The Ark of the Covenant is a sacred artifact in Jewish history that represents God among the Israelites. It served as the most important sacred object in ancient Israel and played a significant role in the religious and political life of the nation.
The Bible describes the Ark as a wooden chest, overlaid with gold, containing the stone tablets of the Ten Commandments given to Moses on Mount Sinai, a pot of manna, and Aaron’s rod that miraculously blossomed (Exodus 25:10-22, Deuteronomy 10:1-5, Hebrews 9:4).
The Ark of the Covenant possessed divine power, and the Israelites carried it during their wanderings in the wilderness and later in their conquest of the Promised Land. It symbolized God’s presence and protection, and the Israelites believed its presence in battle ensured victory (1 Samuel 4:3-11, 2 Samuel 11:11). The Israelites also used the Ark in religious ceremonies and rituals, such as the crossing of the River Jordan (Joshua 3:1-17) and the dedication of Solomon’s Temple (1 Kings 8:1-11).
The Ark’s fate after this point remains uncertain, with various theories and legends surrounding its disappearance or hidden location.
One popular theory suggests that the priests hid the Ark before the destruction of the First Temple by the Babylonians in 586 BC to prevent its desecration or capture. Some believe someone hid it in a secret chamber within the Temple complex. Others suggest the people took it to a distant location, such as Ethiopia or a secret location in modern-day Israel.
The Ark of the Covenant symbolizes God’s presence, protection, and covenant with His people. It served as a powerful reminder of the divine-human relationship and the importance of faith and obedience in the lives of believers.
The contents of the Ark
As I just mentioned, the Ark contained three items:
- The two stone tablets of the Ten Commandments that God gave to Moses on Mount Sinai.
- A pot of manna that God provided as bread for the Israelites in the wilderness.
- The rod of Aaron budded to show God’s choice of the Levites as priests.
Hebrews 9:4 confirms these three items were inside the Ark of the Covenant:
The golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein [was] the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant;
Hebrews 9:4
Today, I want to tell you about the contents of the Ark and what each item meant to the Israelites. I also want to tell you how the contents of the Ark relates to us as God’s chosen people.
First, we see the…
Manna.
In the Bible, we read:
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.
Exodus 16:33
A testimony of provision
God wants His people to remember His provision for them. In the previous verse, we read:
Moses said, This is the thing which the LORD commandeth, Fill an omer of it to be kept for your generations; that they may see the bread wherewith I have fed you in the wilderness, when I brought you forth from the land of Egypt.
Exodus 16:32
As time passes, we forget things from the past. Manna sustained the Israelites until they entered the Promised Land.
The children of Israel did eat manna forty years, until they came to a land inhabited; they did eat manna, until they came unto the borders of the land of Canaan.
Exodus 16:35
A testimony of rebellion
God wanted the people to always see the manna which testified to God’s provision in the wilderness. The manna also represented the rebellion of the people:
The whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness:
And the children of Israel said unto them, Would to God we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the flesh pots, and when we did eat bread to the full; for ye have brought us forth into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with hunger.
Exodus 16:2-3
God delivered Israel from Egyptian slavery, but the people doubted He would provide for them in the wilderness. Rather than having faith in God, the Israelites rebelled, desiring slavery above the freedom God gave.
The manna in the Ark stood as a constant reminder of our rebellious nature and our lack of faith.
Just imagine what God would have given the people to eat had they not rebelled!
When you encounter dire circumstances, remember that God cares for His people and provides for them. Rather than rejecting God, wait upon Him to see the fantastic provision He has in store for you.
Next, we see…
Aaron’s rod
In the wilderness, the Israelites frequently rebelled against God and Moses. Numbers Chapter 16 records the rebellion of Korah and the subsequent rebellion of the people. During these rebellions, all the earth swallowed the people and possessions of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. 14,700 people died in the plague that God afterward sent among the people.
Next, God established Aaron and the tribe of Levi as the chosen ministers of God. To do this, the Lord had Moses place a rod from all 12 tribes inside the tabernacle. As a sign, the tribe chosen by God would blossom, settling the leadership dispute of the people.
On the next day, Moses retrieved the 12 rods from the tabernacle and put them on display. Aaron’s rod had blossomed “and brought forth buds, and bloomed blossoms, and yielded almonds” (Numbers 17:8)
As a testimony to the anointing of Aaron and the Tribe of Levi, God instructed Moses to place Aaron’s rod inside the Ark of the Covenant.
The LORD said unto Moses, Bring Aaron’s rod again before the testimony, to be kept for a token against the rebels; and thou shalt quite take away their murmurings from me, that they die not.
Numbers 17:10
God provided Aaron’s rod as…
A testimony of God’s order
God uses whom He chooses to accomplish that which He pleases. God chose the Tribe of Levi for His service, no one else.
As He had for the Israelites, God has a specific order, which we should all observe and follow. God will bless us as long as we serve Him in the place He has for us.
Where does God want you to serve and in what capacity?
Aaron’s rod was also…
A testimony of rebellion
As a constant reminder of the consequences of rebellion, Aaron’s rod found a permanent home inside the Ark of the Covenant.
The presence of Aaron’s rod reminded the people of the consequences of disobedience.
Would you choose God’s honor or would you rather, metaphorically, have the earth swallow you alive?
Finally, we have…
Tablets of the law
In the Book of Deuteronomy, Moses says:
I turned myself and came down from the mount, and put the tables in the ark which I had made; and there they be, as the LORD commanded me.
Deuteronomy 10:5
A testimony of instruction
God expects much from His people, but He doesn’t leave us guessing. By placing the tablets in the Ark of the Covenant, God reminded Israel of God’s law repeatedly.
God preserves His instructions in His Word, the Bible. Read it. Learn from others about it. Obey it.
The excellency of knowledge is, that wisdom giveth life to them that have it.
Ecclesiastes 7:12
If you love life and love God, follow His instructions.
The stone tablets also serve as…
A testimony of rebellion
Notice that Moses placed the tables which he had made.
God created the original stone tablets that contained the Law:
[God] gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God.
And the tables were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, graven upon the tables.
Exodus 31:18, 32:16
Aaron and the people rebelled against God while Moses was communing with God upon the mount (Exodus 32:1-14). When Moses saw what the people had done, he, in anger, broke the tablets:
It came to pass, as soon as he came nigh unto the camp, that he saw the calf, and the dancing: and Moses’ anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his hands, and brake them beneath the mount.
Exodus 32:19
Anger does not serve us well. The Bible says,
The wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.
James 1:20
Would you rather have tablets made by God, or do you want to make your own tablets?
At first God made the tablets, but, after Moses broke them, they became Moses’ problem. Moses learned the consequences of anger.
The LORD said unto Moses, Hew thee two tables of stone like unto the first: and I will write upon [these] tables the words that were in the first tables, which thou brakest.
Exodus 34:1
Don’t rebel against God because He seems absent from your life. Also, keep your anger in check. God’s Way is much better than anything we can do.
Now, God says to his people…
Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.
2 Corinthians 3:3
Let God do the work, so you don’t have to do it.
Conclusion
Although the physical Ark of the Covenant is long gone, we should learn lessons from it. The Ark testified to God’s Way while also testifying to our tendency to go astray.
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