Bezalel made the ark of acacia wood—two and a half cubits long, a cubit and a half wide, and a cubit and a half high. (After the Lord gave Moses instructions for building the tabernacle,
the tent of meeting, the place where God's people would come to meet Him,
He delineated the specifications for the ark of the covenant, the seat where He would cause His presence to dwell on earth. Though the ark was unimpressive in size, only about 3 3/4 feet long and 2 1/4 feet wide and high, it was deeply significant in meaning. Not only would it serve as God's throne here on earth, it would serve as the container for the Ten Commandments,
the holy covenant that God had made with His people.
Into the ark would be placed two stone tablets, each one listing the Ten Commandments, one copy for the Lord and one for the people who had agreed to obey the Lord and keep His commandments,
and serving as a reminder to both of their commitment to each other.)
He overlaid it with pure gold, both inside and out, and made a gold molding around it.
(The holy place where the Lord's presence would rest within the tabernacle, the covenant container, would be made of acacia wood to signify the transitory and earthly nature of humanity,
and that God had come to place Himself among His people,
but it would be completely encased and enclosed in pure gold,
a representation of the divine purity and holiness of the God Who has made Himself manifest here on earth and Who surrounds us with His salvation and righteousness.
The pure gold molding is a crown surrounding the top of the ark
to show God's royal sovereignty and that He alone reigns supreme over us. The gold crown molding also shows that God's territory, His boundaries, His battlements, protect us with His redemption and salvation, that they stand firm and crown us with His victory.)
