides of the compound. And when they traveled from place to place, they were to each take off in their order, with the priests and Levites surrounding the Ark, in turn surrounded by the rest of the tribes. Everything done in order, as set out in Numbers 1: 47-54.
So
we must have the proper respect and reverence for God, and do things
His way that He has directed. It only makes sense to obey and follow the
Manufacturer's Instructions, just as we consult and take care of our
automobiles according to its owner's manual.
God made sure that His people would not be in any danger from His Presence with them, and taught them what they needed to do to approach Him safely. And to show us what His Son accomplished in fulfilling this whole, complicated picture of the way of Salvation.
O my Father, thank You that His blood did not just cover, but wash away all our sin, permanently, so that now we only need to wash in the water of the Word regularly to maintain that purity that allows You to live in us by Your Spirit.
This shows us how powerful His blood is, to cleanse us so thoroughly that it is as though we'd never sinned!
And Your care for us has written Your Law in our hearts, to love You and to love one another as You have loved us. And to remove the danger of approaching Your holiness without complicated procedures.
Teach us to understand the process by which You have Redeemed us from our vale of tears, into the joy of Your Salvation.
Father, help us to realize Your greatness and Your holiness and Your separateness from everything You made.
And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, every tongue will proclaim that Jesus the Son is our Christ and Messiah, the Lord God Almighty, King over all Creation, to the eternal glory of Almighty God the Father, for ever and ever. Amen.
Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus!
