This is used Scripturally as a type of Christ; for the word “mercy-seat,” i.e., the cover of the ark, is only used twice in the New Testament, once in Heb. 9:5 and Rom. 3:25 (trans. “propitiation”) where it is applied to Christ. The shittim wood speaks to us of the humanity, the pure gold of the divinity, the sprinkled blood of the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ; while the contents of the ark—the law, the manna, and the budding rod—tell us of His sinless perfection, His lowly place on earth (John 6), and His priestly place in heaven.