出二五10~11　　他们要用皂荚木作一个柜，…你要把柜里外包上纯金…。

　　罗三25　　神摆出基督耶稣作平息处，是凭着祂的血，借着人的信，为要…显示祂的义。

　　约柜不是用金作的，乃是用皂荚木作的；皂荚木表征基督的人性，品质坚刚，标准崇高。基督的人性乃是祂作神见证的基本元素、基本实质。基督在祂的人性里成为神见证的具体表现。

　　皂荚木里外都包金，表征神圣的性情与属人的性情调和—神与人成为一。这也表征神圣的性情渗进属人的性情里，并托在属人的性情上，好借着属人的性情得着彰显。如果只有约柜的外面包金，这只是表征联合，而不是调和。调和乃是由皂荚木里外都包金所表征。皂荚木在双层金的中间，这就是调和。（出埃及记生命读经，一一四五、一一四八页。）

　　Exo. 25:10-11 And they shall make an ark of acacia wood… And you shall overlay it with pure gold; inside and outside you shall overlay it…

　　Rom. 3:25 Whom God set forth as a propitiation place through faith in His blood, for the demonstrating of His righteousness…

　　The Ark was not made of gold. It was made of acacia wood, which signifies Christ’s humanity, strong in character and high in standard. Christ’s humanity is the basic element, the basic substance, for Him to be God’s testimony. Christ became the embodiment of God’s testimony in His humanity.

　　The acacia wood was overlaid with gold both inside and outside. This signifies the divine nature mingled with the human nature—God and man becoming one. This also signifies that the divine nature penetrates the human nature and also rests on the human nature so that it may be expressed through the human nature. If only the outside of the Ark had been overlaid with gold, this would have signified joining instead of mingling. Mingling is signified by the fact that the acacia wood was overlaid with gold both inside and outside. The acacia wood was between two layers of gold. This is mingling. (Life-study of Exodus, pp. 988, 990)

　　出埃及二十五章十七节说，“要用纯金作遮罪盖…。”这个遮罪盖〔平息盖〕乃是约柜的盖。…主耶稣为我们的罪成就了平息，满足了神对我们公义的要求，使我们与神和好。〔来二17。〕…主耶稣〔也〕为我们的罪作了平息的祭物。〔约壹二2，四10。〕基督不仅履行了神的要求并平息了神，使我们与神和好，祂也就是平息的祭物。…在罗马三章二十五节保罗说，基督是我们的平息处；…这意思是说，基督…就是神能遇见我们—祂的赎民，并对我们说话的地方。因此，基督乃是平息者，祂是平息的祭物，祂也是遮罪盖，就是神与祂赎民相会的地方。

　　出埃及二十五章十八节说，“要用金子锤出两个基路伯，安在遮罪盖的两端。”基路伯表征神的荣耀。（结十18，来九5。）…遮罪盖上的基路伯指明基督彰显神的荣耀，就是神的荣耀从祂照耀出来。基路伯在遮罪盖上，而遮罪盖就是基督；这意思是说，神的荣耀从基督照耀出来，并照耀在基督身上。

　　在祭坛上为着遮罪所流的血，被带入至圣所，弹在约柜的盖上，就是遮罪盖上面。…金盖弹上血就成了红色。因着血弹在遮罪盖上，罪人就能与公义的神有交通，…因着救赎的血，今天我们能在基督的荣耀里，与公义的神有交通。

　　事实上，约柜的盖不是怜悯座，乃是遮罪盖—带着基督神性的照耀，以及基督人性的救赎，作为我们能与公义、圣别、荣耀的神相会并说话的地方。这个地方就是耶稣基督自己，祂是神也是人。基督在祂的人性里流出血来救赎我们，并且在祂的神性里因着神的荣耀而照耀。今天祂对我们乃是救赎并照耀的基督，是公义、圣别、荣耀的神能与堕落的罪人相会的地方。

　　遮罪盖也与见证有关。神越与我们相会，越与我们说话，并且我们越与神相会，越听祂说话，在我们的经历中就越有神的见证。见证柜的功用在于遮罪盖；…因着约柜上的遮罪盖，约柜就成为我们的享受和神的见证。（出埃及记生命读经，一一六六至一一六七、一一六九至一一七○、一一七五、一一七七至一一七八页。）

　　参读：出埃及记生命读经，第八十六至八十九篇。

　　Exodus 25:17 says, “And you shall make an expiation cover of pure gold….” This expiation [propitiatory] cover was the lid of the Ark…. The Lord Jesus made propitiation for our sins to reconcile us to God by satisfying God’s righteous demands on us [Heb. 2:17]…. The Lord Jesus is [also] the propitiatory sacrifice for our sins [1 John 2:2; 4:10]. Christ is not only the One who reconciles us to God by fulfilling God’s requirements and appeasing Him, but He is also the propitiatory sacrifice…. In Romans 3:25 Paul says that Christ is our propitiation place…. This means that…Christ is also the very place where God is able to meet with us, His redeemed people, and talk to us. Therefore, Christ is the One who propitiates, He is the propitiatory sacrifice, and He is the propitiatory cover, the place where God and His redeemed people meet together.

　　Exodus 25:18 says, “And you shall make two cherubim of gold; of beaten work you shall make them, at the two ends of the expiation cover.” The cherubim signify God’s glory (Ezek. 10:18; Heb. 9:5)…. The cherubim on the expiation cover indicate that Christ expresses God’s glory, that God’s glory shines out from Him. The cherubim were on the cover, and the cover is Christ. This means that the glory of God shines out of Christ and upon Christ.

　　The blood shed on the altar for atonement was brought into the Holy of Holies and sprinkled on the lid of the Ark, the expiation cover…. Through the sprinkling of the blood, the golden lid became red in color. Because of the blood sprinkled on the expiation cover, sinners could have fellowship with the righteous God…. Because of the blood of redemption, we today can have fellowship with the righteous God in the glory of Christ.

　　Actually, the lid of the Ark is not a mercy seat; it is a propitiatory cover with the shining of Christ’s divinity and the redeeming of Christ’s humanity as the place where we can meet and speak with our righteous, holy, and glorious God. This place is Jesus Christ Himself, the One who is both God and man. In His humanity Christ shed His blood to redeem us, and in His divinity He shines with God’s glory. Today He is for us the redeeming and shining Christ as the place where the righteous, holy, and glorious God can meet with fallen sinners.

　　The propitiatory cover is also related to the testimony. The more God meets with us and speaks with us, and the more we meet with God and listen to His speaking, the more of the testimony of God there will be in our experience. The function of the Ark of Testimony depends on the cover. …Because of the cover on the Ark, the Ark becomes our enjoyment and God’s testimony. (Life-study of Exodus, pp. 1007-1008, 1010, 1014-1017)

　　Further Reading: Life-study of Exodus, msgs. 86-89