"Have them make a chest of acacia wood---two and a half cubits long, a cubit and a half wide, and a cubit and a half high.  Overlay it with pure gold, both inside and out, and make a gold molding around it.  Then put in the ark the Testimony, which I will give you." Exodus 25:10,11,16

The ark of the covenant was the most important piece of furniture in the tabernacle.  It was also the most complete type and figure of Jesus in the Old Testament.  It stood in the innermost room of the tabernacle in the holy of holies.  This room was a perfect cube fifteen feet high, wide and long.  It was separated from the holy place by the veil, the heavy curtain barring the entrance to the holy of holies.  The ark itself was an oblong box or chest three and three-fourths feet long, two and one-fourth feet wide, and two and one-fourth feet high.  It was made of wood, covered with pure gold.  It again speaks of Jesus' two-fold nature, the wood standing for His perfect humanity, and the gold standing for His eternal deity.

The ark of the covenant in the holy of holies in the tabernacle speaks of the ultimate security of the believer from judgment, a refuge from the storms of life.  There are three arks described in the Bible; the ark of Noah, the ark of Moses, and the ark of the covenant.  In the ark of Noah, a family of eight were kept safe and secure from judgment, and brought through the flood in which all others on the outside died.  It was sealed inside and out with pitch making it weatherproof and storm proof. No storm could harm those inside because they were shut in by God and WITH GOD.

The second ark was made by Jochebed, the mother of Moses.  Judgment had been decreed on Moses, as the sentence of death had been pronounced by Pharaoh on all male children of Israel, and he commanded them to be drowned in the Nile River.  But Moses was made safe in the ark of bulrushes, made by his mother and sealed with pitch.  There was security for Moses in the ark because God was with him.  Both the ark of Noah and the ark of Moses were made waterproof by being lined with pitch.  The word for pitch in the Bible is "kaphar," and is the Old Testament word for "atonement."  But atonement was always made with blood.  Salvation depends on the blood of atonement of an innocent sacrifice.  Typically then, both the ark of Noah and the ark of Moses were made safe by the application of the "typical" blood, represented by the pitch of atonement which lined both arks.

Both of these arks were a preparation for the third ark, which was the center of the tabernacle service.  It was also a place of shelter and refuge and safety from judgment.  In this golden ark was the law of God, which demanded the death of the sinner.  It contained the law broken by Israel, which placed them under the condemnation and the sentence of eternal death.  But over this broken law, above the ark, was the mercy seat, stained with blood.  The ark, under the blood becomes the place of safety from judgment and becomes the symbol of security and redemption in Jesus.

"make a gold molding around it." Exodus 25:11b

The ark wore a golden crown.  We all know that crowns are for kings to wear and they are symbols of sovereignty and power.  The ark in the tabernacle was therefore a type of Jesus in the office of King.  Jesus has three offices, that of Prophet, Priest, and King.  In the outer court at the brazen altar, with its blood and continually burning sacrifice, we meet Jesus as the Prophet.  A prophet is someone who comes from God with God's message for man.  The brazen altar and the whole burnt offering point to His first coming, when He came to die on the Cross of Calvary.  There He became our Prophet to redeem us, and to bring us God's message of grace.

In the holy place we meet Jesus as our High Priest.  A priest is one who intercedes for the people.  In the holy place, the priest offered the incense upon the golden altar, and Jesus is today in the holy place in heaven, interceding for us who have believed.  But when we enter behind the veil, into the holy of holies, we meet Jesus as the King, as the Sovereign, and the Absolute Ruler whose will and commands are absolute.  This is the goal of our Christian life.  We begin with Jesus as prophet at the Cross, we come to Calvary, and received Him as our Savior, and Prophet Redeemer.  Then we enter the holy place, feeding on the bread of Life, walking in the light of the Holy Spirit and growing in grace by offering incense at the golden altar.  This is where we come to know Him as our present Priest in heaven, as the One who keeps us day by day through His Spirit and by His Word.

Then, we go on to perfection (maturity), until we have crowned Him Lord of all in our hearts and in our lives, and have enthroned Him as King of all our being.  He becomes absolute King of our lives as we completely surrender to His absolute will and command.  Few believers have entered this experience of full surrender, of absolute yielding to Him as King and Lord of their lives and all that they are and possess.  Many have stopped at the altar of salvation, but never seem to go any farther.  Others have entered the holy place, and are rendering service to Him, but have never completely yielded and dedicated their all to Him as Lord and absolute Master of their lives.