The Ark of the Covenant, Mercy Seat, and Cherubim

Exodus 37:1-9:

This is a detailed account of how the Ark of the Covenant was made – all in accordance with God’s instructions. In particular, it is:

Verses 1-5: The Ark of the Covenant (according to the command and description in Exodus 25:10-16) and

Verses 6-9: The mercy seat (the gold lid to the Ark of the Covenant, according to the command and description in Exodus 25:17-22).

  

Thoughts on the Passage

Robert Jamieson points out that “to construct a figure, whether the body of a beast or a man, with two extended wings, measuring from two to three feet from tip to tip, with the hammer, out of a solid piece of gold, was what few, if any, artisans of the present day could accomplish.”

Matthew Henry points out that this account that Moses gives us here and in earlier chapters when God was giving him the specs, were of real importance to the ordinary Israelites who were not allowed to enter this part of the Tabernacle. Only the priests could enter and see these great works.

Important aspects of God’s communications to man are often repeated in the Bible. This is true of the instructions for the building of the Tabernacle. It is true for the various practices that the Israelites had to follow (as we will see later in the Old Testament). And it is true of the life, works, and words of Jesus as we note in the New Testament. We need to hear these things over and over in order to have them etched in our mind and hearts, and then to act upon them.

Here in these verses, says Henry, “we have an account of the making of the ark, with its glorious and most significant appurtenances, the mercy-seat and the cherubim. Consider these there together, and they represent the glory of a holy God, the sincerity of a holy heart, and the communion that is between them, in and by a Mediator.”

Henry goes on to state that the glory of a holy God dwells between the two cherubim. He is continually attended and adored by the blessed angels who are ready to act on God’s behalf as symbolized by their outspread wings.

The lesson for me here is that God wants His instructions to all of us followed precisely. And the ultimate product or result of following those instructions is that we attend to His Service totally. In doing that, we will find our true glory.

How do you see this passage?  Please share your thoughts, input, ideas, or questions.

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