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This Is How I Will Be Your God (Exodus 37:1-9)
Introduction
Our text for tonight's message is taken from Exodus 37:1-9.
People have often asked, ‘Who is God? If God is real and true, then show me who He is? How can I know Him? Where can I find Him? What has He done for me? And what is required of me?’
Basically, God has already answered all these questions in the Bible. As we are studying through the book of Exodus, we have learned about the building of the tabernacle. The amazing thing about the tabernacle was that every part of it revealed something about God. From the outside courtyard to the tabernacle itself and everything that went inside, every part of it revealed to the children of Israel how they could come before God, and to understand what He had done for them and what was required of them to do.
However, the ordinary lay people could only enter the outside courtyard. The priests could only enter the holy place, and only the high priest alone could enter the holy of holies or the most holy place. And even then it was limited to once a year. Obviously, the reason was because the holy of holies contained something that represented the presence of God.
Again, it does not mean that God was not omnipresent. We are always in His presence. Even the entire universe cannot contain Him, let alone a confined space. But He chose to dwell in the holy of holies, represented by the Ark of the Covenant, or to be more precise, the mercy seat.
Building the Ark of the Covenant
In Exodus 25, God commanded His people how the Ark of the Covenant ought to be built and the materials to be used. And here in this passage, in Exodus 37:1-9, the Bible records for us the people committing to actually building the Ark.
Since we have already learned much about the Ark of the Covenant in our previous messages, today we want to learn some details about it which were not recorded in this passage. Lessons about who God is and how we can approach Him.
The title of our message is ‘This is How I Will Be Your God’.
Verse one tells us that Bezaleel was the one in charge of building the Ark of the Covenant. Bezaleel was the son of Uri, the grandson of Hurl, and he was from the tribe of Judah. He was a very skilful craftsman, trained in the works of gold, silver, brass, stone, and timble. Most likely, he had learned those skills while living in Egypt as a slave.
We all know that the Egyptians were known for their constructions of monumental structures like the pyramids. Therefore, it was not surprising that this skilful craftsman Bezaleel was called for this specific work of building the Ark of the Covenant. Both Bezaleel and Aholiab supervised the construction of the entire tabernacle. But when it came to the Ark of the Covenant, it seemed that Bezaleel was the only one who did the work himself.
As described in this passage, the Ark of the Covenant was a wooden box that measured two and a half cubits by one and a half cubits and by one and a half cubits. A cubit was the standard measurement in the ancient world. It was the distance from the elbow to the tip of the fingers, about one and a half feet or 15 inches. So it was a rectangular box about 4 feet by 3 feet.
Everything connected with God is holy
The Ark was overlaid with gold from within and without. Gold symbolises purity as well as royalty. It was fit for a king. There were four rings of gold on the four corners of the Ark. These were meant for the poles to carry the Ark, one on each side. Some of the other furniture in the tabernacle also had poles, but only the poles of the Ark were permanently fixed.
The reason was simple. To touch the Ark was to die. Remember, the Ark represented the holy presence of God. So it was sacred. It was not to be touched. When the Ark needed to be moved from place to place, the priests were supposed to use the poles to carry it. And they had to be very careful not to touch the Ark itself. That was why the poles needed to stay in place all the time.
We understand how serious it was to touch the Ark when we remember the tragic death of Uzzah, the man who touched the Ark. At that time, King David decided to bring the Ark up to Jerusalem. Instead of carrying the Ark on their shoulders, the priests loaded it onto an ox cart. When they came to the threshing floor of Ornan, the oxen shook, and Uzzah stretched forth his hand to hold it. The anger of the Lord was kindled against him because of that grave mistake, and he was struck dead. You can read about that in 2 Samuel 6:6-7.
What does that teach us? You and I must never play the fool or be careless with the holy things of God. Everything connected with God is holy. His name is holy. His Word, the Bible, is holy. His worship, His sacraments, His services, and so forth. We must never treat the things and activities of God carelessly.
Was Uzzah sincere when he stretched forth his hand to hold the Ark? Surely the problem was not about sincerity. It was about the truth to obey what God had commanded. So we must obey what God has commanded us in accordance to the Holy Scriptures.
What are the cherubims in the Bible?
On top of the Ark of the Covenant, there were two cherubims with their wings stretched forth to cover the lid known as the mercy seat. Today, cherubims are often pictured as cute, chubby little creatures with happy faces. But that was not representative of the cherubims in the Bible.
The cherubims were special angels or creatures mentioned almost 100 times in the Old Testament. They were first mentioned in Genesis 3, where they were charged to guard the way to the tree of life. That seems to be their primary duty. Unlike the other angels, the cherubims were not messengers, but they remained in God's presence to deny or reject anything that is unholy. They were the palace guards for the King of Kings, so to speak.
In Ezekiel 1, the prophet Ezekiel described the cherubims as having the form of a man. Each one has four faces, one on each side—the face of a man, a lion, an ox, and an eagle; four wings; straight legs with feet like calves, and they sparkled like shining brass. Under the wings, they had hands like a man.
Several times, the Bible describes God as sitting on the throne between the cherubims. Psalm 99:1 says, “The Lord reigneth; let the people tremble: he sitteth between the cherubims; let the earth be moved.”
In 2 Kings 19:15, King Hezekiah prayed, “O Lord God of Israel, which dwellest between the cherubims, thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; thou hast made heaven and earth.”
So the cherubims had their wings spread protectively over the Ark. The space between the cherubims was empty. The reason was obvious. God did not want His people to make any representative or representation of His divine being. Any representation would be a violation of the second commandment: “Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image” (Exodus 20:4). So the space between the cherubims was left empty, only to be filled with the presence of God.
Bezaleel did as he was commanded, and there were three sacred items that went inside the Ark—the manna, the staff of Aaron, and the covenant engraved in stone. Although these items were not mentioned in this passage, they were described elsewhere in the Old Testament.
I. God The Provider
The first item was the manna. The manna was the miraculous bread that God provided for the children of Israel during their 40 years wandering in the wilderness. Remember, the daily manna that the children of Israel collected would decay and rot by the next morning. But this golden jar of manna, which was placed in the Ark, was supernaturally preserved as a sign of God's providential care.
So who was God? He was their Provider.
II. God The Lord
The second item was the staff of Aaron. The staff was both a symbol of protection as well as authority. It was often used by the shepherds to fend off the wild animals from attacking their flock. But here the staff mentioned was Aaron’s staff. It was the one that Aaron took along with him when he went to meet the Pharaoh in Egypt — a reference to the spiritual authority vested upon him.
We all remember when the children of Israel fought against the Amalekites. Moses said to Joshua in Exodus 17:9, “Choose us out men, and go out, fight with Amalek: to morrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in mine hand.”
As long as Moses’ hands were holding the rod of God and they were lifted up, the children of Israel were winning the battle. Essentially, they were fighting the battle based on the authority of God who said to them, ‘Go and fight the Amalekites.’
So, who was God? He was their ultimate authority, their ruler, the Lord of their lives.
III. God The Law-Giver
Perhaps the third item was of the greatest significance — and that was the covenant engraved in stone. Sometimes known as the tables of testimony or the Ten Commandments. In this covenant, God promised to give His people every blessing of salvation. But He also demanded their obedience to His commandments so that He would be their God and they would be His people.
This covenant was a reminder of God’s promises to His people and His laws for their lives. They must abide by His laws. So who was this God? He was the Lawgiver.
So on the top of the Ark of the Covenant was the mercy seat, and beneath — contained inside — were the manna, which speaks of God as their Provider; the staff of Aaron, which speaks of God as their Lord; and the Ten Commandments engraved in stone, which speaks of God as the Lawgiver.
Now there was one problem. If God was enthroned between the cherubims above the Ark, and the law was beneath under His feet so to speak, how could the people who had broken His laws approach Him as their Provider and Lord?
Here we have the picture of a judge sitting on His throne with the law opened at His feet. How could the people approach Him? Everyone had broken the law. No one could keep the law perfectly. Therefore, the law inside the Ark could not save them. It could only condemn them. And God the Judge was sitting right on top of it. That is an awesome picture.
Why was the mercy seat so important?
That was why the mercy seat was so important. The mercy seat was used only once a year — on the Day of Atonement. On that day, Aaron, the high priest, had to first offer an animal sacrifice for his own sins. He had to take some of the blood with his fingers and sprinkle it on the front of the mercy seat, and seven times before the mercy seat.
Then he had to offer an animal sacrifice for the nation of Israel for their sins. And do the same thing as he did for himself, and sprinkle the blood on and before the mercy seat. When the blood was sprinkled on the mercy seat, it signified that atonement was made and they were forgiven of their sins. In other words, they were covered by the blood.
Above the Ark was God. Beneath was the law that condemned them. But in between was the blood of the atoning sacrifice that covered their sins and turned away the divine wrath, reconciling the people with God. In a sense, when God came to commune with His people, He would not see the law that they had broken, but the saving blood of the atoning sacrifice.
The reformer William Tyndale had a very interesting way to describe the word atonement. He divided this word into three parts — at-one-ment — which means the only way the people could be one with God was through the blood of the atoning sacrifice.
Dear friend, there is no mercy unless there is blood on the mercy seat. God is up above, sitting on His throne in majesty, and we are here below, breaking His laws.
The only way we can come to Him — the only way we can be reconciled to Him, the only way we can be saved — something has to come in between His perfect holiness and our unholiness. And it is through the blood of an atoning sacrifice.
As Hebrews 9:22 says, “And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.”
Nothing but the blood of Jesus Christ
Nothing can wash away our sins — only the blood. But not just any blood. It must be the blood of the perfect sacrifice. That was precisely what Jesus did on the cross of Calvary. He offered Himself as a sacrifice acceptable unto God. It was a sacrifice in blood. His precious blood was poured out for sins.
As Hebrews 9:11–12 says, “But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.”
In those days, all the blood of the unblemished animals that was sprinkled on the mercy seat pointed to the ultimate Lamb of God, Jesus Christ.
So when Jesus died on the cross and shed His precious blood, it was poured on the mercy seat once and for all. And whosoever believeth in Him shall obtain mercy — the forgiveness of sins. That was why the veil separating the Holy of Holies from the Holy Place was torn into two — signifying that Jesus was the only way to go to God the Father. There is no other way.
In the Gospel of Luke 18, Jesus told a wonderful story about a man who found mercy. He was a tax collector who had cheated many people out of their money. He knew about his sins. And how could he approach the throne of a perfect and holy God?
He dared not even come near the temple and he stood at a distance. At that time, the temple was in Jerusalem, and in the temple there was the Holy of Holies where the Ark of the Covenant was located. Most certainly he knew what the Ark of the Covenant symbolised.
If there was any hope that he could find forgiveness, something had to come in between him and God. That something was the mercy seat. And it could only be granted on the basis of the blood of the atoning sacrifice. That was why he prayed, ‘God be merciful to me a sinner.’ And Jesus said, he was granted mercy. He was justified.
He did not trust in himself like the way the Pharisee did — the one who trusted in his own self-righteousness and prayed, ‘I’m not like all the other sinners. I fast twice a week. I give tithes of all that I have. Basically, I’m a good person.’ But rather, he humbled himself to trust in the mercy of God.
Dear friend, if we are true believers, that is our relationship with God. God is perfectly holy, and there’s no way we can ever approach His throne. We can never come before Him. We can never be reconciled to Him. Something has to come in between His perfect holiness and our unholiness — and that is the mercy seat, where the blood of Jesus Christ was shed and poured on it.
Once we believe in Jesus Christ for salvation, God sees us covered by the blood of His Son. And He says to us, ‘I will be your God and you will be My people, because you have believed in My only begotten Son who died for you and shed His precious blood to save you.’
The reason why we are able to pray, to render our voices to praise God, to worship and serve Him, to receive His blessings and provisions — it is all because we have obtained mercy through the blood of Jesus Christ.
Conclusion
If you and I have obtained mercy through the blood of Jesus Christ, our almighty God, who is our Provider, our Lord, our ultimate spiritual authority — He will never forget, neither will He forsake us.
He will provide for all our needs, just as He has provided the children of Israel with daily manna. He will guide, protect and lead us, and be the Lord of our lives — just like the way He has led, protected and guided the children of Israel in the wilderness.
So every day of our lives, the moment we wake up each morning, we pray, ‘God be merciful to me a sinner.’ Not because we are not saved, but it is a reminder that we have obtained mercy through the blood of God’s only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. He is our God and we are His people.
This is the only way for us to be saved. If you are still an unbeliever lingering outside the kingdom of God, there is no mercy. There is no salvation except through the blood of God’s only begotten Son, Jesus Christ.
You reject Him, you reject the only way to salvation. Come and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ today, because tomorrow may never come. It is not a scare tactic — it is a reality. For today may be the last for some of us to hear the message of salvation.
Only Jesus saves. His precious blood that was poured on that mercy seat — only that alone can turn away the divine wrath and reconcile men and women to God through faith in Him.
Closing Prayer
Let us pray. Our Father in Heaven, we give Thee thanks for granting us the opportunity to study through the Book of Exodus.
Although when we come to this passage in Exodus 37, it is a repetition of what Thou hast recorded in chapter 25, yet there are so many wonderful lessons for us to learn — lessons about who Thou art, what Thou hast done for us through Thy only begotten Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
We pray that even as we consider the Ark of the Covenant and even other aspects of the Tabernacle, including the outside courtyard, every part of the building reveals something about Thee and what Thou hast done for Thy people.
May each and every one of us apply all these spiritual lessons into our lives, because Thy Word is true and Thy Word is alive. And through the wonder-working of Thy Spirit, our hearts are convicted that we will continue to trust in Thee as believers — that Thou art our Provider, Thou art our Lord, and Thou art also the One who will never forget, neither wilt Thou forsake us — and we are Thy people.
For those who are outside Thy Kingdom, may Thou also be gracious and merciful to enable them to hear the message of salvation, that the Spirit of God will likewise convict their hearts of their sins, that they would turn to the only One. For there is no one who can save them — only Jesus saves.
And we pray that we will also be bold and courageous as we share forth the only Gospel that is able to save the souls of men. Grant to us this ability to do Thy work.
We pray all this in Jesus’ Name. Amen.