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The Ark of the Testimony,
measuring 113 cm (3.7 feet) in its length, 68 cm (2.2 feet) in its
width, and 68 cm (2.2 feet) in its height, was made of acacia wood
and overlaid with pure gold. Inside this Ark, there were two stone
tablets engraved with the Ten Commandments and a golden pot of manna,
and later, Aaron's budded rod was added to them.
The mercy seat, which
was placed on the Ark, was made solely of pure gold. And on its
both ends, cherubim were placed to stretch out their wings above,
covering the lid of the Ark-that is, the mercy seat-and the cherubim
faced toward the mercy seat. The mercy seat is where God bestows
His grace on those who come out to Him by faith.
Four gold rings were
placed on each corner of the Ark. Two gold rings were cast for each
side, and poles were put through the rings so that the Ark could
be carried. These poles were made of acacia wood and overlaid with
gold. By putting the poles through the two rings on one side and
the other two rings on the other side, God made sure that two people
could lift and carry it. And our Lord said, "I will meet
you on this mercy seat."
God made the Israelites
to carry the Ark of Testimony along with the mercy seat by putting
poles through the Ark. This means that God wants us to spread the
gospel throughout the whole world. The same was true of the altar
of incense-that is, rings were also placed on both its sides, poles
were put through these rings, and two people were made to carry
the altar.
Once a year, the High
Priest took the blood of a sacrificial offering and entered into
the Most Holy. He then sprinkled this blood of the sacrificial offering
on the mercy seat for exactly seven times. God said that He would
meet the Israelites on this mercy seat then. God meets whoever has
the same faith as that of the High Priest, that is, the faith in
His remission of sin revealed in the sacrificial system.
The blood of sacrifice
sprinkled on the mercy seat shows God's just judgment of sin and
His mercy on mankind. On the Day of Atonement, the tenth day of
the seventh month, Aaron the High Priest laid his hands on a sacrificial
offering to pass over all the yearly sins of the people of Israel.
He then cut its throat to draw its blood, and then he took this
blood inside the veil and sprinkled it on the mercy seat (Leviticus
16:11-16).
Through the blood
that was thus sprinkled, God met the Israelites and gave them the
blessing of the remission of sin. It was God's grace on the Israelites
that He had established the sacrificial system. With the laying
on of hands on the sacrificial animal and its blood, God had justly
blotted out their sins and given them His mercy, the remission of
their sins by grace.
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