The Ark, the Table, and the Lampstand (Exodus 25:10-40)

The first time that I can remember hearing about archaeology was while sitting in a theater watching, “The Raiders of the Lost Ark.” The film follows the adventures of Doctor Indiana Jones who lectures in college classes one day and then races off to exotic locales the next. He hunts for artifacts with mysterious powers while avoiding deadly booby traps like poisoned darts, iron spikes, giant boulders, and snakes. But he always comes through with his brown fedora.

Later I learned that archaeology in the real world is entirely different. Teams often spend months digging and sifting through mounds of dirt hoping to find a few shards of pottery or perhaps some old bones. It is tedious work. They catalog every detail and form hypotheses about ancient cultures and their history. But there is very little certainty. They make educated guesses, but subsequent finds often overturn their ideas.

As we continue our study of the Jewish Tabernacle in the book of Exodus, we come to a description of three ancient artifacts. In Exodus 25:10-40, the Lord instructs Moses on building the ark of the covenant, the table of showbread, and the golden lampstand. But how should we approach our consideration of these objects? Should we follow the Hollywood mindset, viewing them as vessels of mystical power? Or should we speculate about the meaning of each detail and form hypotheses about what it all means like real archaeologists? Neither!

We should let the biblical descriptions stand on their own. Exodus contains two complete descriptions of the Tabernacle with almost identical wording. The Lord’s instructions to Moses are recorded in chapters 25-31. Then chapters 36-39 tell how the workmen follow those instructions. When you compare those sections side-by- side, you find some unique statements in one or the other that stand out.

The descriptions of the three objects in chapter 25 each contain additional purpose statements from the Lord that deserve particular attention. The significance of each object is made clear in the text. We have seen that the Tabernacle is one expression of a recurring pattern that will ultimately lead to the complete restoration of God's presence with human beings. These three components of the Tabernacle each point toward a principle within that pattern. They show us how we should relate to God.

Treasure God’s Word

In “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” the ark is the treasure. It is supposed to magically give any army victory in battle. But in the climax of the movie, the Nazis open it, and it melts off their faces. The hero and heroine are only saved because they close their eyes. So, the ark ends up locked away in some U.S. government warehouse.

Of course, “Raiders of the Lost Ark” is pure fantasy and has very little to do with the Bible. In the Bible, the treasure is not the ark itself but what is inside. The ark is essentially a treasure chest to carry the stone tablets engraved with the Ten Commandments. The real treasure is the Word of God, and we find this principle emphasized throughout the Bible.

Exodus 37:1-5 repeats the words recorded in Exodus 25:10-14. In verses 10 and 11, the Lord tells Moses,

They shall make an ark of acacia wood. Two cubits and a half shall be its length, a cubit and a half its breadth, and a cubit and a half its height. You shall overlay it with pure gold, inside and outside shall you overlay it, and you shall make on it a molding of gold around it.

At first glance, the word “ark” seems to suggest some connection with Noah’s ark. But a different Hebrew word is used to speak of Noah’s ark. The word here in Exodus 25 is also found in Genesis 50:26 to speak of Joseph’s coffin. So, God simply wanted them to build a box out of good solid wood and to cover it with gold. A cubit is around 18 inches. So the ark was to be around 4 and a half feet long, 27 inches wide and 27 inches tall.

Some assert symbolic significance for these materials and dimensions. For example, one author claimed that the wood represented humanity and the gold love. He said that the two-and-a-half-cubit length was chosen because it is a factor of ten, relating to the Ten Commandments. As a factor of three, the one-and-a-half-cubit width and breadth supposedly shows completeness. But nothing in the text suggests that we should read it this way. Taking that sort of speculative approach to the Bible undermines people’s sense of its clarity and authority.

Verses 12-14 tell us,

You shall cast four rings of gold for it and put them on its four feet, two rings on the one side of it, and two rings on the other side of it. You shall make poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. And you shall put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark to carry the ark by them.

When the ark is moved, it is to be carried with dignity and respect. Later these instructions are ignored when King David seeks to bring the ark into Jerusalem. Second Samuel 6 tells us that a man named Uzzah put it on an ox cart instead. When it gets jostled, he puts his hand on it to steady it, and the Lord strikes him down. The lesson from that incident is not that the ark has mystical power. It is that the Lord wants people to reverently follow his instructions!

Verses 15-16 are unique to Exodus 25. There the Lord says,

The poles shall remain in the rings of the ark; they shall not be taken from it. And you shall put into the ark the testimony that I shall give you.

This golden box is to be treated with honor because it holds the testimony. Deuteronomy 10:2 indicates that testimony is a way of referring to the stone tablets inscribed with the Ten Commandments. They would serve as evidence that God had spoken with the people of Israel to establish a covenant relationship with them. So, this object is called the ark of the testimony and in other places the ark of the covenant.

Exodus 25:17-20 is repeated in Exodus 37:6-9. The Lord continues by telling Moses,

You shall make a mercy seat of pure gold. Two cubits and a half shall be its length, and a cubit and a half its breadth. And you shall make two cherubim of gold; of hammered work shall you make them, on the two ends of the mercy seat. Make one cherub on the one end, and one cherub on the other end. Of one piece with the mercy seat shall you make the cherubim on its two ends. The cherubim shall spread out their wings above, overshadowing the mercy seat with their wings, their faces one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubim be.

In using the English word “mercy seat,” the translators might be getting ahead of themselves. A more literal translation would simply be cover or lid. It is not until Leviticus 16 that we learn that the high priest will sprinkle blood on this part of the ark to atone for the nation’s sins during the annual Day of Atonement. In fact, the Hebrew word for atonement comes from the same root that means to cover. Much more could be said about atonement, but that discussion is best left for other passages. For the moment, we should simply note that atonement is needed when people fail to treasure God’s Word. On the Day of Atonement, the blood of the sacrifice was sprinkled over the commandments that had been violated.

The sculptures of cherubim on the cover harken back to Genesis 3:24. These angelic creatures blocked the way to the presence of God and the tree of life in the garden of Eden. We do not know how they were portrayed on the ark. When the prophet Ezekiel saw them in a vision, he described them as having four wings and four faces resembling a human, a lion, an ox, and an eagle (Ezek 1, 10). Several passages speak of God being enthroned above them (Pss 80:1; 99:1; Isa 37:16).

Here in Exodus 25, these sculptures represent the presence of God, and his commitment to speak to his covenant people. In verses 21-22, the Lord says,

And you shall put the mercy seat on the top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the testimony that I shall give you. There I will meet with you, and from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim that are on the ark of the testimony, I will speak with you about all that I will give you in commandment for the people of Israel.

So, the most important object in the center of the Tabernacle showed that God has spoken and will continue to do so. This was the great blessing of his presence with the people of Israel. Moses later says that this is what sets them apart from other nations (Deut 4:7-8). Psalms 19 and 119 both celebrate the great privilege of having his Word. But the Prophet Jermiah said that to experience all of God’s blessings his people would need something more. In Jeremiah 31:33, he spoke of a new covenant, saying,

For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

To live in God’s presence requires a complete transformation of heart. By the grace of God, those who believe in Christ experience a partial fulfilment of this new covenant through the indwelling Holy Spirit. He works to convict us and lead us away from sin, but we still battle with our old self, our sinful nature. We must treasure the Word of God. In Colossians 3:16, Paul tells us,

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

Jesus is the Word made flesh. When he returns, we will see him and become like him. We will dwell in the presence of God. But until then, we must seek to uphold the same principle shown in the ark of the covenant. Treasure God’s Word.

Seek God’s Fellowship

A table is a common piece of furniture for us. There is no great sense of mystery or excitement about it. It is simple and functional. There are no raiders of the lost table! Yet the Lord instructs Moses to make a table for the Tabernacle that will be treated with almost as much reverence as the ark of the covenant. When we consider this table as part of the pattern, it seems to communicate the principle of seeking God’s fellowship.

Here again we find parallel descriptions in Exodus 25:23-29 and 37:10-16. In verses 23-25 of chapter 25 the Lord begins by saying,

You shall make a table of acacia wood. Two cubits shall be its length, a cubit its breadth, and a cubit and a half its height. You shall overlay it with pure gold and make a molding of gold around it. And you shall make a rim around it a handbreadth wide, and a molding of gold around the rim.

Since a cubit is around 18 inches, as I mentioned previously, then this is not a very big table. It is 3 feet long, 18 inches wide, and 27 inches tall. But it is made of the same materials as the ark, wood covered in gold. It is also to be carried like the ark. In verses 26-28, the Lord says,

And you shall make for it four rings of gold, and fasten the rings to the four corners at its four legs. Close to the frame the rings shall lie, as holders for the poles to carry the table. You shall make the poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with gold, and the table shall be carried with these.

There were probably not many tables among the people of Israel. Being escaped slaves, they probably did not bother to bring furniture, if they even owned any. So, why was this table needed in the Tabernacle? In verses 29-30, the Lord says,

And you shall make its plates and dishes for incense, and its flagons and bowls with which to pour drink offerings; you shall make them of pure gold. And you shall set the bread of the Presence on the table before me regularly.

Leviticus 24:5-9 explains more about this bread. Twelve large loaves were to be arranged in two stacks on this table every Sabbath day. The bread is offered to the Lord but is then eaten by the priests as an expression of Israel’s covenant relationship with him. This ceremonial meal demonstrated the nation’s fellowship with him, but it was not fully realized. Only the priests ate this bread, and they could not sit down at this table to enjoy being in the presence of the Lord.

Exodus 24 tells us that before Moses ascended Mount Sinai, he and the elders of Israel shared a meal part way up the mountain. The nation had just formally accepted the Lord’s covenant. Verse 11 tells us that they beheld God and ate and drank. The table in the Tabernacle recalls this experience.

Elsewhere in the Old Testament we find tables mentioned in relation to kings. Those who ate at a king’s table were under his protection. They enjoyed the privilege of having access to him as part of his household. Perhaps the table in the Tabernacle pointed forward to having this kind of relationship with the Lord.

David spoke of this kind of table fellowship with God. In Psalm 23:5-6, he wrote,

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

As David describes it, the experience of fellowship with God begins now and lasts forever. Isaiah explains how that will happen. He spoke of a great feast associated with the ultimate transformation of the world. In Isaiah 25:6-9, he wrote,

On this mountain the LORD of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine, of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined. And he will swallow up on this mountain the covering that is cast over all peoples, the veil that is spread over all nations. He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the LORD has spoken. It will be said on that day, "Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us. This is the LORD; we have waited for him; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation."

This feast is the hope of all believers, not just priests. We will experience unhindered fellowship with the Lord. The table in the Tabernacle pointed forward to that experience.

As believers in the church age, we have our own anticipatory ceremony in the Lord’s Supper. The bread and wine remind us of Christ’s body and blood and the suffering he experienced to provide the true atonement for our sins. But they also look ahead to the feast we will enjoy as we are reunited with him.

So, we should always seek God’s fellowship. He is the king who will provide and protect. Until we enter his presence, we must walk with him day by day.

Live in God’s Light

One of Vincent van Gogh’s last paintings was of an almond tree in blossom. The trees are somewhat unique in that they blossom early, even before their leaves begin to sprout. So, they give hope of the coming of spring. Perhaps van Gogh had that theme in mind. He made the painting for his brother and sister-in-law at the birth of their son.

But van Gogh lacked hope. At one point in his life, he served as a missionary. But he turned away from the faith to a life of drunkenness and sexual immorality. He faced extreme mental and emotional struggles. Sadly, a few months after he completed his almond blossom painting, he committed suicide.

The image of a blossoming almond tree is part of the design of the third component of the Tabernacle, the lampstand. As a light source for the Tabernacle, it communicates a sense of hope. It shows the principle of living in God’s light.

The description is recorded in Exodus 25:31-39 and in Exodus 37:17-24. In verse 31, the Lord says,

You shall make a lampstand of pure gold. The lampstand shall be made of hammered work: its base, its stem, its cups, its calyxes, and its flowers shall be of one piece with it.

The King James Version calls this a candlestick, but it is an intricate oil lamp. The Hebrew word is menorah. Its design incorporates flowers with their calyx or bud, but somehow the craftsman would need to achieve those shapes without a mold. He would have to hammer it all into shape from one solid piece of gold.

In verse 32 the Lord describes the general shape by saying,

And there shall be six branches going out of its sides, three branches of the lampstand out of one side of it and three branches of the lampstand out of the other side of it;

So, there is a central stem in the middle anchored in some sort of base. Then there are three pairs of branches as you move up the stem. This shape makes seven places for the lamps themselves across the top.

Verses 33-35 describe the placement of the flowers. The Lord says,

three cups made like almond blossoms, each with calyx and flower, on one branch, and three cups made like almond blossoms, each with calyx and flower, on the other branch-so for the six branches going out of the lampstand. And on the lampstand itself there shall be four cups made like almond blossoms, with their calyxes and flowers, and a calyx of one piece with it under each pair of the six branches going out from the lampstand.

So, there were twenty-two blossoms total, and in verses 3640, the Lord says,

Their calyxes and their branches shall be of one piece with it, the whole of it a single piece of hammered work of pure gold. You shall make seven lamps for it. And the lamps shall be set up so as to give light on the space in front of it. Its tongs and their trays shall be of pure gold. It shall be made, with all these utensils, out of a talent of pure gold. And see that you make them after the pattern for them, which is being shown you on the mountain.

The Lord does not specify the dimensions, but he indicates the weight. A talent of gold was probably around 75 pounds. At current prices that much gold would be worth over two million dollars. The artistry invested in the creation of the lampstand would only add to its value.

The priests would keep this exquisite menorah burning constantly whenever the Tabernacle was erected. They would refill the oil, trim the wicks, and replace them when needed. But why was the Lord so specific about this component of the Tabernacle? He emphasizes in verse 40 that it must be made according to the pattern Moses saw in the mountain. How does it fit into his pattern?

The tree design seems to be the key. When Adam and Eve were banished from God’s presence in the garden, they were cut off from the tree of life. When we jump ahead to the end of the story, we find that the tree of life is restored. In Revelation 22:1-2 John says,

Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.

The restoration of the tree results in the elimination of death. Verse 3 says that there will no longer be anything accursed. This radical change even extends to the lighting in that new heaven and earth. Verse 5 says, “And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.”

So, I think that the tree shaped lampstand of the Tabernacle points us to this link between light and life in the presence of God. We do not see his full light yet, but we should strive in the light that he has given. Several psalms speak of this aspiration.Of course, when Jesus came he declared himself to be the light of the world (Jn 8:12), and in several places the apostles call believers to walk in the light.

First John 1:5-7 ties together the ideas of walking in light and seeking fellowship with God. There John writes,

This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.

Where do you look for light, for truth, for hope? It is only found in the Lord. We find true life in his light.

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So, these components of the Tabernacle teach us these principles. The ark shows that we should treasure God’s Word. The table reminds us to seek his fellowship. The lampstand communicates the importance of living in his light.

These principles all point to our need for God. His Word gives us guidance. His fellowship encourages us. His light gives us hope in the darkness. Have you acknowledged your need for God? If not, I encourage you to do so. Seek the Lord and begin to trust him. If you want to learn more about how God meets our true spiritual needs, I encourage you to read Ephesians 2.

If you are a believer, are these principles reflected in your life? Do you need to focus on one of them? Seek to grow in the Lord. Pray for his help. Meditate on some of the key verses we have considered today. Perhaps there is also someone that you could encourage with these principles. Share what you are learning from God’s word.

May we always walk in the presence of God!