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In Christ, Mark
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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
Bezalel made the ark of acacia wood—two and a half cubits long, a cubit and a half wide, and a cubit and a half high. He overlaid it with pure gold, both inside and out, and made a gold molding around it. He cast four gold rings for it and fastened them to its four feet, with two rings on one side and two rings on the other. Then he made poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold. And he inserted the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark to carry it.
He made the atonement cover of pure gold—two and a half cubits long and a cubit and a half wide. Then he made two cherubim out of hammered gold at the ends of the cover. He made one cherub on one end and the second cherub on the other; at the two ends he made them of one piece with the cover. The cherubim had their wings spread upward, overshadowing the cover with them. The cherubim faced each other, looking toward the cover.
Exodus 37:1-8
This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
Yesterday, we began a series on appreciating the amazing workmanship that took place in constructing the tabernacle and its associated accessories in Old Testament time. God had given Moses very detailed instructions on how everything was to be made and then blessed Israelite workers with the skills and talents needed to carry out His will.
As we look at the opening verses of Exodus, chapter 37, we come to the building of the ark, also referred to as the ark of the covenant. Once constructed, it would house the two stone tablets that God wrote His Ten Commandments on, a jar of manna, and Aaron’s budded staff. The ark would reside within the Most Holy Place or the Holy of Holies once the tabernacle was constructed.
As we see in our passage, one man, Bezalel, was responsible for building the ark. We were introduced to him all the way back in chapter 31:
Then the Lord said to Moses, “See, I have chosen Bezalel, son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skills—to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, to cut and set stones, to work in wood, and to engage in all kinds of crafts.” Vv.1-5
Note here that the Lord chose Bezalel and then “filled him with” His Spirit, providing wisdom and understanding as well as the knowledge and skills to “make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, to cut and set stones, to work in wood, and to engage in all kinds of crafts”. He puts all these blessings to work as he builds the ark.
The ark itself was made out of “acacia wood”, the same kind of wood used to build the tabernacle. You’ll remember that this wood was chosen for its durability, strength, and resistance to rotting.
As for the dimensions, we once again see the cubit used as a unit of measurement, a common standard in Old Testament times. A cubit was roughly 18 inches or the distance from one’s elbow to the end of their middle finger so we can use this conversion to get a better idea of the ark’s size. It was 3.75 feet long, 2.25 feet wide, and 2.25 feet high.
Once the ark was built from the wood, we read where Bezalel “overlaid it with pure gold” on the “inside and out” also making a “gold molding around it”. The gold overlaying was done only after pounding the gold into a thin, pliable sheet and then wrapping it around the wood and fastening it. It was intricate work that required special skills.
The ark would be carried from place to place and it was of critical importance that no one came into contact with it because this would men instant death. And so Bezalel fastened four gold rings to the feet of the arm, one on each foot through which poles, made of acacia wood and overlaid with god, would be inserted to carry the ark from place to place.
Next, Bezalel made the ark’s lid, referred to as “the atonement cover” and also the “mercy seat” where God was to be seated within the Most Holy Place. We read where the cover was made out of “pure gold” and matched the dimensions of the ark itself, “two and a half cubits long and a cubit and a half wide”.
What really set the cover apart and brought its magnificence was the “two cherubim” that Bezalel crafted out of “hammered gold”. These cherubs were placed “at the ends of the cover” and they were made to be “one piece with the cover”. They were oriented with “their wings spread upward” which allowed them to overshadow the cover as they faced one another.
Once done, the ark was nothing short of an outstanding work of master craftsmanship, one that should lead us to appreciate the skills and abilities God had given his people to do such amazing work without the luxury of specialized tools and technology that we enjoy in present times.
Tomorrow, we’ll continue to look at other items that were built.
Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.
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