The Ark Of The Covenant Of The LORD
Hebrews 9:4
which had the golden censer and the ark of the covenant
overlaid on all sides with gold, in which were the golden pot that
had the manna, Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tablets of the
covenant;
The Ark of the Covenant of the LORD is believed to be the most
holy relic of the Biblical faith. It was a wooden chest, covered in
pure gold. Its lid was also elaborately designed, residing the mercy
seat (Exodus 25:10-22).
Inside the Ark, there contained the golden pot that had the manna
(Exodus 16:33), Aaron’s rod that budded (Numbers 17:6-11), and the
two stone tablets of the covenant (Exodus 25:16). The two tablets of stone were called the Testimony (Exodus 16:22)
as they were God's witness against sins and evil-doings (Deuteronomy
31:26). The Ark of the Covenant of the LORD was also known as the Ark of
the Testimony.
About one year after the Israelites were delivered from their
slavery in Egypt, this Ark was created. This was not the same as
Noah’s Ark. God designed it, and gave Moses the whole design and how
it should be made. This happened when Moses was with the Lord for 40
days on Mount Sinai. God instructed Moses how to build the Ark while
the Israelites were encamping at the foot of the mountain.
As recorded in Exodus 25, the Ark was made of acacia wood. It was
two and a half cubits (about 131 cm) long, a cubit and a half (about
79 cm) wide, and a cubit and a half (about 79 cm) high. It was to be
overlaid and covered entirely with gold, both inside and outside.
Four rings of gold were placed at its four corners, two on each
side. And through these golden rings, poles made of acacia wood and
overlaid with gold, were inserted. These golden poles were used to
carry the Ark of the Covenant. These poles must remain in the rings
of the Ark. They must not be taken out.
A golden lid, ornamented with two golden cherubim, was placed above
the Ark. It was called the mercy seat. The Ark was then placed
inside the Holy of Holies. Within the veil, there was no other
lights except the Shekinah Glory of the Lord! The menorah was placed
not here but in the Holy Place which was before the Holy of Holies.
If His Holy Presence was not in the Holy of Holies, there would be
thick darkness inside.
God promised to meet, and speak with Moses when he came before the
Ark of the Covenant.
Exodus 25:22
And there I will meet with you, and I will speak with you
from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim
which are on the ark of the Testimony, about everything which I will
give you in commandment to the children of Israel.
During the 40 wandering years in the wilderness, the Ark was
carried by the Israelites on poles as instructed by God. Whenever
the Israelites stopped and camped, the Ark was placed in the Holy of
Holies inside the Tabernacle.
Before entering the Promised Land, Moses was dead. Joshua became the
leader of the Israelites (Joshua 1). Joshua instructed the Levites
to carry the Ark with a safe distance of approximately 2,000 cubits
(about 800 metres) ahead of the people as they arrived at the banks
of River Jordan (Joshua 3).
They entered the river even though the waters were rising. River
Jordan overflowed all its banks during the whole time of harvest.
But during the crossing, the river became dry as soon as the feet of
the priests carrying the Ark touched its waters.
The river remained so until the priests who were carrying the Ark
left the river, and after all the people had passed over. As a
memorial of remembrance, twelve stones were taken from the Jordan.
They were placed where the feet of the priests who had stood,
bearing the Ark of the Covenant. These 12 stones are still there to
this day (Joshua 4:9).
During the war at Jericho, the Ark was carried around the city
once a day for six days. It was preceded by armed men and seven
priests sounding seven trumpets of rams' horns (Joshua 6). On the
seventh day, the seven priests sounding the seven trumpets of rams'
horns before the Ark marched around the city seven times. After
which, the Israelites gave a great shout, and the wall of Jericho
collapsed. And
the city was taken by the Israelites.
But after the victory of Jericho, the Israelites were defeated at Ai
because of the sin of Achan (Joshua 7). Joshua then came to the
Lord, and lamented before the Ark. The Lord then told him what went
wrong, and what to do next.
In Joshua 8:33-35, all Israel, both the people and the foreigners,
were gathered with their elders, officers, and judges. They stood on
either side of the Ark of the Covenant facing the Levitical priests
who carried it. Half of them were in front of Mount Gerizim and half
in front of Mount Ebal, as Moses had commanded earlier concerning
how to bless the people of Israel. And Joshua read all the words of
the Law, the blessings and the curses, according to all that was
written in the Book of the Law. There was not a word of all that
Moses had commanded which Joshua did not read before all the
assembly of Israel, with the women, the little ones, and the
strangers who were living among them.
In Judges 20:26-28, the children of Israel went to the house of the
Lord in Bethel to inquire whether to battle against the children of
the tribe of Benjamin. Phinehas, the grandson of Aaron, stood before
the Ark in those days.
Later, the Ark was kept at Shiloh where Eli was the priest (1 Samuel
3:3). It was the time of the apprenticeship of the prophet Samuel.
But the Ark was taken out of the house of God by the two evil sons
of Eli to battle against the Philistines. Thinking presumptuously
that they would easily defeat their enemies, they were killed among
the 30,000 dead Israelites that day (1 Samuel 4).
The Ark was captured by the Philistines. The news of its capture
reached Shiloh, and Eli the priest fell dead when he heard the bad
news. His daughter-in-law gave birth to a son at the same time of
the news. She named the baby boy Ichabod, which meant "the glory has
departed Israel" with reference to the loss of the Ark. And
Ichabod's mother died at his birth.
In 1 Samuel 5, the Philistines took the Ark of God, and brought it
from Ebenezer to Ashdod. At Ashdod, the Ark was placed in the temple
of Dagon. The people of Ashdod rose early the next morning. They
found that Dagon had fallen on his face on the ground. He was lying
before the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord.
But the people of Ashdod put Dagon back in his place. The next
morning the people of Ashdod rose from sleep. And again, they found
Dagon on the ground! He had fallen down before the Ark of the
Covenant of the Lord. His head and hands had broken off, and were
lying in the doorway. Only his body was still in one piece. So, even
today, Dagon’s priests and others who enter his temple at Ashdod
refuse to step on the doorsill.
The people of Ashdod, both small and great, were then smitten with
tumors. A plague broke out over the land. The Philistines then took
the Ark to several places in their country. But at each place,
misfortune befell them when the Ark was taken and placed there for a
season. The affliction of tumors was also upon the people of Gath,
and then the people of Ekron.
After seven months (1 Samuel 6), the Philistines decided to return
the Ark back to Israel, on the advice of their priests and diviners.
They returned it to the Israelites, with a trespass offering
consisting of five golden tumors and five golden rats that were
images of the plagues and afflictions.
The Ark arrived back to Israel. It was placed at Beth Shemesh in the
field of a man named Joshua. As the Levites were offering sacrifices
and burnt offerings, the men of Beth Shemesh gazed at the Ark.
Because of their lack of reverence for the Lord, fifty thousand and seventy men were
struck dead.
Because of the great slaughter, the men of Beth Shemesh knew that
they were unable to manage and handle the Ark. They sent messengers
to the inhabitants of Kirjath Jearim to ask them to come down and
take the Ark with them.
Then the men of Kirjath Jearim came, and took the Ark of the Lord.
They brought it into the house of Abinadab living on the hill, and
consecrated Eleazar his son to keep the Ark of the Lord. So, the Ark
remained in Kirjath Jearim for a long time. It was there twenty
years.
When Saul became the first king of Israel, he went to battle against
the enemies. But he did not consult the Ark of the Lord (1
Chronicles 13:3). The Ark was properly stored, and probably
forgotten by the people of God as the years went by.
But when David became the king of Israel, he desired to bring the
Ark into Jerusalem. At the beginning of his reign (2 Samuel 6), King
David went to take the Ark from Kirjath Jearim. On the way up
to Zion, the Ark was carried by oxen on a cart. But the oxen
stumbled.
Uzzah, one of the drivers of the cart, put out his hand to steady
the Ark. He was struck dead by God for touching it. The place was
subsequently named "Perez Uzzah", which meant outburst against
Uzzah. As a result, King David, took the Ark aside into the house of
Obed-Edom the Gittite, instead of carrying it back to Zion. And the
Ark stayed there for three months.
On hearing that God had blessed Obed-Edom because of the presence of
the Ark in his house, David had the Ark brought to Zion. This time,
he did it the way that the Lord had instructed. While the Levites
were carrying the Ark, David girded himself only with a linen ephod,
and danced before the Lord with all his might in the sight of all
the public gathered in Jerusalem. However, the dance of David was
scornfully rebuked by his first wife, Saul's daughter Michal. As a
result of her scorning, Michal had no children to the day of her
death.
In Zion, David placed the Ark inside a tent he had prepared for it.
There, the king offered sacrifices, distributed food, and blessed
the people including his own household. David used the tent as a
place of prayer and worship. The Levites were appointed to minister
and worship before the Ark.
David desired to build a temple to house the Ark. But his plan was
stopped on the advice of the prophet Nathan. The Ark remained to
dwell in the tent (2 Samuel 11:11).
When David was fleeing from Jerusalem at the time of Absalom's
conspiracy, the Ark was carried along with him until he ordered
Zadok the priest to return it back to Jerusalem (2 Samuel 15:24–29).
When King Solomon began to reign, he dismissed Abiathar from the
priesthood for having taken part in Adonijah's conspiracy against
David. The life of Abiathar was spared because he had formerly borne
the Ark (1 Kings 2:26).
After his dream in which God promised him wisdom, King Solomon
awoke. He came to Jerusalem and stood before the Ark of the Covenant
of the Lord. There Solomon worshipped the Lord before the Ark as he
offered up burnt offerings and peace offerings. He also made a feast
for all his servants (1 Kings 3:15).
When the Temple was built, the Ark of the Covenant was placed inside
the Holy of Holies (1 Kings 6:19). But nothing was inside the Ark
except the two tablets of stone which Moses put there at Horeb (1
Kings 8:9). The golden pot containing the manna, and the rod of
Aaron that budded were missing. There was no Biblical account of how
they got lost. Probably during the time when the Ark was captured by
the Philistines.
Nevertheless, even though precious items were missing inside the
Ark, during the dedication of the Temple (1 Kings 8:10-11),
when the priests came out of the holy place, a cloud filled the
house of the Lord. The priests could not continue ministering
because of the cloud as the glory of the Lord filled the house of
the Lord.
When Solomon married the daughter of Pharaoh, he caused her to dwell
in a house outside Zion, as Zion was consecrated because it
contained the Ark (2 Chronicles 8:11).
King Hezekiah prayed before the LORD, “O LORD God of Israel, the One
who dwells between the cherubim, You are God, You alone, of all the
kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth.” (2 Kings
19:15).
After the death of Hezekiah, his son Manasseh became king. And he
reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem. He did evil in the sight of
the Lord. He rebuilt the high places which Hezekiah his father had
destroyed, raising up altars for Baal, even in the house of the
Lord. He also made his own son pass through the fire, practiced
soothsaying, used witchcraft, and consulted spiritists and mediums.
He did much evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke Him to anger.
He even set a carved image of Asherah and placed it in the house of
God (2 Kings 21). Somehow, the Ark became less important and
prominent in the house of
God!
During the reign of King Josiah (2 Chronicles 34), he began to purge
Judah and Jerusalem of the high places, the wooden images, the
carved images, and the molded images. In his presence, the altars of
the Baals were broken down. The incense altars which were above them
were cut down. The wooden, carved and molded images were broken into
pieces, and their dust were scattered on the graves of those who had
sacrificed to them. He also burned the bones of the idolatrous
priests on their altars. When the Temple was cleansed, the Ark again
was restored to its original and rightful place (2 Chronicles 35:3).
In 587 BC, the Babylonians conquered Jerusalem, and the First Temple
was destroyed! There is no record of what has become of the Ark or
its whereabouts. The Ark might be carried to Babylon, along with the
treasures and sacred items in the king’s palace and the holy temple.
Or it might still be stored away somewhere in Jerusalem, hidden in a
secret and safe place by a
priest or Levite before the siege took place! Nobody knows. When the
Second Temple was built, the Ark of the Covenant was not inside.
After more than 2,500 years, the Ark is still not yet found. But one
thing for sure, the Presence of the Lord cannot be boxed! He is
omnipresent! His power and presence are not limited to the Ark!
Haggai 2:9
‘The glory of this latter temple shall be greater than the
former,’ says the LORD of hosts. ‘And in this place I will
give peace,’ says the LORD of hosts.”
The glory of the Lord is not a vainglory, taking excessive pride
in worldly achievements and outstanding accomplishments. It is therefore not in modern, cutting-edge designed and
gigantic buildings, impressive structures or well-equipped auditoriums. It is not in loud music, special effects,
dazzling lightings and expensive sound systems. It is not in
persuasive or seductive words, inspiring us to become someone great
or aspiring us to be someone else. In the Holy of Holies, only the
Shekinah Glory of the Lord shines in the darkness. Assuming there
are no soothing moods and ambiences, no soaking music, no worship
songs, no lighting and sound effects, no famous preachers, no
well-known teachers and no awesome worship leaders, will we be
able to come before the presence of the Lord? Nothing and nobody else
except the Lord Himself.
The Ark of the Lord may be lost, but the presence of the Lord
continues to dwell inside our hearts!
1 Corinthians 3:16
Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the
Spirit of God dwells in you?
Without the Holy Presence of the Lord dwelling in us, we will be
living in gross darkness! But as we enthrone Him daily in our hearts, He will shine through us.
Matthew 5:16
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see
your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
Truly, the glory of the Lord still shines when others
see the glorious Christ living in us!
Source:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ark_of_the_Covenant
Written on 2 November 2022