Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Prayer Meeting Lesson Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/pm/pm20070314.htm

EXODUS: FUNCTIONING WELL IN A HOPELESS GROUP ASSIGNMENT
Part II: God's Sustainment Of Israel In The Wilderness Amid Humanly Helpless Trials
M. God's Establishment Of The Tabernacle Of Meeting
2. The Focus On The Important Articles Of The Tabernacle
a. The Ark And The Mercy Seat: Meeting With God In His Gracious, Holy Sovereignty
(Exodus 25:10-22)
  1. Introduction
    1. No experience in this life can compare to the blessing of having intimate spiritual fellowship with God.
    2. However, such rewarding fellowship comes only as we meet the Lord on the basis of His sovereignty, grace and holiness, an alignment illustrated in the construction and use of the ark and the mercy seat:
  2. The Ark And The Mercy Seat: Meeting With God In His Gracious, Holy Sovereignty, Ex. 25:10-22.
    1. Though the materials to be used for the tabernacle were introduced in Exodus 25:1-9, and though the description of the construction and use of the tabernacle and its furnishings comprise the text of Exodus 25:10-27:21, several articles of furniture were so important that they were introduced in Exodus 25:10-40 before the tabernacle itself was described, cf. Bible Knowledge Commentary, Old Testament, p. 148.
    2. The first of these furnishings to be mentioned were the ark and the mercy seat, articles revealing that to fellowship with God, we must approach Him based on His sovereignty, grace and holiness, Ex. 25:10-22:
      1. God directed that a 3'-9" x 2'-3" x 2'-3" box called an "ark" be built out of acacia wood and overlaid inside and out with pure gold, Ex. 25:10-11; Ibid. Bible teachers see this article representing the Incarnate Christ Who serves as perfect M ediator between man and God the Father, 1 Timothy 2:5-6: Jesus is both man (typified in the wood) and God (typified in the gold) in every sense (inside and out), but yet His divine and human natures are distinct from each other (as wood and gold are distinct items).
      2. In this ark were initially kept the tables of the Law, a pot of manna and Aaron's rod (Hebrews, 9:4), all of which recalled Israel's sinful failure before a sovereign, gracious, holy God (as follows):
        1. The manna was placed in the ark to recall God's gracious provision of food for Israel after the people had faithlessly complained about a lack of food in the wilderness, Ex. 16:32-33 with 16:1-4.
        2. Aaron's rod was put in the ark as a witness against the rebels in Israel who had opposed the divinely appointed leadership of Moses and Aaron, Numbers 17:1-9, 10.
        3. The tables of the law were put into the ark, tables that Moses had hewn out of stone after he had broken the first copy due to his anger at Israel's idolatry, cf. Ex. 32:15-19 and 34:1-4, 28-29 with 25:16, 21b. Thus, the tables of the law in the ark recalled God's patient grace amid Israel's idolatry.
      3. Rings were made for poles to be inserted by which the untouchably holy ark could be moved, 25:12-16.
      4. Over the whole top of the ark was to be placed a mercy seat of gold, and two angels (cherubim) of beaten gold were to be set on opposing sides of the mercy seat with the cherubim facing each other and looking down on the top of the mercy seat, Ex. 25:17-20. So, opposite the Gentile temples with their idol images that could be handled by worshipers to manipulate the gods, God was untouchable and hence unable to be manipulated by man as Sovereign Divine Spirit Who met with man on HIS terms in the space just above the mercy seat, a meeting based on what would occur on the top of that seat!
      5. From Leviticus 16:1-34, we note that where the cherubim looked down upon the mercy seat, the priest was to sprinkle the sacrificial blood on the Day of Atonement. So, as God's Spirit sovereingly hovered over the mercy seat, His wrath against Israel noted by her sins in the pot of manna, Aaron's rod and the tables of the law that were kept under the mercy seat would be intercepted and satiated (propitiated) by the sprinkled blood of the atonement that came between the articles of sin lying beneath the mercy seat and God Who hovered above it. This all pictured Christ's death on the cross that intercepts God's wrath against our sin so that we might commune with Him, Ex. 25:22; Heb. 9:24-28; Romans 5:1-11!
Lesson: Blessed fellowship with God does NOT arise on OUR terms, but on HIS: He is SOVEREIGN, and His righteousness demands that we approach Him in HIS GRACE through our Mediator, Jesus Christ so that our sins be FORGIVEN by faith in His atonement so that we live SEPARATE from sin!

Application: To enjoy fellowship with God, may we revere His sovereign rule over us so that we focus on our need for cleansing from sin by His grace in Christ followed by a life of separation from sin!