The Ark of the Covenant
Central Truth: Jesus is God living among us
Scripture: EXO 25:10 "And they shall make an ark of acacia wood; two and a half cubits shall be its length, a cubit and a half its width, and a cubit and a half its height.
11 "And you shall overlay it with pure gold, inside and out you shall overlay it, and shall make on it a molding of gold all around.
12 "You shall cast four rings of gold for it, and put them in its four corners; two rings shall be on one side, and two rings on the other side.
13 "And you shall make poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with gold.
14 "You shall put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark, that the ark may be carried by them.
15 "The poles shall be in the rings of the ark; they shall not be taken from it.
16 "And you shall put into the ark the Testimony which I will give you.
Lesson points:
1. Location: The ark of the covenant is located in the holy of holies. It is covered by the
mercy seat and has a cherubim on each end.
2. Dimensions: The ark of the covenant was three feet eight inches long, two feet four inches
wide and two feet four inches high.
3. God began with the ark in instruction to Moses. This shows that redemption was God’s
idea and not man’s. If man was to be saved redemption would proceed from God.
4. There are three arks in scripture and all three are arks of salvation.
A. The ark of noah Gen 6:14
1PE 3:19 By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison;
20 Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the
days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved
by water.
B. The ark of Moses Exo 2:3-6
C. The ark of the covenant
5. Types:
A. The ark represents God’s throne in the earth. He is said to dwell and speak from between
the cherubims. It represents His presence. The Shekinah
NUM 7:89 And when Moses was gone into the tabernacle of the congregation to speak with
him, then he heard the voice of one speaking unto him from off the mercy seat that was
upon the ark of testimony, from between the two cherubims: and he spake unto him.
1SA 4:4 So the people sent to Shiloh, that they might bring from thence the ark of the
covenant of the LORD of hosts, which dwelleth between the cherubims: and the two sons
of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God.
2SA 6:2 And David arose, and went with all the people that were with him from Baale of
Judah, to bring up from thence the ark of God, whose name is called by the name of the
LORD of hosts that dwelleth between the cherubims.
B. The presence of God in Christ.
C. It is made of acacia wood overlaid with gold. Acacia wood represents the sinless
humanity of Christ. The gold represents His deity.
D. The contents of the ark:
Golden pot of manna - The manna was what sustained the children of Israel’s life in
the wilderness. This is symbolic of the Lord Jesus in that He sustains our life spiritually,
mentally and physically.
Aaron’s rod that budded - Aaron was the high priest and God supernaturally recognized
his authority by causing his rod to bud. We see Jesus our high priest and His authority.
Num 16:1-17:10
Tables of the law - Moses broke the first set because of the idolatry of Israel. It was the
unbroken set that was put in the ark.
DEU 10:2 And I will write on the tables the words that were in the first tables which
thou brakest, and thou shalt put them in the ark.
Here we see a contrast. We see man’s inability to keep God’s law in the unbroken tables
and God refusing man’s righteousness. In the unbroken set we see Christ keeping God’s
of righteousness and God accepting Him.
