IN%"tdm7695@geopsun.tamu.edu" 9-OCT-1990 03:32:19.62 (10/19/90)
IV. THE MATERIALS OF THE ARK A. Acacia Wood 1. Signifying Christ's Humanity Exodus 25:10 says, "They shall make an ark of acacia wood." The ark was not made of gold. It was made of acacia wood, which signifies Christ's humanity, strong in character and high in standard. Christ's humanity is the basic element, the basic substance, for Him to be God's testimony. Christ became the embodiment of God's testimony in His humanity. The acacia wood is a type of Christ's humanity. Christ was a genuine human being. He was born of a human mother, He partook of human blood and flesh, He had a human name -- Jesus -- and He lived on earth as a man. His humanity was the basic substance for Him to be God's testimony. Christ's humanity was strong in character and high in standard. No other person in history has had a humanity as strong in character and high in standard as that of the Lord Jesus. The learned Chinese appreciate Confucius. Yes, Confucius did have a strong character, and his standard was quite high, but there is no comparison between him and the Lord Jesus. In the Gospels of Mark and Luke we see the character and standard of Christ's humanity. The Gospel of Matthew emphasizes the kingdom, and the Gospel of John emphasizes life, whereas Mark and Luke emphasize the Lord's humanity with its character and standard. These books record the life of a Person who has a strong character and a high standard related to His humanity. 2. Signifying that Christ's Humanity Is the Basic Substance for Expressing God The acacia wood used to make the ark also signifies that Christ's humanity is the basic substance for expressing God. In order to be God's testimony, His expression, Christ needed a humanity with a strong character and a high standard. B. Pure Gold 1. Signifying Christ's Divinity Exodus 25:11 says, "And you shall overlay it with pure gold, inside and outside you shall overlay it." This pure gold signifies Christ's divinity. Other metals may rust or decay, but the substance of gold does not change. Hence, it signifies God who is eternally unchanging. Christ is one Person with two natures, a human nature and a divine nature. Because He is man as well as God, He can rightly be called a God-man. 2. Overlaying the Acacia Wood Inside and Outside The acacia wood was overlaid with gold both inside and outside. This signifies the divine nature mingled with the human nature -- God and man becoming one. This also signifies that the divine nature penetrates the human nature and also rests on the human nature so that it may be expressed through the human nature. If only the outside of the ark had been overlaid with gold, this would have signified joining instead of mingling. Mingling is signified by the fact that the acacia wood was overlaid with gold both inside and outside. The acacia wood was between two layers of gold. This is mingling. Another illustration of mingling in the Bible is in the meal offering described in Leviticus 2. The basic elements of the meal offering were fine flour and oil. The oil was mingled with the fine flour and also poured upon it. The fine flour is in the oil, and the oil is in the fine flour. Likewise, in our relationship with the Lord, we are in God, and God is in us. This mingling is typified both by the meal offering with the oil mingled with the flour and by the ark of the testimony with the acacia wood overlaid inside and outside with gold. Both types point not merely to joining, but to mingling. V. THE SIZE Exodus 25:10 tells us that size of the ark: "two cubits and a half its length, and a cubit and a half its width, and a cubit and a half its height." Notice that these measurements are all halves of complete units. Two and a half cubits, the length, is half of five cubits; and one and a half cubits, both the width and the height, is half of three cubits. The numbers five and three are numbers of God's building (Genesis 6:15-16). The ark built by Noah was the first building of God in the Bible. It is significant that the measurements of the ark are with the numbers three and five. If we read carefully the description of the measurements of the tabernacle in Exodus, we shall discover that the numbers five and three are mentioned repeatedly. However, the measurements of the ark of the testimony are halves. This signifies that the ark is a testimony. A half implies that another half is needed for a full testimony. For example, half a watermelon causes us to realize that another half is needed for a whole melon. Furthermore, in married life we sometimes speak of a wife being her husband's other half. Thus, the husband and wife together make a complete unit. The fact that two and a half cubits is half of five, and one and a half cubits is half of three indicates that the ark is a testimony. The halves imply another half, and these halves put together make up the testimony. Every detail in the Bible, including the measurements of the ark given in halves of complete units, is meaningful and purposeful. VI. A RIM OF GOLD AROUND THE ARK Exodus 25:11 says, "And you shall make upon it a rim of gold round about." The rim of the ark was the border in the form of a wreath as a crown. The King James Version even uses the word crown. As the embodiment of God's testimony, Christ has a rim, a wreath as a crown. This rim of gold signifies the glory of the divine nature. Christ as God's embodiment expresses God by showing forth His glory. The glory of God is upon Christ as a border, a rim. This rim which is upon Christ is the glory of God, the effulgence of His glory, which expresses God. Furthermore, the glory of the divine nature as a rim signifies the divine keeping power and holding strength. When we as a living testimony of Christ live Him out, there will be a rim of glory upon us. Others will sense that there is something wonderful and glorious with us. This rim of glory will keep us and hold us. However, if we do not live Christ in this way, we shall not have the rim with its keeping power and holding strength. Actually, what keeps us and holds us is the very Christ whom we live out day by day. Praise the Lord for the golden rim which is to us the keeping power and the holding strength! =--------------------------------------------------------------------------- Excerpts from Message 84 of the Life-Study of Exodus by Witness Lee, Living Stream Ministry, P.O. Box 2121, Anaheim, CA 92804. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ * Thomas Moriarty | Internet: * * 808 San Saba Dr., | tdm7695@geopsun.tamu.edu * * College Station, Texas USA | tdm7695@calvin.tamu.edu * * 77845 | Bitnet: * * | tdm7695@tamgeop.bitnet * * Home Telephone Number: | t1m7695@tamvenus.bitnet * * (409) 693-5829 | * ------------------------------------------------------------------------