INTRODUCTION
There have been many things written about the Ark of the Covenant. Hollywood has even made movies about it. In Raiders of the Lost Ark it was portrayed as a beautiful golden box with supernatural power that burned up anyone who looked inside of it.
No doubt, the Ark was filled with supernatural power. In one instance, as the ark was being carried, a man who wasn’t a priest saw the Ark was going to fall. In an attempt to keep it from falling he placed his hand on it. He was immediately struck dead because God had given instructions that only priests were to touch it.
But what was the purpose of the Ark of the Covenant? We will look at one purpose of the ark today and see how something that was built by the children of Israel so long ago can still relate to us in the year 2000.
I. THEN
Inside the temple there were two rooms where the priests performed their duties. There was the outer sanctuary where the every day duties were carried out. Inside of this room there were certain items that the priests used: a lampstand, a table, and consecrated bread.
This first room was called the Holy Place and the priests would enter into this room on a regular basis.
Beyond the Holy Place, behind the second curtain was another room called the Most Holy Place, the Holiest of All, or the Holy of Holies. There were also certain items placed inside of this room: the golden altar of incense and the gold-covered Ark of the Covenant. Today we are going to take a closer look at the Ark of the Covenant.
A. The Ark of the Covenant
Exodus 25:16 – And thou shalt put into the ark the testimony which I shall give thee.
The Lord had directed certain items to be placed inside of the ark as a testimony, or reminder to the children of Israel of all that he had done for them.
Hebrews 9: 3,4 – Behind the second curtain was a room called the Most Holy Place which had the golden altar of incense and the gold-covered ark of the covenant. This ark contained the gold jar of manna, Aaron’s staff that budded, and the stone tablets of the covenant (NIV).
1. The golden jar of manna
Exodus 16:1-36
The children of Israel began to complain to Moses and Aaron that they had nothing to eat. Exodus 16:2 says that the whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against them. God heard the murmuring of the people and provided quail and bread, or manna. Exodus 16:35 says that they ate the manna for 40 years. It was as a reminder of this event that the golden jar of manna was placed inside of the ark.
Exodus 16: 33,34 – And Moses said unto Aaron, take a pot, and put an omer full of manna therein, and lay it up before the Lord, to be kept for your generations. As the Lord commanded Moses, so Aaron laid it up before the Testimony to be kept.
2. Aaron’s staff that budded
Numbers 16:1-50, Numbers 17, and Numbers 18:1-7
Numbers 17:41 says that once again all the congregation of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron. This time they were murmuring because of what had happened to a man named Korah who had led a rebellion against Moses. Moses took a stand against Korah and all of his supporters. In a show of his greatness, the Lord opened up the ground and Korah, his conspirators, their families, and even their tents were swallowed up into the earth. Also, fire consumed 250 more of his followers that were offering incense.
Even though Korah was wrong, the children of Israel still complained because so many of the people had been killed.
Numbers 17:41 – But on the morrow all the congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron, saying, ye have killed the people of the Lord.
Because of this the Lord wanted to consume all of them, but Moses and Aaron fell on their faces and pleaded with the Lord. The Lord heard their prayers and Aaron was instructed to run into the congregation with a censer of incense from the altar as an atonement. Aaron made an atonement for the congregation, but not before 14,700 Israelites had been smitten by a plague.
God instructed Moses to gather a rod, or staff, from every tribe of Israel with Aaron’s name being written on the staff from the tribe of Levi. All twelve of these staffs were placed in front of the Ark of the Covenant. The next day the staff of Aaron had budded, blossomed, and produced almonds. From that point on Aaron, his sons, and the tribe of Levi were set aside to be the priests and to minister in the tabernacle.
3. The stone tables of the covenant
Deutoronomy 9:6-29
Moses had fasted for 40 days and nights and received the Ten Commandments, written on tables of stone by the very finger of God. While he was on the mountain the children of Israel once again began to complain and murmur. This time Aaron was with them. They fashioned a calf of gold and began to worship it instead of God. As Moses came upon the scene he became angry, cast the stone tablets out of his hands, and then fell on his face in prayer. The Bible says that the Lord was so angry with Aaron that he would have destroyed him, but Moses prayers were once again heard and he was spared. After that, Moses was instructed by God to hew out two stones and come back up on the mountain where God once again wrote the words that were on the other two tables. Moses brought them back down the mountain and placed them in the ark.
These three items were placed in the ark as a reminder to the people of times when God had taken care of them even after they had turned their backs on him. The golden bowl with manna reminded them of the food that rained down from heaven for 40 years. Aaron’s staff that budded reminded them of when he swallowed up the rebels and appointed a priesthood out of the congregation to atone for their sins. Finally, the stone tablets reminded them of God’s law or covenant and the second chance that was afforded them through his mercy.
Not only were there three items inside of the Ark of the Covenant, there was also something above it.
4. The cherubim of glory shadowing the mercy seat
Exodus 25:18-22
Moses was instructed by God to make two cherubim of gold. Cherubim are creatures that have wings, feet and hands. Every time they are mentioned in the Bible they have something to do with the glory of God and are often symbolic of heavenly things. They were to be crafted with one cherubim on each end of the mercy seat. Their faces were to look one to the other and their wings would be spread out so they shadowed the mercy seat. This mercy seat was to be placed above the ark.
In Hebrews 9:7 we see that the mercy seat was where the high priest would come once a year, not without blood, to offer sacrifices himself and for the sins of the people.
Listen to what God has to say about this place called the mercy seat:
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.
This is where God promised to meet with Moses. Between the cherubim, on the mercy seat that sat above the Ark of the Covenant, was the place God chose to commune with Moses.
II. NOW
Hebrews 9:15 – For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance – now that he has died to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant (NIV).
As high priest, Jesus Christ entered into the Holy of Holies and shed his blood on the mercy seat once and for all as a final atonement for our sins. A new covenant was made and the sacrifice that created that covenant will never have to be made again.
Matthew 27:51 tells us that when Jesus died the veil of the temple was rent in half, from the top to the bottom. This veil is what separated the outer sanctuary from the Holy of Holies and was a sign from God that a pathway into his presence had been made. Now everyone, not only the priests, could come before the mercy seat of God.
The Ark of the Covenant was no longer needed after Jesus Christ died. It had served its purpose as a testimony to the people of Israel. But can we apply the thought of the Ark of the Covenant to our lives as Christians? I believe we can. We can create our own Ark of the Covenant in our hearts as a testimony, or reminder, of what God has done for us. Let’s look back at what was inside of the Ark and see how we can do this.
A. The Ark of the Covenant
1. The golden jar of manna
Manna rained down from heaven for 40 years and the bible tells us that:
They murmured against God and he still provided.
The bread was sweet.
It gave them life.
There was always enough to go around.
They could always depend on it to be there the next day.
In much the same way Jesus Christ is our manna that rained down from heaven:
We murmur against God, but he still provides.
The taste of the bread, salvation through Jesus Christ, is sweet.
He gave us life.
There will always be enough to go around.
No matter how much we may mess up, he will always be there the next day.
2. Aaron’s staff that budded
The Bible says that the staff of Aaron budded, blossomed, and produced almonds. Because of this the tribe of Levi was set aside as priests to carry on the ministry of the temple.
In a sense, when someone is lost they are just like that stick. A piece of dead wood, separated from the tree, with no signs of life. But when Jesus Christ truly enters in someone’s life they bud, blossom, and produce fruit. From that point on they are set aside as priests to carry on the ministry of the temple.
3. The stone tables of the covenant
We have been given a love letter straight from the heart of God. It is called the Bible.
2 Timothy 3:16 – All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.
Just like the tables given to Moses we can use the Bible to govern our everyday lives. It was given to us so that we can be perfect in our actions and thoughts by knowing the mind of Christ. We have a responsibility to read it and learn what God has to say so that we can instruct others in the pathway of righteousness.
4. The cherubim of glory shadowing the mercy seat
Every time we kneel in prayer we should remember the glory of God that was represented by the golden cherubim. We need to also remember that their wings were spread out over the mercy seat. This is the place that the blood of the sacrifice was placed as an atonement for the sins of the people. This is also the place that God chose to commune with Moses.
How fitting that we now have access to the mercy seat because of the blood sacrifice of Jesus Christ that was placed there. Every time we pray we enter the place that God has chosen to commune with us. We don’t have to be in church or in a quiet place somewhere. Christians have access to the throne of grace anytime and anywhere. God tells us that we should enter in with boldness.
Hebrews 4:16 – Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
CONCLUSION
Just like the children of Israel we can look at the Ark of the Covenant as a testimony, or reminder, of what God has done for us. We can look into the ark and find that:
1) Jesus Christ is our golden jar of manna, or bread of life, that sustains us and will always be there.
2) Jesus Christ has brought us out of a dead life into a life that blossoms and produces fruit.
3) God has given us the Bible as a way to lead others into the pathway of righteousness.
4) We have access to the glory of God, to the throne room of grace, the Holy of Holies, because of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. We can enter in with boldness and commune with Almighty God.
Unfortunately, not everyone can look into the Ark of the Covenant. In the Old Testament only the priests were allowed access. The same is true today. Only the priests, or Christians have the ability to stake claim to the contents of the Ark.
Where do you stand today?
Have you tasted of the golden jar of manna, the sweet Bread of Life, or does life have a bitter taste for you?
Are you alive in Christ, or are you merely a dead stick, separated from the tree, with no visible signs of life?
Can you enter into the throne room of grace with boldness, or must you stay in the outer sanctuary?
Think about it.
