The Throne of Grace in the Wilderness Text: Exodus 37:1-9
Introduction: The Obedience of Art
We come now to a section of Exodus that can feel, to our modern sensibilities, a bit like reading assembly instructions for furniture you did not order. We have lists of materials, dimensions, and procedures. But we must disabuse ourselves of this notion immediately. We are not reading a divine manual for arts and crafts. We are witnessing the faithful, Spirit-filled execution of a divine command that lies at the very heart of Israel's life and worship. God had given Moses the blueprint for His house, the Tabernacle, up on the mountain in chapter 25. Now, down in the valley, after the catastrophic rebellion of the golden calf and the glorious renewal of the covenant, the work begins.
This is not mere repetition. This is the difference between a promise and its fulfillment, between a blueprint and a building. This is obedience made tangible. And the first piece of furniture to be constructed is the most important. It is the spiritual center of the entire nation. It is the throne of their invisible King. We are talking about the Ark of the Testimony, the Ark of the Covenant. What Bezalel is building here is not just a sacred chest; he is fashioning a profound theological statement, a sermon in wood and gold. Every dimension, every material, every detail is saturated with meaning. This is God teaching His people the grammar of His presence, and the central lesson is that He is a holy God who has made a way to dwell mercifully among a sinful people.
The man tasked with this work is Bezalel, a man whom God says He has "filled with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship" (Ex. 31:3). This is a crucial point. The construction of the Tabernacle is not a work of mere human ingenuity. It is a charismatic work. The Holy Spirit is not just for preaching and prophesying; He is for hammering and engraving. He is for the artist, the craftsman, the engineer. When God commands a work, He provides the Spirit-filled men to accomplish it. And the result is not just a functional object, but a glorious one, a work of art that images heavenly realities.
The Text
And Bezalel made the ark of acacia wood; its length was two and a half cubits, and its width one and a half cubits, and its height one and a half cubits; and he overlaid it with pure gold inside and out, and made a gold molding for it all around. He cast four rings of gold for it on its four feet; even two rings on one side of it, and two rings on the other side of it. He made poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold. He put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark to carry it. He made a mercy seat of pure gold, two and a half cubits long and one and a half cubits wide. He made two cherubim of gold; he made them of hammered work at the two ends of the mercy seat; one cherub at the one end and one cherub at the other end; from one piece he made the mercy seat with the cherubim at its two ends. The cherubim had their wings spread upward, covering the mercy seat with their wings, with their faces toward each other; the faces of the cherubim were toward the mercy seat.
(Exodus 37:1-9 LSB)
The Royal Chest (vv. 1-2)
We begin with the basic structure of the Ark itself.
"And Bezalel made the ark of acacia wood; its length was two and a half cubits, and its width one and a half cubits, and its height one and a half cubits; and he overlaid it with pure gold inside and out, and made a gold molding for it all around." (Exodus 37:1-2)
The foundation of the Ark is acacia wood. This was a common, sturdy wood found in the Sinai wilderness, known for its durability and resistance to decay. In this, we see a picture of humanity. It is a created thing, taken from the earth. But this is not just any humanity; it is incorruptible humanity. This is a clear pointer to the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of Man, who was truly human, made from the stuff of our world, yet without sin, without corruption, without decay.
But this wood is not left exposed. It is completely covered, "overlaid it with pure gold inside and out." Gold in Scripture consistently represents that which is divine, pure, and glorious. So here we have a perfect image of the hypostatic union: the two natures of Jesus Christ. The structure is wood, humanity. The appearance, the glory, the part that engages with the world, is pure gold, divinity. He is the God-man. And notice, the gold is "inside and out." His deity is not a mere veneer. It permeates His entire being. There is no part of Him that is not divine, just as there is no part that is not human. This is the mystery and glory of the incarnation.
A molding, or a crown, of gold was placed around the top. This signifies that the Ark is a royal object. It is a throne. Yahweh is not some vague, ethereal spirit; He is the King of Israel, and He rules from His throne. The Ark is the visible symbol of His kingship among His people.
The Pilgrim Throne (vv. 3-5)
Next, Bezalel fashions the means by which the Ark would be transported.
"He cast four rings of gold for it on its four feet... He made poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold. He put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark to carry it." (Exodus 37:3-5 LSB)
This throne was not a stationary one. Unlike the thrones of earthly kings, fixed in their palaces, the throne of God was designed to be mobile. This is profoundly significant. God was not confined to a particular location, a holy mountain, or a sacred city. He was the God of a pilgrim people, and He journeyed with them. He led them through the wilderness. His presence was not a destination to be arrived at, but a constant reality to be followed.
The poles themselves were made of the same materials, acacia wood overlaid with gold, continuing the type of Christ. It is Christ who carries the presence of God. It is Christ who leads us on our pilgrimage. The earlier instructions in Exodus 25 specified that these poles were never to be removed from the rings. The Ark was to be perpetually ready to move at a moment's notice. This was to instill in Israel a constant readiness to follow the Lord's leading. For us, it is a picture of the Christian life. We are not to get comfortable and settled in this world. We are sojourners, and we must always be ready to pull up our stakes and follow where the Lord directs.
The Place of Atonement (v. 6)
The lid of the Ark is described next, and it is the most crucial component.
"He made a mercy seat of pure gold, two and a half cubits long and one and a half cubits wide." (Exodus 37:6 LSB)
This was not merely a lid to keep the dust out. The Hebrew word is kapporeth, which means the place of atonement or propitiation. It is the place where the blood of the sacrifice would be sprinkled on the Day of Atonement to cover the sins of the people. It is rightly called the "mercy seat," because it is here that God's judgment is averted and His mercy is dispensed.
Notice what it is made of: "pure gold." There is no acacia wood here. There is no human element in the mercy seat itself. This is because atonement is a work of God alone. Man contributes nothing to his own salvation. Our works, our efforts, our best intentions, they are not part of the equation. Salvation is a monergistic work of divine grace, as pure and unalloyed as this slab of gold. The Apostle Paul makes this connection explicit when he says that God put forth Jesus "as a propitiation" (Romans 3:25). The Greek word there is hilasterion, the very word used in the Greek translation of the Old Testament for the mercy seat. Jesus Christ is our mercy seat. He is the place where the justice of God and the mercy of God meet, where our sin is covered by His blood.
The Heavenly Witnesses (vv. 7-9)
Finally, the mercy seat is adorned with two heavenly guardians.
"He made two cherubim of gold; he made them of hammered work... The cherubim had their wings spread upward, covering the mercy seat with their wings, with their faces toward each other; the faces of the cherubim were toward the mercy seat." (Exodus 37:7-9 LSB)
These are not the plump, sentimental cherubs of Renaissance art. Cherubim in the Bible are awesome and fearsome beings who guard the holiness of God. It was cherubim with a flaming sword who guarded the way back to the tree of life in Eden. Their presence here signifies the unapproachable holiness of God. You cannot just saunter up to His throne.
They are made of "hammered work," beaten out of the same piece of gold as the mercy seat itself. This tells us that God's holiness and God's mercy are not two separate things. They are one. The guards of the throne are integral to the throne of grace. God does not set aside His holiness in order to be merciful. Rather, His mercy is a holy mercy, and His holiness is a merciful holiness, perfectly satisfied by the sacrifice that the mercy seat represents.
And look at their posture. Their wings are spread, covering the mercy seat, a posture of protection and worship. Their faces are turned toward one another and downward, gazing intently at the mercy seat. What are they looking at? They are looking at the place where the blood will be applied. They are marveling at the wisdom of God's plan of redemption. The apostle Peter tells us that these are things "into which angels long to look" (1 Peter 1:12). The cherubim are the permanent congregation, the eternal choir, fixed in an unending posture of adoration for the atoning work of God.
Conclusion: Christ, Our Ark and Mercy Seat
This entire construction is a rich and glorious portrait of the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Ark contained three items: the tablets of the Law, a pot of manna, and Aaron's rod that budded. Jesus is the one who perfectly fulfilled the Law. Jesus is the true bread from heaven. Jesus is our great and resurrected High Priest. He is the substance, and the Ark was the shadow.
The Ark was the place where God promised to meet with His people. He said to Moses, "There I will meet with you, and from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are on the ark of the testimony, I will speak to you" (Ex. 25:22). Today, we do not go to a golden box in a tent. We go to a person. We meet God in the face of Jesus Christ. He is our mercy seat. It is through His shed blood that we can approach the throne of the holy God, not with fear, but with confidence, finding it to be a throne of grace (Heb. 4:16).
Bezalel, filled with the Spirit, faithfully constructed the copy according to the pattern God had shown him. And now we, as the church, filled with that same Spirit, are called to build our lives according to the pattern shown us in the Son. We are to take the acacia wood of our humanity and allow the Spirit to overlay it with the pure gold of Christ's righteousness. We are to be a pilgrim people, carrying the presence of God into the wilderness of this world, our eyes fixed on the mercy seat, Jesus Christ Himself, the author and finisher of our faith.