KEY SCRIPTURE: Exo 25:11 KJV “And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, within and without shalt thou overlay it, and shalt make upon it a crown of gold round about”.

The Lord instructed Moses to ask those making the Ark to overlay the wood with Gold. Every part was to be covered with Gold. The Ark appeared like a completely golden box. Why did God make it that way? Please know that this was the house of God and nothing carnal must relate to God. I explained that the wood symbolised human flesh. God is a Spirit, and they that worship Him must worship Him in Spirit and in truth John 4:24.The  flesh has infirmities or weaknesses that would make it unacceptable to render any services to God. Now the gold is a symbol of divinity or the Spirit.

The Gold has the following status.

1. Perfect purity or Holiness

2. Glory

3. Spiritual.

4. Sacrificial

We consider each status in turn

1 Perfect purity and Holiness

Pure gold is refined at a temperature of 1064 degrees Celsius. At that temperature, no impure substance would survive. They would all sublime into gases. God is a holy God. Exo 15:11 KJV “Who is like unto thee, O LORD, among the gods? Who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?” God’s throne is identified with Holiness. Nothing impure can and should come near Him. The wood that is the flesh cannot have that level of purity. Wood would burn at a temperature between 280-500 degrees Celsius. It cannot in any way be compared to gold. The spirit cannot sin, but the flesh does. The bible says in Rom 8:10 that our flesh is dead because of sin, and the spirit is life because of righteousness. This means in our dealings and service of the Lord, the flesh should be totally relegated to the background. Like the wood in the Ark, it is perfectly hidden, although it is very present

The wood only carries or is a frame for the gold. It does nothing again. Any work or deed done in the flesh or that seeks the praise of self is totally unacceptable before God. This is the reason God opposes the proud. Pride is the height of the display of the flesh. All strive, wrong competitive spirit, acts that seek the praise of men are all works of the flesh and are unacceptable in the sight of God. God’s expectation of us is holiness unto the Lord, and this implies yielding totally to the Spirit’s influence and dominance. In our role as the living Ark of God, we must consciously or deliberately give no place to the flesh. It is supposed to be fully in the background. This is what would make all the presence of God in us perfectly manifest His power. Remember our Lord Jesus was the first living Ark of God, we must follow His example to manifest that same power of God.

PRAYER

Father, I surrender my flesh to the dominance of the Spirit. I give it no place to control or influence my actions. Let the Spirit continually rule my life to bring glory to your name.

FURTHER STUDIES

Rom 12:1 KJV” I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service”.

Rom 13:14 KJV “But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.”