Wood and Gold

Being made flesh and dwelling among us. He nevertheless was the eternal Son—God and Man in one person. In this ark, or chest, were put the tables of testimony on which the Ten Commandments were written.
The whole was covered by a lid of pure gold, pure gold meaning divine righteousness. Out of the ends of this lid, or mercy seat, were beaten cherubim made to overshadow the mercy seat and to look toward each other and to the mercy seat.
All this clearly sets forth that "grace reigns through righteousness." It foreshadows the precious fact that though man was a sinner, and thus justly exposed to the wrath of God, yet Jesus had glorified God concerning the law. He fulfilled the law as well as bearing its curse by His death on the cross to redeem those who had broken it. Moreover, He magnified the law and made it honorable and could truly say, "Thy law is within My heart." With Him not one jot or tittle of the law failed. He was obedient in all things. His meat and drink were to do the will of Him that sent Him, and to finish His work. This He did perfectly. He could therefore say at the close, "I have glorified Thee on the earth: I have finished the work which Thou gavest Me to do." John 17:4.
The believer who has been under the law is thus redeemed from the curse of the law. Having died to it in Jesus his Substitute, he is brought to know God in Christ as the giver of both grace and glory. Like the apostle, he can now say, "I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God." It is precious to know that Jesus the Son of God, now in the heavens, is the One who has glorified God as to the Law of Moses and is the true mercy seat. Thus we see Jesus. It is now a fact that an incarnate Savior, Law-fulfiller, and Curse-bearer, crucified, risen, ascended and glorified is known in the presence of God. A Man raised from among the dead, and gone into heaven itself by His own blood, is now seen there.