WE are told, in the epistle to the Hebrews, that " the law had a shadow of good things to come; " and so we find that, in all the rites and ceremonies of the Jewish economy, the blessed doctrines of grace were clearly shadowed forth; every pin, every cord, every vessel and every sacrifice, showed some one or other of the great principles unfolded in the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.
But of all the furniture of the tabernacle, or temple, the ark of the covenant holds the most prominent place. This we might gather from an expression used by Solomon at the dedication of the temple, when he says: “I have built the house for the name of the Lord God of Israel, and in it I have put the ark."
(2 Chron. 2:66But who is able to build him an house, seeing the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain him? who am I then, that I should build him an house, save only to burn sacrifice before him? (2 Chronicles 2:6).) Here we observe that, to the mind of Solomon, the ark was the all-absorbing subject: he seems, as it were, to lose sight for a moment of all beside, and only to have his thoughts engaged with “the ark of the covenant." In order, however, to have a full and expansive view of this subject, it will be necessary to inquire what it was that called it into existence at the first, and what place it occupied in the then existing state of things. In Exodus 19., we are presented with a deeply interesting point in Israel's eventful history. Up to the moment at which they stood, as here presented before Mount Sinai, their way had been marked by the actings of sovereign grace alone, and the Lord tells them so, as we read: “Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles' wings, and brought you unto myself." (Verse 4.) Here was grace. It was grace that had led the great "I Am" down from heaven to open His ear to the groans, and to behold the tears of His harassed people. It was their bad condition indeed that rendered them the suitable objects for the display of grace. “I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows." (Exod. 3:77And the Lord said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows; (Exodus 3:7).) "I passed by thee, and saw thee polluted in thy blood, and I said unto thee, Live; yea, I said unto thee when Thou wast in thy blood, Live." (Ezek. 16:66And when I passed by thee, and saw thee polluted in thine own blood, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live; yea, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live. (Ezekiel 16:6).) "The Lord did not set His love upon nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; but because the Lord loved you, and because He would keep the oath which He had sworn unto your fathers." (Deut. 7:7, 87The Lord did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people: 8But because the Lord loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers, hath the Lord brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondmen, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. (Deuteronomy 7:7‑8).) Moreover, it was grace that had led them through the Red sea, and guided them by the pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire, and had showered down bread from heaven and given them water out of the flinty rock. All these things had grace achieved in their behalf, and it would have achieved much more, yea, it would have brought them onward, even then, and planted them in the mountain of God's inheritance.
But, alas! man, as such, has never shown himself willing to give all the glory to God, and to say: " Not unto us." The flesh never can be the subject of grace. Vain man would ever have somewhat to do, and imagines that the operations of his polluted hands or mind could ever be acceptable to God. Thus we find, in the chapter before us, Israel giving utterance to the following words: ".All that the Lord hath spoken will we do." This was bold and singular language, specially so when viewed in connection with the gracious words which they had just heard. Now, nothing can be more marked than the change that, takes place in the whole aspect of things the moment the above sorrowful words drop from the lips of Israel; nor can we marvel at the change, for how could it be otherwise? Surely, when man takes his eyes off the grace of God to fix them upon his own miserable doings, the change must be a sad one, and most sad in its results, as appears in the case before us; for we find God, who a moment before had said, " I have brought you unto myself," now saying, " Set bounds about the mount, lest the people break through." God can bring the sinner absolutely "unto Himself," provided it be in the power of grace; but only let the sinner say a word about what "he will do," and he must at once take the place of distance, for " no flesh shall glory in His presence" no one shall appear before God who is not prepared to join in heaven's eternal cry, "Not unto us."
Alas! poor sinner, dolt thou over hope to scale the lofty heights of the dwelling place of God, and thus, by virtue of thine own doings, to obtain a footing forever in His presence? or, if such could be, wouldst thou be happy in the presence of one who only "inhabits the praises of His people? " Surely not. If anyone could work his way up to God by virtue of his own works, it would surely be very far from his thoughts to sing the praises of redeeming grace: how could he praise what he never knew and never felt his need of? The sinner, then, we find, is put at a distance from God, in order that he may perform his "singular vow." Man had said, " All that the Lord hath spoken he will do;" this was plain and uncompromising; no reservation, no doubt, no idea of contingency, but clearly and explicitly, "he will do all;" and God will, therefore, take man at his word, in order that he may eat of the fruit of his own doings. The law is, therefore, issued with thunderings provided it be in the power darkness, and all the attendant horrors of a covenant of works. The Lord gives forth all that He has to speak to them, and, having done so, He adds the terrific words: “Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things that are written in the book of the law to do them." This was likewise so plain, that the Lord Jesus had only to ask a sinner in His day: “How readiest thou?” We find here no provision for imperfect obedience, however sincere. This is of the utmost importance to bear in mind. There is no such provision in the law at all. It does not say, Cursed is everyone who does not try to do some of the things that are written in this book. No: law is law, and law and grace cannot be confounded, being totally distinct one from the other; and if any one maintains that a sinner can be justified by the works of the law, then be it so; the word is: " Cursed art thou, if thou continue not in all things," &c. And again: "The man that doeth them shall live in them." But why should a sinner stand at the foot of Sinai, and speak of mercy and forgiveness? How could mercy and forgiveness come, forth in connection with thunder and lightnings, blackness and darkness? Impossible! The law breathes not a syllable about mercy. Sinai is not the place for mercy at all. "Do this and live," is all the Lord had to say when standing upon the burning mount. But how has man responded to this covenant of his own choosing? Has he kept it? Nay, instead of continuing in all things written therein, he could not even begin to do one of them, for before ever that code of laws had been issued, at the head of which stood the memorable words " Thou shalt have none other gods before me," the people had made a calf and worshipped it. Thus, as far as man was concerned, all was gone—the law broken and dishonored —the tables of testimony shattered to atoms—nor was it possible that man could gather up the fragments of these tables and put them together again. No; such could not be done. Man had broken the law, and, therefore, according to the terms of that law, nothing awaited him but the everlasting curse of God. In chapter 24., we have Israel (as it were) representatively brought up before God, in the persons of the seventy elders, in order to their receiving the law at the hands of Jehovah, and they twice pledge themselves to do " all the words which the Lord had spoken; " but, as before observed, ere they beheld the tables of testimony, they had committed idolatry.” And it came to pass, as soon as he (Moses) came nigh unto the camp, that he saw the calf and the dancing, and Moses' anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his hands and brake them beneath the mount." (32:19.)
Such, then, was the state of the question between God and man, and it now remained for God to execute condign punishment, or to devise the means whereby He could be just and yet the justifier of him that believed' in Jesus. The latter was the course which the God of all grace and mercy adopted. Now, at such a crisis, three things were to be provided for. 1. The law should be magnified and made honorable; in other words, God must be glorified and the mouth of the enemy stopped. (Ps. 8.) 2. The sinner's blessing and interest must be secured. 3. Boasting must be excluded. In the “ark of the covenant," as we shall find, all these things were fully provided for. First, as to the magnifying of the law, it is manifest that man had proved himself utterly incompetent to magnify the law of God, for it condemned not only his works, but himself; it pronounced the curse of God upon man's nature, and consequently any expedient for magnifying the law must proceed from God Himself He alone could design, develop, and bring to maturity any such expedient; therefore, we read in chap. 34.: " Hew thee two tables of stone like unto the first, and I will write on these tables the words which were in the first tables which thou brakest." (Verse 1.) The eye of man never rested on these tables. They were laid up in the ark, where they might be preserved unbroken, and thus was God fully glorified. He did not call upon man to patch up the broken fragments of the tables, i.e. to work out an imperfect righteousness, for such would never have availed to “still the enemy and the avenger." Man, in his ignorance of God's righteousness, might go about to establish his own righteousness, but it would be in vain. God, knowing this, made provision for the magnifying of His own law, in such a way that the enemy could not advance a single objection.
The law was preserved unbroken in the ark, and here we see how marked a type it was of Him who "magnified the law and made it honourable," The spotless life of the Lord Jesus was, from first to last, a vindication of the law of God. In all He said and did, He put honor on the divine statutes; He showed indeed that “man must not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." He could say: "Lo, I come to do thy will, O God; yea, thy law is within my heart." Now, when the sinner sees the law thus vindicated, he is prepared to receive much comfort from that which covered in the ark, namely, “the mercy-seat." In chap. 25., we find these two points closely connected; for the Lord no sooner says, " thou shalt put into the ark the testimony that I shall give thee," than he adds, "and thou shalt make a mercy-seat of pure gold." (Verses 19, 20.) Here the sinner's interest was fully secured. There was no need now to approach with fear and terror, lest the thunders of Sinai should break forth; for the Lord had said: “And then will I meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy-seat." (Verse 22.) The mercy-seat then covered in the ministration of condemnation. True, man had broken the law of God, and, as a consequence, stood exposed to the righteous judgment of God, but in the cover of the ark we see mercy rejoicing against judgment. Here was the wondrous wisdom of God, which could devise a plan whereby the poor sinner could draw near, and, instead of hearing from the lips of God the thunders and judgments of a broken law, to hear the still small voice of love speaking to him from above the mercy-seat. Thus we have, in the ark and the cover thereof, a full explanation of God's mysterious statement as to His own character, when He calls Himself "The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity, transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty." (Exod. 34:6, 76And the Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, 7Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth generation. (Exodus 34:6‑7).) What a marvelous statement, “forgiving," and yet "will by no means clear!" “He will by no means clear," for the law must be preserved unbroken as in the ark; He will forgive, for the mercy-seat, while it covers in the law, speaks peace to every conscience-smitten sinner. All this was but a type of Jesus, upon whose spotless soul all the fire of God's judgment fell, and who poured out His most precious blood, in order that the vilest sinner who walks this earth might find present peace and pardon for all his sin in the presence of God, and hear from the mouth of Him who alone had power or claim to cast the first stone: " Neither do I condemn thee; go in peace."
If all this be true, what shall we say to those who, after the God of all grace had covered up the ministration of death, written and engravers on stones, with a mercy-seat, would endeavor to tear off that cover, and thunder forth again, in the ears of those whom grace has pardoned, the curses of the fiery mount, instead of the blessings of Mount Sion? What! does the blessed God invite a sinner nigh, as it were, to a mercy-seat, and, when he has come, does He strip off that mercy-seat, and allow him to see the fragments of a broken law rising up in judgment against him? Nay; blessed be God! it is not so. When God begins to act in grace, He counts the cost beforehand, and never grows weary afterwards. He begins, continues and ends, in free sovereign grace, and He will have all the glory. But we are told that “the law is good." So it is; like every thing that ever came from the hand of God, it was "very good." So were all the ordinances and ceremonies of the Jewish economy, and yet God "found fault with them; " and " so the law is good, if a man use it lawfully;" but it is not using it lawfully to terrify a poor sinner with it, and keep him at a distance from God; for the bound was only to be put " around the mount," and not about " the mercy-seat," which was the place of nearness and communion. Neither is it “using it lawfully “to hinder and bow down the heart of a reconciled worshipper, whom God would have walking in all the liberty of a child, crying "Abba, Father." What, then, is it that constitutes a lawful use of the law? The apostle goes on to tell us that it is, “Knowing this, that the law is not made for the righteous man." Now, we know that there are none righteous, save those to whom God imputes righteousness without works; consequently, we infer that the law was not made for such, but for “the ungodly," &c. Yea, the apostle left Timothy at Ephesus for the very purpose of preventing false teachers teaching the law. May we know the joy and comfort of being called away from Mount Sinai, with all its blackness, and darkness, and tempest, to meet our God, where the law is magnified in " the ark " and grace preached in the " mercy-seat!"
Little needs to be said, in conclusion, as to the fact of boasting being excluded by the law of faith. Surely, the striking expression with which the issuing of the second set of tables was connected, would fully show out all this. "And no man shall come up with thee, neither shall any man be seen throughout all the mount." (Exod. 34:33And no man shall come up with thee, neither let any man be seen throughout all the mount; neither let the flocks nor herds feed before that mount. (Exodus 34:3).) Man had nothing to do with either "the ark" or "the mercy-seat." If man desired to survey the operations of his hands, he had only to cast his eyes upon the broken fragments of the tables beneath the mount; but whenever he looked at “the ark" and the " mercy-seat," he saw the blessed and glorious results of God's eternal grace. His language at all times should therefore be, "Not unto us."