Then put in the ark the tablets of the Testimony, which I will give you. The first contents of the ark are the tablets of the Testimony — the written law of the covenant. The tablets go in first because they are the foundational content of the ark: the covenant terms that define the relationship between God and Israel. Deuteronomy 10:5 records Moses placing the tablets in the ark he had made. The Torah — literally teaching or instruction — placed inside the ark that is covered by the mercy seat communicates a profound theology: the law is covered by mercy. The tablets that define what is required are placed beneath the mercy seat that covers what falls short. Romans 3:25 says God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement — the mercy seat over the law is the type of Christ's atoning sacrifice covering human failure to keep the law beneath it.

COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS

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