The Tabernacle in the Wilderness Series
Lesson Four- The “Ark Of The Covenant”
By Pastor Jim May
Exodus 25:10-22, "And they shall make an ark of shittim wood: two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof. And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, within and without shalt thou overlay it, and shalt make upon it a crown of gold round about. And thou shalt cast four rings of gold for it, and put them in the four corners thereof; and two rings shall be in the one side of it, and two rings in the other side of it. And thou shalt make staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold. And thou shalt put the staves into the rings by the sides of the ark, that the ark may be borne with them. The staves shall be in the rings of the ark: they shall not be taken from it. And thou shalt put into the ark the testimony which I shall give thee. And thou shalt make a mercy seat of pure gold: two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof. And thou shalt make two cherubims of gold, of beaten work shalt thou make them, in the two ends of the mercy seat. And make one cherub on the one end, and the other cherub on the other end: even of the mercy seat shall ye make the cherubims on the two ends thereof. And the cherubims shall stretch forth their wings on high, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and their faces shall look one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubims be. And thou shalt put the mercy seat above upon the ark; and in the ark thou shalt put the testimony that I shall give thee. 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."
The Tabernacle of Moses was the very special place where God’s people came to meet Him, seeking His presence, forgiveness, guidance, help, strength and power. The Ark was the most important of all the furniture that went into this "tabernacle". When Adam fell I the Garden, man could never again approach our Holy God without a sacrifice and a blood covering. The Tabernacle and the Ark are associated with that blood sacrifice. Both continually bore the stain of the blood of innocent lambs. As we look upon the Ark we must never forget that this piece of furniture is where the very presence of God would rest. His glory, power, mercy and grace would be centered on the Mercy Seat, between the Cherubim on the cover of the Ark.
The Ark of the Covenant is symbolic of God’s Throne
In the Old Testament God chose three arks to reveal His will for mankind. Each of these arks carries the thought of preservation for man who deserved death.
The first Ark mentioned in the Scripture is the ARK OF NOAH (Genesis 6:13-9:18). This Ark was made of gopher wood, pitched within and without and we learn through it that God wants to save mankind. In that ark, all the animals were saved and eight people survived to repopulate the earth. God is not willing that Satan should continue to hold all of creation that was stolen. God was showing, through the ark, that He intended to redeem man from his sinful state.
The second Ark mentioned in the Old Testament is the Ark prepared for the BABY MOSES, which we will call the ARK OF MOSES (Exodus 2:3-6). This Ark was made of reeds and pitched within and without just as Noah’s Ark. Here, too, we see that the Ark was a means of PRESERVATION for the baby Moses from the waters of death.
The third Ark referred to in the Bible is the ARK OF THE COVENANT but this ark carried a much more significant symbolism than that of Noah and of Moses. We will discuss this in detail later on.
The Ark of the Covenant was made of shittim wood, overlaid with pure gold without and within. This Ark also carries with it the thought of preservation as we see that the Ark led the way in the crossing of the Jordan River into the Promised Land. (Joshua 3-4). In addition to this, the thought of preservation is noticed when we remember that the Tables of the Law, the Golden Pot of Manna and Aaron’s rod that budded were kept preserved in the Ark of the Covenant.
Of all of the furniture that was built for the Tabernacle, only the Ark of the Covenant would have a place in THREE DIFFERENT tabernacles or temples. First was the Tabernacle of Moses. Then it was placed in the Tabernacle of DAVID.
1 Chronicles 16:1 - So they brought the ark of God, and set it in the midst of the tent that David had pitched for it: and they offered burnt sacrifices and peace offerings before God.
And finally if was placed in the Temple of SOLOMON.
1 Kings 8:1, "Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel, and all the heads of the tribes, the chief of the fathers of the children of Israel, unto king Solomon in Jerusalem, that they might bring up the ark of the covenant of the LORD out of the city of David, which is Zion."
1 Kings 8:6, "And the priests brought in the ark of the covenant of the LORD unto his place, into the oracle of the house, to the most holy place, even under the wings of the cherubims."
1 Kings 8:9, "There was nothing in the ark save the two tables of stone, which Moses put there at Horeb, when the LORD made a covenant with the children of Israel, when they came out of the land of Egypt."
That doesn’t mean that the Pot of Manna or Moses’ Rod were missing. It simply meant that no other part of the Law, all of the Laws found in Leviticus and Deuteronomy, given to Moses, even though they were written down, were not put into the Ark with the original tablets of God’s 10 Commandments.
It has been noted that the rest of the Law was not placed in the Ark since that Law would be forever finished with the sacrifice of Jesus upon the cross. His blood would be sufficient to fulfill all the laws, but the 10 Commandments would forever stand for in them in the whole Law represented in its purest form.
Everything else in the Tabernacle took a secondary seat to the ARK OF THE COVENANT. If the Ark of God’s presence were removed from the Tabernacle, all that would remain would be an empty tent, bearing a resemblance of God but without His presence. Without the Presence of the Lord upon that Ark and Mercy Seat, all the rituals and ceremonies of the priests were meaningless and powerless. All of Israel’s worship was directed to JEHOVAH who dwelt upon that Blood-stained Mercy Seat.
A church that exists without the presence and anointing power of the Holy Spirit is nothing more than an empty shell, having a form but no power. We need the presence of God in these altars, in this pulpit, in every classroom, and on every seat, or we are nothing more than an empty shell. We can call ourselves a church, but we are dead and not a part of the living Body of Christ.
God begins with HIMSELF, because He alone is God, who is from everlasting to everlasting. This is a picture of the grace of God. God who lives in eternity became flesh and Tabernacled, or dwells among us. God begins first with His Throne, the Ark of the Covenant, and proceeds in GRACE to man and the place of sacrifice at the Brazen Altar. This is the opposite of man’s approach to God, which must begin at the BRAZEN ALTAR. Man must experience the CROSS and the BLOOD before he can approach the ARK OF THE COVENANT or the presence of a HOLY GOD.
This is a true picture of Grace. Unless God first comes out to man, man has no access whatsoever to God. Any man that tried to come straight into the presence of God without approaching the prescribed way through the Blood was SLAIN. Violation of God’s order means death. The Ark and all it contains are representative of the holiness of God.
The Brazen Altar is necessary because of man’s sinfulness. But because of the provision of God at the Brazen Altar, there is a DAY when the High Priest can enter beyond the veil to the very THRONE OF GOD.
In John 14:6 Jesus says, "… I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."
You can’t get to God through Mohammed. You can’t get to God through Buddha. You can’t get to God through any other way than by the Cross of Jesus Christ and His shed blood. Only Jesus’ blood can wash away sin and make us holy before God. All other ways are nothing but a pathway to eternal death.
The instructions for constructing the Ark were given in great detail and were precise and exact.
The Ark was to be made of ACACIA WOOD: a hard, durable wood, resistant to weather and insects; a wood that would not decay or become corrupted by the elements of the world.
This wood is a symbol of the sinless, incorruptible humanity of the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus was described in Isaiah 53:2 as a "root out of dry ground" and that He, "…hath no comeliness...no beauty that we should desire him." In the midst of an evil world, filled with the corrupt elements of sin, Jesus stood incorruptible.
This wood also symbolizes Jesus as "the branch" revealed throughout the Old Testament.
Jeremiah 23:5-6, "Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS."
The acacia wood also symbolizes that Jesus, through the power of the Holy Spirit, dwells within human tabernacles. We have this Golden Treasure in HUMAN VESSELS.
It had to be OVERLAID WITH PURE GOLD WITHIN AND WITHOUT, and it was to have a gold Crown molding around the rim.
In Bible symbolism, GOLD always represents DIETY or the DIVINE NATURE. Wood, on the other hand, speaks to us of Humanity or Human nature coming from the natural growth in the earth. Hence, we have a blending of the two materials into one Ark. This is a picture of the TWO NATURES in ONE PERSON as seen in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ - "God manifest in the flesh."
Three pieces of furniture in the Tabernacle receive Crowns - the Golden Altar of Incense, the Table of Shewbread and the Ark of the Lord. The Crown of gold tells us what the Father thinks of His Son. When the Son of God became flesh, man CROWNED HIM with thorns (Mark 15:17), but God CROWNED Him with GLORY AND HONOR. A crown speaks of Kingship. It is only natural then that we should see a CROWN in connection with God’s THRONE ROOM in the earth relative to Israel.
The Ark was to have FOUR GOLD RINGS attached to its four lower corners at the base of the ark.
These four rings were built for the staves, which we will look at next. The number four is usually symbolic of the creation of the world. It is representative of the four corners of the earth, with a worldwide or a universal appeal. The number FOUR can be found in many places throughout the Word of God.
The Gospel was go the FOUR CORNERS of the earth. Acts 1:8, "But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth."
The four rings were absolutely necessary to give the Ark BALANCE. We must have balance in our spiritual lives. Let ALL things be done in moderation. When we go into extremes the cause of the gospel is hurt and our witness for the Lord Jesus weakened.
There are also Four Descriptions given of God in the Bible that give us a balanced view of God’s nature and power.
In John 4:24 we are told that, "God is a Spirit." In 1 John 1:5, we are told, "that God is LIGHT, and in Him is no darkness at all." In 1 John 4:16, we see that, "God is LOVE." In Hebrews 12:29, we are told that God is a CONSUMING FIRE. When all these descriptions of God are taken into account, we have a balanced view of God. He is all of these things in equal. We cannot stress one above the other.
There is also a balance in God’s dealing with the issues of sin and morality in man. He is Holy, Righteous, Loving and Faithful. You cannot wink at sin and not deal with it and say you are of God. Yet you cannot deal with sin in anger and malice either. Everything that is done hinges on the faithfulness of God. As the Gospel message goes forth, THESE FOUR THEMES must be maintained.
That is what the rings of the Ark represent. They represent the BALANCE of the Gospel and the Word of God. Four rings of gold - Balanced TRUTH relative to the things of God.
It had to have TWO STRONG POLES MADE OF ACACIA WOOD OVERLAID WITH GOLD. The poles were to be slid into the gold rings on the Ark for the purpose of carrying it. And once they were put into the rings, they WERE NEVER TO BE REMOVED.
Again, this is the picture of the blending of two natures, the Divine and the Human or earthly. The staves were to be put through the rings so that the Ark could be carried upon the shoulders of the priests without actually touching the Ark itself.
The staves were to remain in the rings of the Ark significant of an earthly pilgrimage or an unsettled Ark. The staves remained in the Ark until it was placed in Solomon’s TEMPLE where the Ark was finally set in a permanent home. (1 Kings 8:8)
This was significant for Israel that the wilderness wanderings and their journey were over. It speaks to us of the fact we are but PILGRIMS and STRANGERS traveling through a foreign land. This world is not our home, we’re just passing through. We are like Abraham who was "looking for a city whose builder and maker is God."
The Ark of the Covenant was placed in the Holy of Holies, the Most Holy and Sacred place in the Tabernacle. Only in this setting, A Holy God, in a Holy Place, approached by Holy Men, made Holy by the blood sacrifice, could sins be pushed away or forgiven.
The area of the Holy of Holies measured 10X10X10. It was foursquare, perfect in its dimension, just as the Brazen Altar, the Golden Altar and the Breastplate of Righteousness on the High Priest.
10 x 10 x 10 = 1000, symbolizing the Second Coming of Christ at the Millennial Reign. The ultimate fulfillment and revelation is the Glory of God and in the New and Heavenly Jerusalem, which is the foursquare and Eternal City of God, and the Redeemed that we find in (Revelation 21-22)
Now let us talk for a few minutes concerning the contents of The Ark – A Pot of Manna, Aaron’s Rod that budded And The Tablets of the 10 Commandments, God’s Law.
Each of these articles tell us something of the nature of CHRIST and His Ministry to and through the Body:
The Tables of the Law
In Israel there were three aspects of the Law.
First there was The Moral Law
This was the Ten Commandments, which were written on the Table of Stone. This Law was given to Israel three times. It was given orally to the nation of Israel as they gathered at Sinai. Later it was written by the finger of God on two tables of Stone (Ex. 31:18 and Ex. 32:16).
These Tables were broken by Moses, symbolizing how Israel had already broken the 10 Commandments by making the golden calf as idol. (Exodus 34:1-4)
God had Moses to carve out two new tablets of stone with the Law on them and then place the tablets in the Ark, beneath the bloodstained Mercy Seat.
Then there was The Civil Law
This is commonly referred to as the Book of the Law of Moses. These laws were an amplification of the Moral Law and applied it to specific situations. These laws were written in a book and placed in the side of the Ark (Deut. 31:24-26), but not inside the Ark.
Lastly there was The Ceremonial Law
These laws were given to begin to teach the grace of God. It contained all the regulations in regard to sacrificial blood, the Priesthood, the Sanctuary service, the Feasts of the Lord and the Sabbaths (Exodus 25-40). The Book of Leviticus covers these ceremonies.
All the Law was perfectly kept and fulfilled in Jesus Christ. He is the one and only Person who has ever kept the Law, for it was in His heart.
At the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) Jesus resumes His role as the Lawgiver. He is the one who magnifies the law and makes it honorable. He fulfills the Moral, Civil and Ceremonial Law and at the Cross He abolishes the Ceremonial Law; for He is the ultimate expression of the grace of God when His Body was broken and His blood was shed.
He now calls us to a higher Law. This is not a Law written on two Tables of Stone, but the finger of God upon the fleshly tables of our hearts. This is the New Covenant. It is much higher - it is the Law of LOVE!
The Golden Pot Of Manna
Manna was the Bread from Heaven upon which Israel fed for forty years in the wilderness. It is named after the first impression the people had when they saw it on the ground. Manna means "what is it?"
Spiritually speaking, this manna was a type of Christ, the Bread of Life. It symbolized the nature, character and sustaining power of the Lord Jesus as the Bread of life. Jesus is the Bread from heaven, anointed with oil of gladness. Jesus is sweet as honey and as fresh as the dew (to the believer) to the partaker. Jesus is the TRUE MANNA. All must eat of Him or die. No one can eat for another. He is the source of life eternal. He sustains His people in the wilderness journey.
Consider these facts about the manna.
There was no Manna once Israel entered Canaan land (Joshua 5:11-12)
There was no Manna on the seventh day of the week, but there was twice as much on the sixth day (Exodus 16:25-26). In spite of what Moses declared, some though that there would be Manna on the seventh day (Ex. 16:27)
There was no Manna in the Ark of the Covenant when it was taken to Solomon’s temple, the permanent resting place of the Ark (1 Kings 8:9)
All of this tells us of the need to be saved NOW! NOW IS THE DAY OF SALVATION. There will be no Gospel preaching in the Ages to come. There is coming a time when the Manna will cease! Jesus is the Bread of Life. If any eat of Him they shall never die. Those that overcome will be once again given of the "Hidden Manna" that was preserved in the Ark (Revelation 2:17)
Aaron’s Rod That Budded
In the rebellion of Korah against Aaron, God commanded Moses to take twelve rods for the twelve tribes and to write their tribal names thereon. Aaron also had a rod with his personal name on it. Moses laid these rods up in the presence of the Lord before the Ark. In the morning Aaron’s rod was manifested in life having the bud, the flower and an almond fruit.
As the fruitfulness of Aaron’s rod proved, he was the God-chosen, God-anointed and God-appointed High Priest in Israel. Even so does the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead attest to His eternal Priesthood after order of Melchizedek.
In Aaron’s rod, life came out of death. In the resurrection of Christ, our Great High Priest, the only Mediator between God and man also rises out of death. In Christ is manifested ALL life, beauty and fruitfulness. He is the only way of approach for man unto God (Christianity is the only religion founded on a resurrected man).
The Ark of the Covenant was THE most important piece of furniture built for the Tabernacle. God had so much to teach in its construction. But it wasn’t the only piece built and next week we will continue with more studies on the furniture of the Tabernacle in the Wilderness.
