Exodus 25:10 - Meaning and Application

The first thing God ordered to be made was the ark, with everything belonging to it. It was the furniture of the most holy place, the special sign of God’s presence, and the reason the tabernacle was built as his dwelling place.

The ark itself was a chest where the two stone tablets of the law, written by God’s own hand, were to be placed with honor and kept carefully. Its size was given exactly. If the Jewish cubit was about 21 inches, then this chest was about 52 inches long, 31 inches wide, and 31 inches deep. It was covered with thin gold plates inside and out. It also had a gold molding around it, with rings and poles for carrying it, and the testimony was to be put into it (Exodus 25:10-16).

The tablets are called the testimony because God used them to declare his will. Giving the law showed his favor to Israel, and their receiving it showed their duty to submit and obey him. The law was a witness for them, guiding them in what they should do, and it would stand as a witness against them if they broke it. That is why the ark is called the ark of the testimony (Exodus 30:6), and the tabernacle is called the tabernacle of testimony, or witness (Numbers 10:11; Acts 7:44). The gospel of Christ is also called a testimony or witness (Matthew 24:14).

It is worth noticing, first, that the tablets were carefully preserved in the ark. This teaches us to value God’s word and to hide it in our hearts, deep within us, just as the ark stood in the holy of holies. It also shows God’s care in preserving the records of his revelation in the church, so that even in the last days his temple will still contain the ark of his covenant (Revelation 11:19).

Second, the ark was the main sign of God’s presence. This teaches us that the clearest proof of God’s favor is when he puts his law into the heart. God lives where his law rules (Hebrews 8:10).

Third, the ark was made so it could be carried wherever Israel went. That reminds us that wherever we go, we should take our religion with us, always carrying the love of the Lord Jesus and his law.

The mercy seat was the covering of the ark, made of solid gold and fitted exactly to it (Exodus 25:17, 25:21). This covering, which could be called the atoning cover, points to Christ, the great atonement, who fully meets the demands of the law, covers our sins, and stands between us and the curse we deserve. In that way, he is the goal of the law for righteousness.

The golden cherubim were fixed to the mercy seat and were one piece with it. They spread their wings over it (Exodus 25:18). These cherubim were probably meant to represent the holy angels, who always attended the divine glory, especially when the law was given. They were not carved as simple angel figures, but by some symbol of angelic nature, perhaps one of the four-faced forms mentioned in Ezekiel 1:10. Whatever their exact appearance, they faced one another and looked down toward the ark, while their wings reached out and touched.

The apostle calls them cherubim of glory, overshadowing the mercy seat (Hebrews 9:5). This shows their service to the Redeemer, for they are ministering spirits. It also shows their ready obedience to his will, their special presence in the meetings of believers (Psalm 68:17; 1 Corinthians 11:10), and their desire to look into the mysteries of the gospel, which they study carefully (1 Peter 1:12).

God is said to dwell, or sit, between the cherubim, on the mercy seat (Psalm 80:1). From there he promised to meet with Moses and speak with him (Exodus 25:22). There he would give his law, and there he would receive his servant, like a king on his throne. In this way he shows that he is willing to be reconciled to us and to keep fellowship with us through the mediation of Christ, that is, Christ’s work as the go-between who brings us to God.

In view of the mercy seat, we are told to come boldly to the throne of grace (Hebrews 4:16). We are not under the law in its uncovered strictness, but under grace, which is openly shown. Its wings are spread out, and we are invited to come under their shelter (Ruth 2:12).