"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. 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. 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. "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. 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.
Exodus 25:10-22
Associated with the Ark and resting upon it was the mercy seat of pure gold (17), with golden cherubim overshadowing it. This harmony of justice (represented by the inflexible demands of the Law) and mercy delineates the mystery and the glory of the everlasting gospel, foreshadowing Him in whom mercy and truth are met together, and righteousness and peace have kissed each other (Psalm 85:10). Significantly, on the Day of Atonement the high priest was to enter the holiest with the blood of the sin offering and sprinkle the mercy seat with it, thus typifying the cost by which that harmony is achieved. The word 'propitiation' in Romans 3:25 ('hilasterion' in the Greek) is the word used in the Greek version of the Old Testament (the LXX) for the mercy seat over the Ark, and means either 'place of atonement' or 'means of atonement'. Thus clearly, then, does the heart of the Tabernacle foreshadow Christ and His atoning work as the only way to God and into fellowship with Him.
The Word, the covenant, the blood - this is the threefold significance of the Ark and of the holiest of all, and only on this basis is fellowship with a holy God possible, and at no less a price than the shedding of blood. In this connection it may be fair to suggest that the golden cherubim (taken by some to typify the redeemed, at one with Christ, and standing on His merits, and by others to symbolise 'the arch-angelic protection of the divine revelations of righteousness demanded, and mercy proffered on terms of worthy sacrifice') represent the wonderment in the minds of heavenly beings at the sight of so great and so merciful a provision for the sinful sons of men. We have apostolic warrant for saying that the angels desire to look into such things! (1 Peter 1:12).