Yes—God opens His tabernacle instructions with the Ark because in salvation everything must begin with God Himself, not with man's approach.
Even though a person entering the tabernacle would first meet the outer court, Scripture starts with the Ark in the innermost place. Les Feldick explains that "everything from God's point of view moves from him out to mankind" (Clip 3). This order also points ahead to the high priest's sprinkling of blood on the mercy seat and Christ entering the heavenly sanctuary with His own blood (Clip 0).
Exodus 25:10 — God's first piece of furniture specified after the sanctuary command is the Ark.
Exodus 25:22 — God locates His meeting place with Moses at the mercy seat above the Ark.
In Exodus 25, God tells Moses to let the children of Israel bring an offering and then says in verse 8, "Let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them." The very first piece of furniture He describes is the Ark of shittim wood overlaid with gold (Exodus 25:10-11), and above it the mercy seat of pure gold (Exodus 25:17). Then God promises, "And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel" (Exodus 25:22). Thus the order of the instructions begins where God Himself would dwell and meet with His people.
Les draws attention to the order in which the tabernacle is revealed. He says the last time he looked at it, "we started as the Scripture did with the Ark of the Covenant, because everything from God's point of view moves from him out to mankind" (Clip 3). He contrasts that with reversing the order and moving from the outer court inward to the Ark. For Les, the Ark is the very indication of the presence of God in Israel's early history (Clip 2). He also sees every detail of the tabernacle as a picture of Christ and His finished work on the cross (Clip 6). The Ark itself was wood covered with gold: the wood speaking of Christ's humanity, the gold of His deity, and the mercy seat above it as pure beaten gold, "strictly the area of the Holy God Himself" (Clips 6-7). Les connects the mercy seat to the high priest's sprinkling of blood, and then to Christ, who as High Priest entered the tabernacle in heaven with His own blood (Clip 0). The same principle is why God must speak first before faith can operate; Les says faith can't operate until God speaks (Clip 4), and salvation is totally the work of God, with faith as the only response (Clip 5).
Les Feldick explains that the instruction begins with the Ark because from God's point of view everything moves from Him out to mankind. When he studies the tabernacle he starts where Scripture starts—at the Ark—and only then reverses the order to trace how a person would enter from the outer court to the inner sanctuary (Clip 3). This order is not a route for man to reach God; it is God's own starting point in salvation.
The Ark was a small box overlaid with gold that contained the tables of the Ten Commandments, a sample of the manna, and Aaron's rod that budded. Above the Ark was the mercy seat, the place of mercy (Clip 1; Clip 7). Les describes the Ark as the indication of the presence of God in early Israel (Clip 2). It was made of acacia wood covered with gold: wood pointing to Christ's humanity and gold to His deity (Clip 6).
Les says every detail in the tabernacle is a picture of Christ and His work of the cross (Clip 3; Clip 6). The Ark especially does so because the mercy seat is where the high priest sprinkled blood once a year; Christ did the same thing by entering the tabernacle in heaven, not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood, to obtain eternal redemption (Clip 0). The mercy seat itself was pure beaten gold because it is "strictly the area of the Holy God Himself" (Clip 7).
The High Priest and Christ
Les shows that when the high priest went into the tabernacle and sprinkled blood on the mercy seat, Christ did the same thing—only He entered the tabernacle in heaven with His own blood.
The Contents of the Ark
Les reminds readers that the Ark was a little gold-overlaid box containing the tables of the Ten Commandments, manna, and Aaron's rod, with the mercy seat as the place of mercy.
The Ark as God's Presence
Les explains that in early Israel the Ark was the very indication of the presence of God, although Israel today is too far from God for that manifested presence.
God's Starting Point
Les states explicitly that Scripture begins with the Ark because everything from God's point of view moves from Him outward to mankind, while the human route moves from the outer court inward.
God Speaks First
Using Noah and Moses as examples, Les teaches that faith cannot operate until God speaks—so God must always make the first move.
Salvation Is God's Work
Les emphasizes that God must perform the miracle of salvation before a person's turnaround, because salvation is God's work and faith plus nothing is the only response.
The Ark Pictures Christ
Les explains that the Ark pictures Christ: wood speaks of His humanity and gold of His deity, and every tabernacle detail points to His finished work on the cross.
The Mercy Seat
Les describes the mercy seat as pure beaten gold, strictly the area of the Holy God Himself, and lists the three items inside the Ark.
Exodus 25:8: And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them.
This is God's stated purpose before He commands the building of the Ark.
Exodus 25:10: And they shall make an ark of shittim 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.
The Ark is the first piece of furniture commanded after God says He will dwell among Israel.
Exodus 25:17: And thou shalt make a mercy seat of pure gold: two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof.
The mercy seat is placed above the Ark and is the place where God's mercy is made known.
Exodus 25:22: And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel.
God locates His meeting place with Moses at the mercy seat above the Ark, showing why His instructions begin there.
Hebrews 9:12: Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.
Les sees the high priest's blood on the mercy seat as fulfilled by Christ entering the heavenly tabernacle with His own blood.
Les Feldick notes that although a person would approach the tabernacle from the outer court, Scripture begins at the Ark because from God's point of view everything moves from Him outward to mankind (Clip 3). The brazen altar is on the manward side of the approach; the Ark is God's own starting point.
The Ark contained the tables of the Ten Commandments, a sample of the manna, and Aaron's rod that budded, with the mercy seat above it as the place of mercy (Clip 1; Clip 7).
Yes. Les says every detail of the tabernacle is a picture of Christ and His finished work on the cross; the Ark itself pictures Christ's humanity and deity, and the mercy seat points to God's holiness (Clip 6; Clip 7).
Watch the Teaching: Why Israel Failed to Enter the Promised Land (Exodus 23 & Deut 1)