Exodus 25:10-22

Exodus 25:10-22

[10] And they shall make  an ark  of shittim  wood:  two cubits  and a half  shall be the length  thereof, and a cubit  and a half  the breadth  thereof, and a cubit  and a half  the height  [11] And thou shalt overlay  it with pure  gold,  within  and without  shalt thou overlay  it, and shalt make  upon it a crown  of gold  round about.  [12] And thou shalt cast  four  rings  of gold  for it, and put  them in the four  corners  thereof; and two  rings  shall be in the one  side  of it, and two  rings  in the other  side of it. [13] And thou shalt make  staves  of shittim  wood,  and overlay  them with gold.  [14] And thou shalt put  the staves  into the rings  by the sides  of the ark,  may be borne  with them. [15] The staves  shall be  in the rings  of the ark:  they shall not be taken  [16] And thou shalt put  into the ark  the testimony  which I shall give  [17] And thou shalt make  a mercy seat  of pure  gold:  two cubits  and a half  shall be the length  thereof, and a cubit  and a half  the breadth  [18] And thou shalt make  two  cherubims  of gold,  of beaten work  shalt thou make  them, in the two  ends  of the mercy seat.  [19] And make  one  cherub  on the one end,  and the other  cherub  on the other  end:  even of the mercy seat  shall ye make  the cherubims  on the two  ends  [20] And the cherubims  shall stretch  forth their wings  on high,  covering  the mercy seat  with their wings,  and their faces  shall look one  to another;  toward the mercy seat  shall the faces  of the cherubims  [21] And thou shalt put  the mercy seat  above  upon the ark;  thou shalt put  the testimony  that I shall give  [22] And there I will meet  with thee, and I will commune  with thee from above the mercy seat,  from between  the two  cherubims  which are upon  the ark  of the testimony,  of all things which I will give thee in commandment  unto the children  of Israel. 

What does Exodus 25:10-22 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

The ark was the throne of Yahweh where He dwelt in a localized way and met with the Israelites through their high priest. It was the seat of His sovereignty but also the place where He met with His people ( Exodus 25:22). This is why directions for its construction come first. The testimony (Ten Commandments, Exodus 25:16; Exodus 25:22) lay inside the ark, which was a hollow box. God"s dwelling among His people and His relationship with them thus quite literally rested on the Ten Commandments. The mercy seat ( Exodus 25:17) was the removable "lid" of this box and was solid gold. It was there that the high priest offered sacrificial blood once a year to atone for (cover) the sins of the Israelites as a nation. This offering made propitiation (satisfaction) for their sins for one year (cf. Leviticus 16).
The Greek word used to translate "mercy seat" here in the Septuagint (hilasterion) is another form of the word used to describe Jesus Christ as our propitiation in 1 John 2:2 (hilasmos). The mercy seat was for the Israelites temporarily what Jesus Christ is for all people permanently: the place where God found satisfaction.
"It [1] is a sweet word! A seat of mercy, baptised [2] in mercy, from which mercy flows forth. Not wrath, not judgment, not indignation, but mercy is pouring forth from its original fountain in the heart of God." [3]
The cherubim ( Exodus 25:18) were angels who "apparently have to do with the holiness of God as violated by sin." [4] They may have looked like winged human-headed lions. [5] Josephus wrote that Moses saw these creatures around God"s throne when he was on Mt. Sinai. [6]
"The cherubim are connected with the throne as its guardians and/or bearers. In other cultures cherubim are minor deities protective of palaces and temple; in Israel they symbolized angelic guardians of the invisible throne of God." [7]