Read Exodus 38
Highlights:
Precise instructions of God regarding the garments the priests should wear.
The Ark of the Testimony, and the staves thereof, and the Mercy Seat (Ex. 39:35).
The Ark of the Testimony (Ex. 25:22) was also called the Ark of the Covenant (Num. 10:33). It was a wooden chest about 4 feet long, 2¼ feet wide, and 2¼ feet high. The wood was overlaid with gold, both inside and out. The Ark was a type of Christ — the fulfilment of God's Covenant — who was both human and deity. The wood and the gold symbolize the dual nature of our Lord as God and man. The other six items described in this passage all express some aspect of Christ's work, but the Ark symbolizes who He is. The Ark was made of the Acacia tree which grew in the dry deserts through which Israel journeyed. It portrayed the human nature of our Lord, as foretold by Isaiah: He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant and as a root out of a dry ground (Isa. 53:2). The “lid” to the Ark was called the Mercy Seat and was made entirely of gold, signifying the supreme glory and majesty of God.
The Ark of the Testimony was kept within the veil, in the Holy of Holies — the only place of communication between God and Moses (25:22). Without the Ark and the presence of the Lord, all the services of the Tabernacle would have been meaningless. Likewise, when God's Word becomes an incidental part of our worship service or when it is mixed with humanistic philosophy, the Lord cannot reveal Himself to His people and our service is meaningless. Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away (2 Tim. 3:5).
The priests, on behalf of the worshiper, were allowed to enter only the first room of the Tabernacle, called the Holy Place. On only one day of the year, God directed Aaron, the High Priest, to go from the Holy Place into the Holy of Holies.
On the Day of Atonement, the High Priest sprinkled the blood of an innocent animal upon the Mercy Seat seven times (Lev. 16:14). Only after the blood was sprinkled did God say, I will meet with thee and I will commune with thee (Ex. 25:22). How we thank God that Christ, the perfect Lamb of God, redeemed us by His own blood. Then, He as our High Priest entered the Holy of Holies in Heaven as our Mediator, having obtained eternal redemption for us (Heb. 9:9-24).
Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in His blood, to declare His righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God (Rom. 3:24-25).
Thought for Today:
We can truly trust Him with our every need.
Christ Revealed:
Through the Golden Altar and its incense — representing prayers going up to heaven (Ex. 39:38; also Rev. 5:8; 8:3-4). Christ prayed for us: Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on Me through their word (John 17:20).
Word Studies:
38:17 chapiters of silver, tops of silver; 38:18 answerable, corresponding to; 39:2 ephod, high priest's outer garment; 39:3 wires, fine strings, threads; 39:13 ouches, settings for a brooch worn as jewelry; 39:15 wreathen, twisted, braided.
Prayer Suggestion: Ask according to the will of God and you will receive (John 16:24).
Optional Reading: Mark 2
Memory Verse for the Week: Psalms 100:5
