Bible Study
Exodus 25: Separated From His Presence

There I will meet with you and, from above the mercy seat...upon the ark of the Testimony, I will speak intimately with you...
~Exodus 25:22 (AMP)

Bible study exodus 25 Moses 10 commandments

This Bible study of Exodus 25 is going to take you beyond the veil that once separated man from God.

The symbolism hidden in these Old Testament scriptures are notoriously difficult to understand. It is easy to get lost in the long list of supplies needed for this divine design.

But, throughout this Bible study on Exodus 25, you will venture past the mere measurements and materials used to build the Ark of the Covenant and the Holy Tabernacle.

You will get to the heart of what God was really revealing about His passionate love for you through His timeless quest for communion.

The Ark of the Covenant

AND THE Lord said to Moses, Speak to the Israelites,
that they take for Me an offering.
From every man who gives it willingly and ungrudgingly with his heart
you shall take My offering. -Exodus 25:1,2 (AMP)

This is how we begin our journey through this historical text. God tells Moses to take up a special offering of gold, silver, fine linens, and many other valuable materials to begin the construction of His divine design - The Ark of the Covenant and the Holy Tabernacle.

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Sidebar
For now, we will skip over other implications
of this scripture. Such as the evident wealth God
has in store for His people shown through the
the Israelites being in possession of these
fine things in the first place. We'll also jump past
the answer to the critic's question of whether churches
are evil for spending millions of dollars on creating
a beautiful house of worship. I guess I need to do a
lesson on prosperity too...
End of Sidebar

exodus 25 Bible study cross-page-divider

The Lord only put one stipulation on who should be given the honor of giving. He only wanted valuables from those who truly had a heart to give. It's amazing how God never really changes.

Then, the Lord told Moses:

When the Ark is finished,
place inside it the stone tablets
inscribed with the terms of the covenant,
which I will give to you.-Exodus 25:16 (NLT)

What exactly is a covenant? Well, it is a binding promise between two parties. It is always conditional, which means that if one party does not fulfill their side of the agreement, the other party will no longer fulfill their's.

These "terms of the covenant" that God was speaking of in Exodus 25 were what later became known as the Ten Commandments. Those Ten Commandments were man's part of the Holy promise that God would give to the Israelites.

God wanted Moses to put the terms of their covenant promise into the Ark. This monument was to become a physical representation of their covenant promise with God. This explains why is it referred to as The Ark of The Covenant.

Once the main portion of the Ark was designed, God told Moses to make a cover for it out of pure gold. The cover is what God referred to as the Mercy Seat. It is sometimes translated as the place of atonement (Exodus 25:17).

Knowing that God Himself labeled that sacred part of the ark as the place of mercy and reconciliation reveals so much about His heart towards man. Though we are an imperfect sinful people, even then, God longed to cleanse us of our unrighteousness.

That was the purpose for the covenant and its commandments.

As a source of divine protection for this new covenant, God told Moses to "make two cherubim from hammered gold, and place them on the two ends of the atonement cover. ...... With their wings spread above it, they will protect it" (Exodus 25:18-20 NLT) .

bible study exodus 25 ark of the covenant
Of course, God did not build the Ark of the Covenant just to give mankind angelic protection.

He wanted to give you His Spirit.

Above the Mercy Seat was where He promised to meet Moses to give Him the words of their new covenant.

There I will meet with you and, from above the mercy seat,
from between the two cherubim that are upon the ark of the Testimony, I will speak intimately with you... -Exodus 25:22 (AMP)

God's desire has always been to be with His people in an intimate way. That is why He created Adam. That is why He created the Israelites. And that Is why He created you. To commune with you through His spirit.

The Ark of the Covenant was a part of God's divine design to bring you back into communion with Him. But it was in no way the culmination of His master plan.

The day is coming, says the Lord,
when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and Judah.
This covenant will not be like the one I made with their ancestors
...But this is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel
on that day, says the Lord: I will put my laws in their minds,
and I will write them on their hearts.
I will be their God, and they will be my people.
- Hebrews 8:8-10 (NLT)

Bible Study on Exodus 25:
Separated From His Presence

Reflection Questions

There is an idea floating around today that human beings are inherently good and don't need a Savior. Do you think it has ever been possible for a person to live their entire lives and never need the mercy of God's forgiveness?

Why do you think God only wanted the purest and most valuable materials to build the Ark and the Tabernacle?

Why do you think God decided to write His new covenant in the hearts of men instead of on tablets? Do you believe that He has written His Word in your own heart? Why or why not?

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You now understand that the Ark of the Covenant was created as a place on Earth for the Holy Spirit of God to dwell. But, if His ultimate desire was to commune with His people, then why did God insist that there be a veil to separate them from His holy Ark? Uncover this mystery of the Holy Tabernacle in Lesson 2.