Chapter 37 of Exodus speaks concerning the contents of the tabernacle. The tabernacle is the dwelling place, the house, of the Lord. Within every house, every dwelling place, there must be some contents. Within the tabernacle there are four main items as the contents. The first item is the Ark (vv. 1-9), the second item is the table of the bread of the Presence (vv. 10-16), the third item is the lampstand (vv. 17-24), and the fourth item is the altar of incense (vv. 25-28). The tabernacle is divided into two parts—the inner part and the outer part. The inner part is the Holy of Holies, and the outer part is the Holy Place. Accordingly, these four main items as the contents of the tabernacle are divided into two groups. One group is of one item, while the other group is of three items. Within the inner part, the Holy of Holies, there is only the Ark as its content. Within the outer part, the Holy Place, there are three items—the table, the lampstand, and the incense altar—as its contents. These four items as the contents of the tabernacle are full of deep meaning. In this chapter we will fellowship concerning the Ark of the Testimony.
The Ark is called the Ark of the Testimony of God (Exo. 39:35; 40:3, 5, 21). Within the Ark there were the two tablets of the Ten Commandments. The Ten Commandments are the definition, the description, the explanation, of God. Most people consider that the Ten Commandments are merely ten laws set up by God for us to keep. This concept is not correct. The Ten Commandments are actually a full definition of God, showing us what kind of God He is. A law is always an explanation of the one who makes it. A person will make a law according to what he is. If you are a good person, you will make good laws. If you are an evil person, you will spontaneously make evil laws. Whatever one sets up as a law will be the definition, the explanation, of that person. The Ten Commandments given by God are a definition, an explanation, of God Himself. The Ten Commandments mainly show us that God is a God of holiness, a God of righteousness, a God of love, and a God of light.
The testimony of God is actually a person, who is the embodiment of God. The testimony was not only the Ten Commandments by themselves. Rather, it was the Ten Commandments within the Ark. This Ark was composed of two materials, acacia wood overlaid with gold, typifying Christ as the One with the human nature and divine nature mingled together. He is the One who is God Himself and was incarnated to be a man. The human nature and the divine nature were mingled and joined together to become one living person. Within this one living person is the law of God, that is, the definition, the explanation, of God. Christ is the testimony of God, a person who is the embodiment of what God is.
Exodus 37:1 speaks of the dimensions of the Ark: “And Bezalel made the Ark of acacia wood: two and a half cubits was its length; and one and a half cubits, its width; and one and a half cubits, its height.” All the dimensions of the Ark were half measurements. The length was two and a half cubits, the breadth was one and a half cubits, and the height was one and a half cubits. Two and a half is half of five, while one and a half is half of three. As we have seen before, three and five are the basic numbers in the building of God’s dwelling place. Three signifies the Triune God, and five signifies the creature plus the Creator to bear the responsibility for God’s building. The dimensions of the Ark are half of the basic numbers, signifying that the Ark is a testimony. A half implies that another half is needed for a full testimony. 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. The half dimensions of the Ark show us in figure that it is the testimony of God.