Ark of the Covenant
by Pastor Jim May
One of the most sought after ancient relics of Jewish history is the Ark of the Covenant. Stories have been written and movies made pertaining to the ark. One of the most famous was call, “Raiders of the Lost Ark”. They are all entertaining to watch but none of them explain what the Ark of the Covenant was really all about. Men still search for the Ark today, but for the wrong reason.
Men search for the Ark in the same manner that they follow after Jesus. In John 6:26-27, "Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled. Labor not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed."
Most of those who search for the Ark of the Covenant are not searching it to prove the truth of God’s Word or to know of the power and presence of God that accompanied the ark. They only want it for its earthly value. I wonder how much a solid gold plated chest would bring on the market? Couple that with the antique value alone and it would be a priceless treasure.
But the Golden Ark of the Covenant wasn’t built to symbolize wealth and power of the world. It was representative of the power, glory and majesty of Almighty God.
The Ark of the Covenant was built by Israel under Moses’ leadership as God revealed the plans of its construction. God was very specific in what materials were to be used and how the Ark was to be handled. That’s because the Ark was so wrapped up in symbolism for you and I, as a witness of the very presence and power of God in our lives.
The purpose for the Ark of the Covenant was to symbolize God’s visible presence on earth.
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."
As a symbol of the very presence of God, it then shows you and I that when we follow the path to God that was laid out in the Ark, then we can have the very presence of God living within us right now!
What did the Ark of the Covenant contain? The first things that went into the Ark were the tablets of stone that contained the 10 Commandments of God.
These commandments were written in stone to show their timeless meaning and power to reveal sin the heart of man.
Ezekiel 11:19-20, "And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh: That they may walk in my statutes, and keep mine ordinances, and do them: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God."
Can you see what is happening here? God has taken the hard heart that we had when we were sinners, wrote his unchanging Law, set in stone, into that heart so that God’s Law could reveal our true condition and let us know that we need a savior.
Because of God’s unchanging laws of justice, holiness, and grace; the stony heart is shattered and cultivated through the ministry of the Word of God and then the Holy Spirit continues to work on us until it is pulverized, broken and finally, born again into a heart of flesh that can feel the precious Love of God. The Blood of Jesus Christ begins to flow through that new heart in a man, bringing the Life of the Spirit of God back into us once more. This body may get its life through the blood, but my Spirit gets its life through the eternal life of the Spirit of God.
I’m so glad that this old heart of stone was converted into a heart of flesh and one that is ever searching to know more of the Love of God. The Law of God was a teacher to show me the error of my ways and to bring me to a place of repentance before God.
The second thing that went into the Ark of the Covenant was the pot of manna.
Manna, the bread from Heaven, was first given to the Children of Israel as they wandered in the Wilderness on their way to the Promised Land.
The manna was God’s provision but it had to be fresh every day. Every day brings its own portion of temptation our way and we must eat of that Bread of Life every day to maintain our ability to withstand the onslaught of the devil.
The bread of Life that we receive is a daily portion that is never enough for tomorrow also.
The Law is proclaimed to us first, then, after we have received the law, and seen our guilt of sin, the next step is to see Jesus as our sacrifice for sin. We then partake of that Bread of Life by surrendering our born again heart to Him in repentance, breaking up the hard stone of our old heart and allowing the Word of God to water us and make us pliable again.
The third thing that was placed into the Ark of the Covenant was Aaron’s Rod that budded.
Let’s read about it in Numbers 17:8, "And it came to pass, that on the morrow Moses went into the tabernacle of witness; and, behold, the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded, and brought forth buds, and bloomed blossoms, and yielded almonds."
What a fitting symbolism for the new life in Christ that arises from the dead stick that we once were.
When God’s law was written into my heart in its stony, hard condition, then hope began to arise as I fell in repentance and accepted the Bread of Life. From that day on, the life that was provided through the Lord Jesus Christ began to bear fruit.
Roots began to grow as we learned more of God’s Word and allowed it to grown in us. Then we began to change, slowly and surely, into the man or woman of God that God wants us to be. Our lives began to blossom and to bring forth the fruits of righteousness.
No one was allowed to touch the Ark of the Covenant after it was placed in into the Holy of Holies in the tabernacle. God will not allow man to change what He has already established as the manner in which he will dwell in man.
Too many people today are trying to enter in another way. They don’t want to come in by way of the Covenant of God anymore. They don’t want to see their sin, as revealed in the Law of God. They don’t want to partake of the Bread of Life and confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, and they refuse to allow the Holy Ghost to give them a new life in Christ.
They would rather remain a dead stick on the outside. We all know what the Bible says about dead sticks don’t we?
Matthew 3:10, "And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire."
Matthew 7:19, "Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire."
Luke 3:9, "And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: every tree therefore which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire."
Uzziah thought that he could reach out and touch the Ark, because he was just trying to help. God doesn’t need our help to keep his covenant. He just needs our obedience.
The Philistines thought that if they just could get the Ark of the Covenant, then Israel’s God would be powerless. The world still thinks that it can ignore the power of God and do away with the covenant that God has with His people.
But like the Philistines, the world will know that you can’t contain the power of God, or limit his ability to bring about his perfect will. God has a way of always getting out of the box that we try to put him into.
Any time that we read about an Ark in the Word of God, it is always a symbol of a place of refuge or safety from the coming judgments of God.
Mankind can keep on searching for a gold covered, wooden box. They might even find it if God wills. But the real value of the Ark of the Covenant is gone now. It is no longer the symbol of God’s presence in the earth.
God wrote a new covenant for today. It was not written on tables of stone. It was written into the hearts of men.
Hebrews 10:16-17, "This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more."
The very presence of God is no found between the golden cherubims on either side of the mercy seat of the Ark of the Covenant.
God’s presence is found now in the midst of the church as we praise and serve him. He dwells within that heart that has been broken and born again. He lives in you and His power and glory is revealed in you if you will let your light shine.
There is a new covenant now and it’s far better than a wooden box overlaid with gold. It’s far better than an ark that only the High Priest of Israel could see once a year. It’s far better than having a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night to guide us.
We have that same power, that same glory, that same very presence of Almighty God, down inside of us, that was once only seen in the tabernacle by a few people Now every born again child of God has that same presence of God within their heart.
Hebrews 10:18-23, "Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin. Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; And having an high priest over the house of God; Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised)"
Our way into the presence of God is no longer by way of the Ark of the Covenant, two tablets of stone, a pot of manna and a budding rod! The meaning of those things had been fulfilled in Jesus Christ. Our way into the very presence of God comes through the Blood of Jesus Christ!
I hope that, if God wills, someone will find that Ark of the Covenant one day. What a boost to faith that would be for those who will believe! But I wonder if God would ever allow it to be found?
If someone was to find it, you can imagine what kind of shrines would be built to house it, and how that many, especially the Jews would come by the millions to pray before it like a magic talisman.
But isn’t it good to know that you have a new covenant with God now? God’s covenant with you is based upon his mercy, grace and love. He wants you to see the Old Testament Ark of the Covenant for what it really was – nothing more than a symbol and a teacher to bring you to the knowledge of the true Covenant through Jesus Christ.
The Ark of the Covenant has passed from the scene. We don’t need it anymore. Jesus has come and fulfilled all of the Ark’s purpose. Now we have a new and living way to get to God.
We are invited, as his own children, to enter boldly into the very throne room of Heaven, to confess our sin, and present our petitions, to our Heavenly Father. That’s an honor and a privilege that the Children of Israel could never have dreamed of, and it’s all because of Jesus.
Mankind will continue to search and to dream of finding the Ark of the Covenant, but they fail to see that the Covenant is there all the time. It’s there in the Word of God. It’s there in the heart of every born again child of God. It’s there in the sacrifice of Jesus upon the cross.
The problem is that mankind ever looks for an Ark of the Covenant that can bring them great wealth and power, but they never see the true Covenant in Christ than can give them eternal life, and that’s far more valuable than any wooden box overlaid with gold.
You have possession of the Ark of the Covenant right now. You are richer than any man could dream of being on this earth. Your inheritance is an eternal home, and eternal reward and eternal life with Christ. What can be more valuable than that?
