In our examination of the Tabernacle, as described in Hebrews 9, we now come to the heart of the Tabernacle – the Holy of Holies or the Holiest of All. This area was hidden away from inquisitive eyes. First there was the outer fence, next the thick, four layered coverings of the tabernacle itself and then the curtain that divided the holy of holies from the holy place so that even the priests could not see what was inside this most secret place. (We’ll come back to this curtain or veil later as this chapter and the next have lots to say about its significance.)
The Ark of the Covenant
If you had entered this most holy place, and had not died as a result, what would you have seen? Outshining all the other wonders was the Ark of the Covenant, the most glorious and mysterious item in the tabernacle. It was the first thing God told Moses to make (Ex 25:10, 11), indeed the whole sanctuary was designed around the Ark. The Ark was the symbol that God Himself was present among His people and that His blessing was upon them.
Heb 9:4 the Ark of the Covenant overlaid on all sides with gold
Ex. 25:10 “Have the people make an Ark of acacia wood––a sacred chest 45 inches long, 27 inches wide, and 27 inches high. 11 Overlay it inside and outside with pure gold, and run a moulding of gold all around it. 12 Cast four gold rings and attach them to its four feet, two rings on each side. 13 Make poles from acacia wood, and overlay them with gold. 14 Insert the poles into the rings at the sides of the Ark to carry it. 15 These carrying poles must stay inside the rings; never remove them. [NLT]
The Ark was basically a simple wooden chest, or box which was completely covered with gold. As far as we know it wasn’t elaborately decorated like some of the other items, eg the lamp-stand. A golden moulding ran around the top and it had rings and poles in its sides so that it could be carried as they journeyed to the Promised Land. It had a golden lid, called the mercy-seat or, more accurately, the atonement cover.
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 Ex 25:22
As we have seen previously the Tabernacle and its contents were all designed to illustrate Christ and God’s dealings with us, through His beloved Son. The Ark provides an outstanding illustration of the incarnate Son of God. The wood of which it was made, as we have seen, reminds us of His sinless humanity. Shittim wood had a reputation that it never rotted and the Septuagint translation of the O. T. translates it incorruptible wood. The gold overlay reminds us of Christ’s Divine glory.
The use of these two materials illustrates the union of the two natures in Christ, the God-man, that we are reminded of in the Christmas story – But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law Gal 4:4. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14 without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh 1Tim 3:16.
The history of the Ark
The Ark survived the journey through the wilderness, the battles of Joshua’s time and the dark years of the Judges, when it was treated as a magic talisman to bring victory and was even captured by the Philistines. (1 Sam 4) At the dedication of the temple it was placed in the Holy of Holies by Solomon, where it remained for many years. (1 Kings 8)
The subsequent history of the Ark has resulted in much speculation. St. Mary’s of Zion church in Axum, Ethiopia, is claimed to be the resting place of the Ark, but as the only person allowed to see it is the ‘Guardian of the Ark’ it is hard to say.
My favourite story is that the Ark is hidden beneath Jerusalem, in a tunnel beneath Calvary, the site of the Crucifixion. According to this story, the earthquake that followed Christ’s death (Mt 27:50-54) split the rocks, forming a crack that connected the site of the crucifixion and the chamber containing the Ark of the Covenant. Christ’s blood then dripped 60 feet down this crack falling onto the mercy seat of the hidden Ark –just like that of the animal sacrifices hundreds of years earlier. Is it true? I doubt it, the discoverer is dismissed by the authorities and experts as a fraud. (You can read it for yourself at www.wyattmuseum.com.) Of course, if it had been discovered and reported to the authorities, as claimed, then they would have certainly have suppressed the discovery as it would lead to dramatically increased tensions between Islam and Israel as the old temple site is now occupied by the Dome of the Rock.
These stories may make exciting films like Indiana Jones – Raiders of the Lost Ark, but it is probable that it was either destroyed when the city of Jerusalem was taken by Nebuchadnezzar, or that it was carried with other spoils to Babylon. Whatever happened to it, it was not in the temple built by Herod that Jesus worshipped in. The author of the book of Hebrews would certainly never have seen it and his references are based on what he read in the OT Scriptures.
In any event what matters is not the physical Ark, but what it represents – the Lord Jesus Christ, truly God and truly man. We must understand that His sacrifice alone can deal with our sin and bring us to a place of atonement and mercy. Have you come to that place?
Inside the Ark
The Ark was designed to contain the tablets of the law – the 10 commandments
When the Ark is finished, place inside it the stone tablets inscribed with the terms of the covenant, which I will give to you. … 21 Place inside the Ark the stone tablets inscribed with the terms of the covenant, which I will give to you. Ex. 25: 16
In 1 Kings 8:9 we are told that there was nothing in the Ark except these two tablets of stone, but v4 tells us that it also contained the golden pot that had the manna, Aaron’s rod that budded. Clearly these were lost between the time of Moses and Solomon as we never hear of them again.
The golden pot of Manna; Ex. 16:
Ex 16:33 And Moses said to Aaron, "Take a pot and put an omer of manna in it, and lay it up before the LORD, to be kept for your generations."
The pot of manna was kept in the Ark to remind the Israelites not only of God’s goodness and miraculous provision of food for them in the wilderness, but also of their moaning and complaining when they got tired of eating the same food all the time. We don’t grumble do we? Not much!
In country, town or city
Some people can be found
Who spend their lives in grumbling
At ev’rything around;
O yes, they always grumble,
No matter what we say,
For these are chronic grumblers
And they grumble night and day.
They grumble when it’s raining,
They grumble when it’s dry,
And if the crops are failing,
They grumble and they sigh;
They grumble at low prices
And grumble when they’re high,
They grumble all the year ’round
And they grumble till they die.
They grumble at the preacher,
They grumble at his prayer,
They grumble at his preaching,
They grumble ev’rywhere;
They grumble at God’s people
And say ’tis all display:
But holy folks don’t grumble,
They have only time to pray.
The pot of Manna reminds me that Christ is the heavenly sustenance for my soul. It also reminds me that I shouldn’t grumble about God’s provision. To be honest though, this is easier said than done. Burgers, chips, cream cakes and chocolates are so much tastier than healthy foods, aren’t they? In the same way we feed our minds on the junk food that you find on TV and in magazines. Is it any wonder then that we grow into lethargic Christians, lacking the desire for the meat of the Word and the will to serve God at any cost to our comfort? We are a generation of couch potato Christians, who have so much to complain about!
I murmured because I had to walk 4 blocks to the office from my car park. Then I saw a man who was sick, hungry and unable to take a step and yet his smile was as cheery as the chirp of the first robin of spring.
I complained because the light was poor. Then I met a man radiantly happy, from whose eyes all sight had been lost due to an accident.
I complained about paying too much tax until I visited the home of a penniless man who was singing joyously the triumphant songs of grace
In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 1Th 5:18
Are we thankful for all that God has done and continues to do for us?
Aaron’s rod that budded. Num. 17:1-10
The second item in the Ark was Aaron’s staff. It was the symbol of God’s power that was used to initiate the plagues in Egypt and to part the Red Sea. But the emphasis here is that it was the staff that had budded. This refers to an incident when there was a dispute about who should be the High Priest. God commanded the people to take a staff for each tribe with the names of the tribe’s leader written on them and to place these 12 staffs beside the Ark overnight. The next day, Aaron’s staff had grown, produced flowers and even almonds! It illustrates both God’s power and man’s waywardness.
Nu 17:10 And the LORD said to Moses, "Bring Aaron’s rod back before the Testimony, to be kept as a sign against the rebels, that you may put their complaints away from Me, lest they die."
The way that the lifeless rod was made to blossom reminds me of God’s vindication of His rejected Son. His own people rejected Him, despite His wonderful miracles and teaching, and gave Him over to the Romans to die on the cruel cross. Yet God the Father vindicated Him by raising Him from the dead and making Him our Great High-Priest.
It also reminds me that He can still take lifeless hunks of wood – or even men and women – and, as His resurrection life flows through us, can make us grow, blossom and bear fruit to His glory.
I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. John 15:5
Are we blossoming and bearing fruit to the glory of God?
The tables of the covenant Deut 10:1-5.
Finally, and most importantly, there were the two stone tablets inscribed with the Ten Commandments. As soon as God wrote them and gave them to Moses, the people disobeyed by making an idol of a golden calf. And this wasn’t an isolated occurrence. Over and over again, they broke God’s holy Law. The stone tablets in the Ark were a reminder of both God’s perfect law and the Israelites perpetual failure to obey it.
Jesus said: till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. Mt 5:18 But, of course, Jesus Himself, fulfilled the law completely. (Luke 24:44) The stone tablets remind me of God’s perfect standards, demonstrated in Jesus perfect life on the earth and of my continual failure to live up to them.
Of course none of us here today would worship an idol, though you don’t have to go far to find those who literally worship idols. But does our worship of the TV, or something else, keep us from the evening service, weekly Bible study? Does our pursuit of money leave us with no time or energy for God private Bible study and prayer?
Jesus asked His disciples: Why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do the things which I say? Luke 6 v 46. What is our answer today?
Who, or what, is Lord of our time and money and, above all, Lord of our hearts?
Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness Mt 6:33
1 If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. 2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. Col 3
These three articles were preserved in the Ark as unpleasant reminders of man’s sins and shortcomings. We can stay there, focussing on our failures, and become depressed and useless, or we can also see them as reminders of God’s glory and power. By His grace and through the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit we can put our failures behind us so that they are covered by the Mercy Seat and the blood of sacrifice. In this way we can go on to worship and serve God effectively.
