Exodus 25
Exodus 25
Have you ever gotten a desk, table, bedframe, or another piece of furniture from a box you needed to set up? Did you try to set it up on your own or read the instructions? I’m sure that if you didn’t read the instructions, you soon learned that there is only one way to set it up, and the instructions would have been helpful.
It is the same way with the ark of the covenant. God shares with Moses the exact color, materials, measurements, pattern, and order of building the ark of the covenant. Every detail He gave was crucial to follow because this was God’s way of dwelling with His people. Our God is a holy God, and the Israelites, in their rebellion, could not stand before a holy God. God, out of love, made a way for His presence to be among His people and thus gave them the directions for building the ark.
God carefully planned out a way for the ark to be kept holy and also symbolize His love for His people. The ark was to be carried by poles through gold hoops and set on a golden seat so that it never touched the ground or was held directly by a human hand. This kept it holy. He had them set bread as an offering on the table of showbread to symbolize His fellowship with His people; a reminder that as much as bread or food is necessary for survival, so is fellowship with the Father. The three bowls on the lampstand were made of almond blossoms, the first trees to blossom in the spring, symbolizing “new life and the fresh nature of God’s ongoing work” (Enduring Word: David Guzik).
God wove the whole process of making His presence available to His people with intentionality. He made everything to carry a purpose to show His love for His people.
Even though the perfect relationship between God and mankind was broken in the garden of Eden, He still provided a way for His presence to be with His people throughout the Bible. With the building of the ark and the temple and animal sacrifices.
God didn’t leave us under the law and the thorough rituals in order to be with Him. God sent Jesus, who was born into the law but fulfilled the law so that we would no longer live under the law (Matthew 5:17). As Jesus took His final breath on the cross, God tore the very veil in the temple that separated Himself from us. We no longer have to go to the top of the mountain to speak to Him as Moses did, or speak to Him through the ark of the covenant, or through the temple with sacrifice. He gave us His Son so that we can now speak to Him freely in prayer. We can call out to Him, and He will hear us and listen (Luke 11:9-10).
God delivered us from the law by becoming the law through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. He clothed us in righteousness by pouring out His blood so that we can stand before a holy God blameless. May this chapter remind us that the details matter and that everything given to us by God has an intentional purpose to showcase His love for us.
Because of the cross, Jesus is with us always.
