The number four according to the Bible signifies the four corners of the earth to reach all men (Rev. 7:1). According to Revelation 5:6 the seven Spirits of God are “sent forth into all the earth.” Christ as the embodiment of God’s testimony must reach all men.
When I left mainland China in 1949, I was very sorrowful because we had lost the vast field of China. But now I am happy because the Lord’s recovery has been released from the confinement of the Chinese language and has spread to the four corners of the earth to reach all people. We expect that in the years to come many will go out, not simply to preach the gospel, teach the Bible, and have proper church meetings, but also to bear the testimony of Jesus.
Wherever we go, the ark with the four golden rings should be with us. In the wilderness the children of Israel did not move without the ark. They always journeyed with the ark. Likewise, we should move with the Lord as the embodiment of God’s testimony. This is indicated by the fact that the ark has four rings signifying that the testimony of Jesus should reach all people.
According to 25:12, there were to be two rings on one side of the ark and two on its second side. Two rings on each side signifies a testimony in every aspect (Rev. 11:3). The two rings on each side imply coordination. There were two persons at each end to carry the ark.
Notice how the number two is emphasized. There are two sides, two rings on each side, and two poles. For carrying the ark there were probably two persons in front and two in the back. The number two signifies that the move of Christ as God’s embodied testimony is through a good coordination, not through individuals. An individual cannot be a lampstand. A lampstand is a corporate entity. We must be one with others who love the Lord and seek Him if there is to be a lampstand in our locality.
When the Lord Jesus was on earth, He sent out His disciples two by two. The disciples sent out in this way were to bear His testimony for His move on earth. The principle is the same with the ark and its move. There were two rings, two sides, two poles, and probably two persons in front and in back. This signifies testimony and coordination.
I hope that many will pray and have fellowship concerning the four golden rings cast for the ark. Through prayer and fellowship the reality of this will be assimilated by us and even constituted into us. I believe that through the life-study of the last sixteen chapters of Exodus many saints will be built up with the detailed revelation of Christ.
Exodus 25:13 and 14 say, “And you shall make poles of acacia wood, and you shall overlay them with gold. And you shall put the poles into the rings upon the sides of the ark to carry the ark by them.” The two poles for carrying the ark signify the move of Christ as God’s testimony.
The poles, like the ark itself, were made of acacia wood. We have seen that acacia wood signifies Christ’s humanity. Christ’s humanity is the strength to carry out His testimony. The fact that the poles were made of acacia wood signifies that Christ’s human nature is the strength for His move as God’s testimony.
Today many in the Pentecostal or charismatic movement emphasize gifts, miracles, and power. However, Paul’s emphasis was not on such things. He and his co-workers spread the kingdom of God and bore the testimony of Jesus by having a humanity with a high character and standing. They bore the testimony on poles made of acacia wood, by a transformed and uplifted humanity. Paul spread the testimony of Jesus by means of his humanity with its strong character. For example, Paul wrote to the Thessalonians, “For you remember, brothers, our labor and hardship: working night and day so as not to be burdensome to any of you, we proclaimed to you the gospel of God” (1 Thes. 2:9). This is acacia wood.
When the early missionaries went to China, it was not easy for them to reach the ethical and philosophical Chinese with the gospel. These Chinese were conservative and proud of their culture. But a good number of missionaries to China truly had the acacia wood, the uplifted humanity. These missionaries were genuinely human in a way that could reach the Chinese and open the door for the gospel.
Let me give you one illustration of how these missionaries demonstrated the acacia wood in bringing the gospel to the conservative Chinese. All the villages were closed to foreigners. It was the practice for anyone who saw a foreigner to sound a gong to warn the villagers to go into their houses and shut the door. No one desired contact with the “foreign devils.” One missionary, however, would hide right beside the door of one of the houses. Eventually, someone would open the door, and the missionary would thrust a stick into the opening, thus preventing the door from being shut. Then he would put his foot in the door and, as soon as he had the opportunity, walk into the yard. Once inside, he would head for the millstone and begin grinding wheat or corn. The family might say, “If this foreign devil wants to do this hard work of grinding for us, let him go ahead.” Eventually, in keeping with their ethical character, they would give him something to eat and drink. Then he would have an opportunity to speak with them about the Lord. Gradually, by such a testimony borne by acacia wood, various sections of the conservative country of China were opened for the gospel. I worship the Lord for this and thank Him for sending the best missionaries and the most spiritual persons to labor for Him in China.
Today for the testimony of Christ we also need poles made of acacia wood. Some Christians, however, resort to the use of rock music and dramas for preaching the gospel. But the Lord’s testimony is not carried by such a means. Rather, it is borne by our transformed humanity with its high character and standard. This humanity is the strength for the move of Christ as the embodiment of God’s testimony.