Message 84
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Scripture Reading: Exo. 25:10-11
Exodus 25:10 says, “And they shall make an ark of acacia wood.” According to verse 22, this ark was called “the ark of the testimony.” In the book of Exodus the testimony refers to the law. God regarded the law decreed through Moses on Mount Sinai as His testimony.
The photograph of a person is a testimony of that person. Suppose I have never met a certain brother. When someone shows me a photograph of that brother, I see a testimony of what that brother is like. As a description of the brother, his photograph is his testimony.
We know from the first chapter of Genesis that in His work of creation God accomplished many things. However, Genesis 1 does not reveal what kind of God our God is. We do not know from this chapter whether He is a God of love or of hate, a God of darkness or of light. We do not know whether He is holy or common, righteous or unrighteous. The law was given that we might have a portrait, a description, of God and thereby understand what He is. For this reason, God considers the law as His testimony. As a testimony of God, the law is a type of Christ. Christ is the living portrait of God, His living definition and description. Therefore, Christ is the real testimony of God.
Just as Christ is the testimony of God, so the church is the testimony of Christ. The church is a portrait, a picture, of Christ and is therefore the testimony of Christ.
We have seen that the ark is called the ark of testimony or the ark of the testimony. The meaning is the same whether or not the definite article is used. Furthermore, the tabernacle is called the tabernacle of the testimony (38:21), because the testimony is in the ark, and the ark is in the tabernacle. In these messages on the last sixteen chapters of Exodus, when we speak of the ark of the testimony or the tabernacle of the testimony, we should understand that the word testimony refers to the law. However, it refers to the law as a definition of God, not as commandments for people to keep.
In the messages on Exodus 19 and 20 we emphasized the fact that, contrary to the concept of both Jews and Christians, the law was given not for us to keep, but to reveal what kind of God our God is. As the testimony of God, the law is indeed lovable. Romans 7:12 says, “So that the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good.” In Romans 7:14 Paul says that “the law is spiritual.” The law is holy, just, good, and spiritual because it is a portrait of God. We should love the law because it is a picture of our God.
God’s testimony, the law, was placed in the ark for safekeeping. The ark can be compared to a safe used to keep important documents or personal valuables. In the tabernacle of the testimony there was a “safe,” a box, where the law, God’s testimony, was kept. Thus, the ark of the testimony was a divine safe for the preservation of God’s “photograph.”
The ark of the testimony was the first item of the furniture of the tabernacle. The tabernacle had a number of important furnishings: the altar and the laver in the outer court; the showbread table, the lampstand, and the incense altar in the Holy Place; and the ark in the Holy of Holies, the inmost chamber of the tabernacle. The first of these furnishings was the ark. As the first item, it occupied the place of preeminence. We know from 40:2 and 3 that it was in the tabernacle, and from 40:20 and 21, that it was in the Holy of Holies.
To have a proper understanding of the tabernacle with its furnishings, we should have clearly in mind a diagram of the tabernacle including the altar and laver in the outer court, the showbread table, the lampstand, and the incense altar in the Holy Place, and the ark in the Holy of Holies. We need to have a clear understanding of the location of each item in relation to the tabernacle.
The ark, the incense altar, the showbread table, and the lampstand are all types of Christ. Christ has many aspects, and these four items show forth different aspects of Him. As a type of Christ, the ark typifies Christ as the embodiment of God’s testimony. Christ is the embodiment of God. The ark as the embodiment of God’s testimony typifies Christ as the embodiment of God. All that God is, is embodied in Christ. Colossians 2:9 says that the fullness of the Godhead dwells in Christ bodily. Our use of the word embodiment is based on this verse. Because God is embodied in Christ, He is portrayed, defined, and explained by Christ. Christ is God’s definition, His explanation. As God’s testimony, Christ is typified by the ark of the testimony.
In Colossians 2:9 we have a clear statement saying that the fullness of the Godhead dwells in Christ bodily. With the ark of the testimony we have a picture, a type, which corresponds to this direct statement. In teaching children to read, a teacher often shows a picture of an object with the word identifying it underneath. For example, there may be a picture of an airplane, and underneath the picture the word “airplane.” In the Bible we have both pictures and words. Concerning Christ as the embodiment of God’s testimony, we have the word in Colossians 2:9 and the picture of the ark in the book of Exodus.
God is in Christ. Apart from Christ we cannot meet God. Not only is God in Christ, but Christ Himself actually is God. John 1:1 says that the Word, which is Christ, was with God and was God. In Romans 9:5 Paul says that Christ is God blessed forever. Jesus, a carpenter from Nazareth, was the very God over all and blessed forever. The only way for us to contact God and enjoy Him is through Christ and in Christ. The ark as a type of Christ indicates that God’s redeemed people can contact God and enjoy God in Christ and through Christ.
Because the Jews do not contact God in Christ, they do not have genuine contact with God, and they certainly do not enjoy God, even though they may worship Him. It is doubtful that today’s Jews even have the concept of enjoying God. Instead, they emphasize fearing God, worshipping God, exalting God, and adoring God. They may wonder how we can speak of contacting God and enjoying Him. But the New Testament reveals that God has come in Christ that we may contact Him, receive Him, and enjoy Him. As the ark of the testimony, Christ is for us to contact God and enjoy God.
If we look at a diagram of the tabernacle, we may wonder how it is possible to say that the ark of the testimony is the center of the tabernacle of testimony (38:21). But in the Bible it is the inmost part of something which is regarded as the center. For example, although our heart is not located at the exact center of our body, we nonetheless regard it as being in the center. Likewise, because the Holy of Holies is in the inmost part of the tabernacle, it is the center of the tabernacle. It is the focus of the tabernacle and signifies the center of God’s dwelling place. God dwelt in the tabernacle, but not in the outer court or in the Holy Place. He dwelt in the Holy of Holies. The ark in the Holy of Holies signifies the center of God’s dwelling place, the church (Eph. 2:21-22).
The cover of the ark is equal to the throne of grace in Hebrews 4:16. It was upon the cover of the ark, the throne of grace, that God dwelt. This was the exact place where God was. In the Old Testament this place was in the tabernacle of the testimony. But in the New Testament this place is in the church. The church today is God’s tabernacle, His dwelling place.
The ark also signifies the contents of the church as the house of God (1 Tim. 3:15-16). Just as the ark as the embodiment of God’s testimony was the content of the tabernacle, so Christ as the embodiment of God is the content of the church. Many Christians argue over who is the church today. Some may ask, “Why do you say that you are the church? Are we not the church also?” When this question is raised, our inward feeling may be, “You claim to be the church. But what is your content? Do you have Christ as the embodiment of God’s testimony?”
Inwardly the church must have Christ as the content in reality and not merely in terminology. Outwardly the church must be on the proper ground, the ground of oneness. This ground is also the ground of locality. Any ground other than the ground of locality is not the ground of oneness. The church in Jerusalem was built on the ground of the locality of Jerusalem. Hence, it was established on the ground of oneness. Among Christians today there are so-called churches built on many different grounds, such as the ground of presbytery, immersion, or certain teachings. All these grounds are divisive, the basis for division. They are not the unique and genuine ground of oneness.
If we would be the church, we must comply with both the outward prerequisite and the inward prerequisite. The outward prerequisite is the ground of oneness, and the inward prerequisite is Christ as the contents, as the embodiment of God’s testimony. If we claim to be the church, we must have Christ not merely in terminology, but in reality as the embodiment of God’s living testimony. Certain groups of Christians are actually societies, not churches, because their content is something other than Christ Himself. The church is the Body of Christ with Christ as life and everything. The content of the church is Christ as the embodiment of God’s testimony.
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.
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.
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.
Today some oppose our use of the term God-man to describe Christ. Some even go so far as to charge us with heresy concerning the Person of Christ. Those who make this accusation do not have the full knowledge of the truth. Their theology is superficial, traditional, natural, religious, inadequate, and even superstitious. They have not touched the depths of God’s revelation concerning Christ.
Certain Bible teachers claim that, although Christ was both God and man in His human living, after His resurrection He was no longer a man. They actually believe that Christ is now no longer a man, that as the resurrected One He no longer possesses a human nature. Some of the outstanding teachers among the Brethren fought the battle for the truth concerning Christ’s humanity after His resurrection and ascension. Stephen’s experience at the time of his martyrdom proves that the Lord Jesus is still a man. According to Acts 7:55, “looking intently into heaven, he saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.” Then he testified, “Behold I see the heavens opened up and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God” (v. 56). This proves that, after His resurrection and ascension, Christ is still a man. On the day of His resurrection the Lord showed His disciples His hands and His pierced side. This also proves that He still has a human nature.
We need to turn from superficial theology to the full revelation in the Scriptures. According to the Bible, for eternity Christ will be both God and man. He is typified by the ark made of acacia wood overlaid with pure gold.
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.
Today some oppose the teaching that as children of God we are mingled with Him. They claim that to teach that the believers are mingled with God is to teach that we actually make ourselves God Himself. There is no doubt that as God’s redeemed people, those who have been born of Him, we do possess God’s life and nature. Second Peter 1:4 says that we are partakers of the divine nature. How can a child not have the life and nature of his father? In the same principle, how can we be genuine children of God, those born of Him, and not be the same as He in life and in nature? To repeat, as children of God, we do have the life and nature of God. But although we share in God’s divinity, we shall never attain to the Godhead or be worshipped as God. To say that we shall attain to the very Godhead and be worshipped as God is blasphemy. But it is also a serious error to deny the fact that the genuine believers in Christ have the divine life and nature.
Jesus Christ is the God-man, the mingling of God with man. He is true God and a true man as well. Some who oppose our teaching concerning the mingling of God with man claim that mingling entails the producing of a third nature, a nature which is neither altogether divine nor completely human. This is nonsense, and we repudiate it. When the acacia wood of the ark was overlaid with pure gold, there was no third nature produced. Likewise, when the oil is mingled with the fine flour, a third nature, something which is neither altogether oil nor flour, does not come into being. Christ is one Person with two natures, a divine nature and a human nature. Although divinity and humanity are mingled, this does not involve a third nature. We certainly do not teach that Christ was neither fully God nor fully man. According to the Bible, we teach that He is both God and man, hence, a God-man.
Exodus 25:10 tells us the 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 (Gen. 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.
Verse 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!
