Charles Spurgeon Commentary Exodus 25:10-11

"And they shall make an ark of acacia wood: two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof. 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." — Exodus 25:10-11 (ASV)

The ark of the covenant was the most sacred object in the tabernacle in the wilderness. It stood at the extreme end of the holy of holies. It was the place over which the bright shining light, called the Shekinah, which was the token of the presence of God, shone forth.

The ark was, doubtless, typical of our Lord Jesus Christ. It was a sacred chest made to contain the law. Blessed are they who know the law in Christ. Out of Christ, the law condemns. In Christ, it becomes a blessed guide to us.

This ark was made of wood, perhaps to typify the human nature of our blessed Lord; but it was of incorruptible wood, acacia, which resists the worm; and truly, in him there was no corruption in life by way of sin, and no corruption sullied him in death when he slept for a while in the grave. Wood is a thing that grows out of the earth, even as Jesus sprang up like a root out of a dry ground.

But the ark must be made of the best kind of wood – incorruptible and untainted. Yet the ark, though made of wood, did not appear to be so, for it was completely overlaid with pure gold, so that everywhere the Deity, or, if you will, the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ could be seen.

The ark was of shittim wood, yet it was an ark of gold; and he, who was truly man, was just as truly God, blessed be his holy name.

Around the top of this ark there was a crown of gold. How glorious is Christ, in his mediation, as covering the law, and preserving it within himself! He is King, glorious in holiness, and honoured in the midst of his people.