The Ark and the Holy of Holies
‘‘And they shall make an ark of shittim wood: two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof, and a cubic and a half the height thereof. And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold; within and without shalt thou overlay it, and shalt make upon it a crown of gold round about. And thou shalt cast four rings of gold for it, and put them in the four corners thereof; and two rings shall be in one side of’it, and two rings in the other side of it. And thou shalt make staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold. And thou shalt put the staves into the rings by the side of the ark, that the ark may be borne with them. The staves shall be in the rings of the ark; they shall not be taken from it. And thou shalt put into the ark the testimony which I shall give thee. And thou shalt make a mercy seat of pure gold; two cubits and a half shal be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof. And thou shalt make two cherubims of gold, of beaten work shalt thou make them, in the two ends of the mercy seat. And make one cherub on the one end, and the other cherub on the other end; even of the mercy seat shall ye make the cherubims on the two ends thereof. And the cherubims shail stretch forth their wings on high, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and their faces shall look one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubims be. And thou shalt put the mercy seat above upon the ark; and in the ark thoushalt put the testimony that I shall give thee, And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel.” ‘‘ There was a tabernacle made; the first, wherein was the candlestick, and the table and the shewbread; which is called the sanctuary. And after the second veil, the tabernacle, which is called the Holiest of all; Which had the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant; And over it the cherubims of glory shadowing the mercy seat: of which we cannot now speak particularly.” Ex. 25:10-22. Heb. 9: 1-5.
SE need not dwell on the form and dimensions of this remaining portion of the tabernacle. You will understand, I think, that the inner chamber was a perfect cube, separated from the outer sanctuary by the costly and gorgeous curtain called the veil, and containing the most beautiful workmanship of any part of the structure; being wholly lined with gold, and adorned with the most elaborate embroideries. It contained a single article of furniture, a little chest called the ark, between two and three feet high, and over three feet long; and having within it the two tables of the law; and for a time, two other articles, of typical interest — the pot of manna preserved from the desert, and the rod of Aaron which had been the budding symbol of his divine and authoritative priesthood. The ark had also staves by which it was carried, through rings. Above it was the propitiatory, or mercy-seat, of solid gold, stained by the blood which was brought in by the high priest once a year. And above this mercy seat rose the winged figures of the cherubim, meeting above it; while between their wings was constantly seen the shining forth of the presence of God, called the Shekinah, which ever hung there, and seems to have spread out into the cloud which guided them and sheltered them in their wilderness journey. This chamber was the principal point of interest in the Tabernacle. It was the presence chamber of God; It was visited only once a year by the high priest, on the day of Atonement, who carried the names of the people on his breast and shoulders and made reconciliation for their sins. This has come to represent the highest and deepest communion of the soul with God. This inner chamber is the secret place of the Most High, where we can now enter in through the blood of Jesus, opened to all since the Saviour’s death, and shedding its light and glory on all our lives. It is yet more emphatically a worthy and glorious type of that which is still unrevealed, the glory of the eternal world. The light which is inaccessible; the very light of His presence who is Himself the glory of the city that has no need of the sun, but the Lamb is the Light thereof.
1. The first lesson is connected with the well which once separated that sacred chamber from it, but which has been withdrawn and no longer secludes it. This veil represents the obstructions which came between the soul and God in the Hebrew dispensation, and obscured the full revelation of His presence and grace. And it represents, on the other hand, the removal of these obstructions, and the revelation which has since come through the finished work of Christ. So it stands, on the one hand, for separation, and on the other for revelation; representing the things which once kept us from God. and then representing their removal and the way in which we may come to God in the most intimate fellowship. We are told that this veil was the flesh of Jesus Christ; and that when His flesh was put aside by the cross, this veil was rent in {twain, and the Holy of Holies was opened to the view, and to the entrance of His believing and trusting people. Now, I cannot but believe that this was typical also of the entire fleshly life of the people of God; and that the death of the Lord Jesus Christ is typical of the death into which we enter when we consecrate ourselves to God; and that the removal of the veil which was withdrawn through His death, represents the death which comes: to us when we die with Christ, and rise into newness of life. As long, dear friends, as your flesh is indulged and suffered to remain, there is no way for you into the Holiest of all. You cannot see it. The old nature hinders our seeing the glory of God. But when self dies, the veil is rent in twain, the glory of God opened, and the voice of the Spirit says: ‘‘ Having therefore boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh, let us draw near with a true heart, in full assurance of faith.” Everything, therefore, that helps you to die to self, helps you to live in Him, and is the opening up of the glory of God to you; if you can say — I am dead ‘with Christ, and — I am risen with Christ, I am sure you can understand something of the Apostle’s language in the same series of Epistles: ‘‘ that Christ may dwell in your heart by faith, and that you may know the heights and depths of the love of Christ which passeth know]ledge and be filled with all the fulness of God.”
Beloved, has the veil been rent in twain for you by the death of self? If so, your heart is a holy tabernacle, and there is no barrier there between you and the throne of God..
2. Let us step in reverently, and next look at the mercy seat. This is the golden lid of the ark of the covenant. The lid is the mercy seat. - It is the same gold that was wrought into the cherubim above. They, are all of one piece. Now this literally means in Hebrew a bloody covering. And the interpretation is that it hides something; it covers something that otherwise would be unfit to see. What did this mercy seat cover? Imagine that this desk is the ark, and this lid is the mercy seat. Imagine that the record of your sins is in this casket; that the broken law is there, the law every line of which calls to heaven against you; every line of which is a witness of your sin. You have broken it; there it is appealing to God for judgment. And imagine that there is no lid on the ark; that it is all open; and that your sin is recorded on the stony table and witnessing against you forever. And now, see above you the awful Shekinah eye, looking on the record. Now suppose that your sin was there, and God was looking down; would you not want something to come between and hide it from His sight? And if you saw an angel’s hand bring a lid of pure gold, imperishable, something that could not be broken or removed, and shut it down over the record of sin, and with the other hand come and sprinkle the blood which answered back to heaven for your sin, and which said to that holy eye, ‘*Punished, pardoned, ransomed, laid on me, Father, forgive them,” would not that be a glorious covering? That is just what it is; and so David sings, ‘‘ Blessed is the man whose iniquity is forgiven; whose sin is covered.” It is the same word used for mercy seat. And again we read, ‘“‘ He hath not seen iniquity in Jacob, or perverseness in Israel.” Why? because it was covered. Oh, beloved, that is the meaning of salvation — covered forever by the blood of Jesus, by the righteousness of Jesus.
And so this mercy seat has come to represent God’s mercy. But further, it has come to mean the privilege of communion and of fellowship, on the ground of Christ’s atonement and intercession.
The Lord says, ‘*‘ There will I meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from between the cherubim.” Thereis nothing between now, no guilt, no sin, no fear. You can bring your desires and your needs, and you can come again and again, for there is no veil now. The veilis put aside, and the voice of love is saying, ‘* Let us draw near with full assurance of faith,” and ‘‘Let us come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Oh, beloved, do you know all the blessed meaning of the mercy seat?
Our heartS may well throb with loving notes of praise, as we think of all this means. ‘‘I love the Lord because he hath heard the voice of my supplications; therefore will I call upon him as long as.[ live.”’
3. Now let us look at the ark. It is the special type of Christ; He is the sacrifice, and the glory, and the very center of salvation and of reconciliation with God. The highest meaning of this ancient tabernacle is, the everlasting gospel. So this ark, and everything about the ark, were types of Christ and salvation. The mercy seat was the lid of the ark, and the cherubim were the expansion of the mercy seat. So it means that Jesus Christ is the first and the last, the substance, the Alpha and Omega of that glorious world of which this was the picture. There is nothing there but the ark and its accompaniments. And if we get to heaven we will see only Jesus. If you look at the Father, you will see Jesus as the fulness of His glory. The angels wait on Him. ‘There is nothing in heaven but Jesus, and there ought to be nothing on earth. We ought to be able to say, ‘“‘Jesus, the fairest among ten thousand, the one altogether lovely. There is none that I desire beside Him.” And Jesus fills up all the heart if you will let Him. He is big enough for the altar of sacrifice; big enough for the Holy of Holies; big enough for your little heart. Then this glorious ark was the leader of the people; it was the constant pledge of guidance and victory; wherever they went it went before them. There was a short time when Moses got a little anxious, and he said to his brother-in-law, Horeb, ‘‘ You are a wise old sheik, I wish you would stay with us and show us the way.” God did not say anything then; but the next morning, He gave a new commandment. He said, ‘‘ Take the ark and carry it out in front of the host, and it shall lead them.” So Moses saw that it was to be the guide, ‘* to search out a resting place for them.” So again, when they came to Jordan’s stormy tide,and the swollen waters flowed between them and the promised land, as that ark entered the waters, they were swept aside, and Israel went forward in triumph. It stands for Jesus, our mighty leader, the Captain of our salvation. When we come to the swollen tides of trouble, He will carry us through; and when the river overflows its banks in the Jordan of death, they’ too shall roll asunder, and He shall lead on, the mighty conqueror of death. ‘‘If a man keep my commandments, he will never see death.” He will say: ‘‘ Where is death? I cannot see it, I cannot see even the traces of the river; there is nothing here but Jesus; there is nothing here but the gates of heaven; death is all gone.” And again, that ark contained His perfect righteousness. - We read that there were three things in the ark. First, the table of the covenant; second, the rod of Aaron’s that budded; thirdly, the pot of manna taken from the wilderness as a memorial. The first of these teaches us that Jesus Christ, our ark, had in His very heart, and as His very nature, the perfect righteousness of God. The divine law was enshrined in His bosom, and so perfectly kept, that He brought in a perfect righteousness. He is the only one that has kept or can keep God’s perfect law. You remember that the first ,able was broken; the type, I believe, of the fact that when God gave the law to Adam, he broke it; but the second time
He gave the law to Moses, it was kept in the ark. So under the new Dispensation, Jesus came down and kept the law. Though it has been the witness of our sin, yet He has fulfilled it.
This is an old story, but it will be told as long as men live, and it will ever be new to some; and so [I tell it again to-day: the only way in which any man can be saved is by getting Christ’s righteousness. This is your justification.
- But there is another thought greater than this, and I hope it will not be a hard thing for any of you to understand. It is not enough for Jesus Christ to keep the law for you, but Jesus Christ wants to come into our hearts and keep the law in you. And so, not only was the law in the ark, but the ark was in the sanctuary. If you are the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit, in the very center of your soul Jesus is enshrined, as the ark was in the tabernacle. But in the very heart of the ark the law was enshrined; and so the very holiness of Jesus will be enshrined in you, if He is in you. Open your heart, beloved, and let.Christ come in, and bring His righteousness and holiness. If Christ is in you, His holiness is in you, and He keeps everything. This is the secret of divine holiness, Christ in the heart our life and righteousness.
There was another thing in the ark — the rod that budded. This was the picture of Aaron’s priesthood, and the buds represent its freshness. It was always new. It represents Jesus at God’s right hand praying for us. And the buds on the rod suggest the freshness of Christ’s intercession. Every morning there is something new. Oh, my friend, in your heart this morning there are roses that never bloomed before; there are lilies whose Sweet fragrance never breathed until this morning; there are little dewdrops just come to refresh your soul. Here are the fresh blossoms of peace and joy and healing. ‘In the beauty of holiness, from the womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth.” Have you been breathing these flowers? Then there is nothing unclean in your heart. Have you been bathing in these dewdrops? Then everything is fresh with you this morning.
The pot of manna means His constant provision; heavenly bread ever kept for you. There may be no bread on your table before you, but there is bread inside.
It was very remarkable that when this ark was taken to the temple of Solomon, two of the things were taken out, and only one remained. In the wilderness it had the three; but when it was removed to the top of Mount Moriah, the pot of manna and the rod were taken out, and nothing was left but the law. I think that this means that when we get home, we will not want any more manna; nor will we have the buds, they will all have become the glorious fruits of paradise. Instead of the dewdrops and the flowers and the promises of fruits, we will have the tree that yields her fruit every month.
-4, Again the cherubim, which. overshadowed the mercy seat with their four faces, the lion, the ox, the man and the eagle, represented the human-heartedness of the man; the strength of the ox; the majesty of the lion; the flight of the eagle as attributes of Jesus Christ, and yet to belong to us as His brethren. It was the picture of the glory of the redeemed to which we are marching on. Bye and bye you will be as kingly as Jesus; you will be as strong as Jesus; you will be as lofty as Jesus; and you. will be as spotless as the Son of man is to-day. God put the picture there that we might see it. Just as if you could take your baby boy and hold up the picture of his manhood, perhaps a king upon the throne, and say, ‘‘Now, darling, keep your eye on that, and let it keep you from everything low and mean; always keep in your mind that that is to be your future destiny.”
5. Finally, through the wings of these glorious cherubim shone the light of the Shekinah, the presence of God Himself. That is the best of all. That is the light which shall no more go down. That is the sun which shall no more withdraw its shining, but thy God shall be thy everlasting light. And bye and bye it shall be brighter than ten thousand suns; and even in its reflected glory, the righteous shall shine forth as the sun in the Kingdom of their Father.
In conclusion; First, live in the inner chamber; the door is open all the time; and let your earthly life be in heaven, and in the fulness of heaven’s grace and glory.
Secondly, keep your hopes high. There is something better yet; keep your eye upon it; and where your treasure is there will your heart be too.