Category Archives: The Ark

The Ark- the Chest

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The three parts of the Ark of the Covenant are the Mercy Seat, the Chest or Ark, and the Poles. This post will look at the Chest of the Ark and its symbolism of Jesus. The given instructions are in Exodus 25:10-12 and its purpose is in verse sixteen. The Chest was to hold the stone tables of the Law. Over the course of time a pot manna and Aaron’s symbol of leadership, the sprouted staff was also placed inside the Chest. (Hebrews 9:4)

Materials and Parts

  • Acacia wood
  • Gold (to cover the wood)
  • A gold molding
  • Four gold rings (for the Poles)
  • Four feet

(Symbols and symbolism can be like beauty – “it is in the eyes of the beholder”. There is always more that can be said, please add these to your list.)

  1. I looked but did not see where ornaments or decorations were added to the sides of acacia wood.
  2. The gold on the wood speaks of Jesus’ dual nature God/Man, heavenly/earthly, plain/rich. This list could go on for a while.
  3. The gold molding can represent the crown that was always His. It should have helped to maintain the Mercy Seat on the top of the Ark.
  4. The feet were necessary for the attachment of the rings. This arrangement would have the Ark high and lifted above the Levities who carried it.
  5. The rings held the Poles (the Holy Spirit).

The Real Ark

Moses made a copy of what he saw in heaven when he talked with God on Mount Sinai. Revelation 11:19 is John seeing the Ark in the heavenly Temple. Is there possibly still an ark here on earth? Sure, why not, but it is still a copy of what Moses saw. John 1:17 says it differently, “For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.” 

Five

Numbers and symbols are tools of our God to teach us lessons. They are not to be feared or worshipped, they do not bring you good or ill, they are just tools. Instead of fearing them, fear the One who made them. With that said, pundits of the past and present see five as representing grace. Why? When they count things in the Bible, they see sets of five as being associated with the things of grace. (Remember what your eyes see.) Are they wrong, NO? If you do an internet search for things in the Bible, please be aware that many secular and New Age sites work biblical numbers in with their non-godly philosophies.

Jesus is the reason we have God’s grace. The ark/chest, which I see as representing Jesus, has five sides. The sixth panel of the box is the Mercy Seat, which is the Father. This idea helped me to make sense of why five fish fed the 5,000. The five fish were broken into pieces (like Jesus was broken) and that allowed for the 5,000 to receive grace and be fed. If you continue your study to when the crowds found Jesus on the other side of the lake; Jesus called them out for only wanting to be fed. The forty years of manna was in this conversation. A jar of manna was in the Ark for a long time.  

Rules, Provisions, Leadership

Moses was directed by God to put three items in the Ark: Tablets of the Law, a gold jar of manna, and Aaron’s rod. These items are the reason I began this study. A pastor I respect rightfully said that these things are associated with rebellion against God. He continued by saying that they are covered by being in “Jesus”. I saw the items as positive things that Jesus has waiting for us in Him. Like the Tree in the Garden, many things can have good/bad thoughts associated with them.

  • Manna – This heavenly bread was going to be supplied because the people had to eat. The congregation of Israel just had to complain instead of thanking God for His provision. The amount stored was an omer. The same amount that one person needed for one day.
  • Aaron’s Rod – God had a dead stick blossom and fruit so everyone could see whom He picked to be responsible for leading the Levities. This came about because Korah (a Levite) wanted authority that was not for him to have. The stick blossomed as an almond. See the post on Fruit and Nuts.
  • Stone Tablets of the Law – The tablets that went in were the second set God wrote. Moses broke the first set because of the golden calf Aaron had made and how quickly the people went wild. The Law was given to help us and would have been stored somewhere.
  • Gold – (How you look at things.) The inside of the Ark was covered with gold. Just saying.

Questions

When and how did the manna and rod leave the Ark? Were the contents ever brought out and shown to the people? How big were the tablets?

A Little of the Ark’s Travels

  • In Judges the Ark was in Bethel, this is where Jacob saw the stairs and angels coming and going from heaven.
  • Samuel starts with the Ark in Shiloh.
  • After the Philistines returned it, they had it for seven months. The people took it to Kiriath Jearim (Baalah of Judah), a Levitical town. It stayed there for twenty years. It is hard to say if the Ark and the rest of the Tabernacle were together at this time, but it did not go back to Shiloh. This is a serious separation. No, sacrificing near the presence of God.
  • David puts it on a new cart (like the Philistines) and tries to move it to Jerusalem. A priest dies and it goes to the house of Obed-Edom for three months. The question here is did anyone know the correct way to transport the Ark? The priest and Levites seemed to agree and go along with this improper way of honoring God.
  • David pitches a tent for the Ark in Jerusalem, and it stays there until Solomon moves it into the Temple.
  • Through good kings and bad, the Ark stays in the Temple. 2 Chronicles 35:3 is the last mention of the physical Ark I can find. Josiah is telling the Levites to stop carrying it around Jerusalem and teach the people. Treasures had been removed by several invading countries, and kings have used the Temple’s treasures to buy off bully nations, but no one touched the Ark. You have to wonder if the seven months in the land of the Philistines had something to do with it?
  • Jeremiah 3:16 is the last mention of the Ark of the Covenant in the Old Testament timeline. It actually is a promise from God to the people about not needing it. The last part of the verse, to me, is strange- “nor will another one be made”. Bible translations seem to be split on how to handle this verse. Many infer that seeking the Ark won’t happen. (There are legends that Solomon may have made a copy.) It is assumed that Jeremiah, a priest, removed the Ark from the Holy of Holies and hid it or carried it off.

The shadows that these movements and events create are complex. The symbol of the triune God in the hands of the Philistines is very unnerving. I could see links to Jesus’ life and sacrifice here. The roughly 400 years of silence in scripture about the Ark also leaves many questions. I will take for granted that the priest still carried out their duties, but did the people join them? Hezekiah and Josiah both had “cleaning out the Temple” and “finding the Book of the Law” moments, so it seems that the priest had lapses in doing what was right.

Simple links and comparisons of the chest of the Ark to Jesus may be few. I know this study has challenged me to see and seek God are more insight into this mystery.

Shadow-Protection 

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Shadow is a metaphor for protection in many verses of the Bible. As I have mused on these verses, it is God who is doing the protecting and His people are what is being protected. Shadow and shade are not the only ideas we need to look at for the area of protecting someone. We will add the words pillar and cloud to expand the study. 

Pillar of Cloud and Clouds 

Okay, I will touch on these as two different things, but the cloud will not just produce shade but protect you from the glory of God. Wait a minute, shadows are produced by solid objects, and clouds are not solid! This is true, the blocking ability of clouds is in the billions of waterdrops that scatter the light rays from being able to get through them in a straight line. The darker the appearance of the cloud is due to how dense the droplets are in it. “Silver-linings” are from this light-scattering property. 

Many references to clouds are part of a story where the glory of God is involved. From Exodus 13 through Deuteronomy 31 “a cloud” and the “pillar of cloud” are usually the same thing if they are talking about God interacting with people. In Samuel, just a cloud is covering things or hiding the glory. The “pillar” that led the Children is not mentioned past Deuteronomy except in Nehemiah 9 when he is used it to show the faithfulness of God. Did the pillar of cloud go past the Jordan? Isaiah 4:5-6 does describe what my paradigm of the pillar of cloud did for those forty years. In Psalm 99:7, a function of the pillar is told of how and when Moses spoke with God.  

What did the cloud by day and the fire by night look like? I recently saw a drawing where the “pillar” was a narrow thing that only stood over the Tent that housed the Ark. Many of the references in Exodus may lend weight to this idea. I always had the idea that the “cloud” provided shade for the camp during the day and light and warmth at night. I had hoped that Balaam (Numbers 23) or Rahab (Joshua 2) said something about the pillar and cloud, but they did not, so for now I will hold on to both of those ideas. 

Shadow Of 

In the NIV “shadow of” followed by “His wings, His hand, and the Almighty” is found in seven verses. His hand is found in Isaiah 49:2 and 51:16. God’s hand was protecting Isaiah as part of him doing his ministry. I believe the other five have a connection to the Exodus. 

The “shadow of His wings” puzzled me. I just never thought of the Father as having or needing wings. More metaphors, possibly? In studying the Ark, the Mercy Seat or lid to the box offered a better picture. The two angels that are part of the lid were made to spread their wings over the Mercy Seat, which was sprinkled with blood and where God talked to Moses from. Being in the shadow of those wings would put you at the mercy of God. The shadow would be greater if the wings spread out horizontally and not vertically (Exodus 25:17-22). A Google search of the Mercy Seat shows the artist making the wings in both directions. I like that picture of being in the shadow protected while resting on His mercy. 

I believe Moses wrote Psalm 91 as a singing lesson to teach the Children in the wilderness. Verse one is the first visual as they lived under the cloud of the Almighty. The rest of that psalm could be connected with many of the things that happened as Israel left Egypt. 

Study work-connect the verses of Psalm 91 to events in the Exodus. 

Shadow-Metaphor 

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Shadow as an idea or a real thing is used in the Bible and literature, especially poetry, as a metaphor. In Psalms, we may “hide (or rest) in the shadow of the Almighty” and know we are protected, or the Law and the earthly Ark are but shadows of better things (Hebrews). So, when you read passages and stories you have to read things in the context of what the writer is saying. 

Good or Bad 

Like knowledge or wine/grapes, a shadow may be a good thing or a bad thing. We can hide in the shadow of God’s wings, or someone can shoot arrows at us from the shadows (hiding). In the Lord of the Rings, Frodo was passing into the shadows or shadowland after he was stabbed. On a hot day, who does not like to sit in the shadow (shade) of a tree or umbrella?  

Luke 13:19 is the story of a mustard seed (Kingdom of God) growing into a tree and birds using its shade (shadow) to nest in. In this story, the shade is good because it represents the Kingdom, but those birds (usually a metaphor for bad things) are taking advantage of the Kingdom and raising things that will just use the Kingdom.  

The Ancients 

Moses, David, and Jesus (the Holy Spirit) all used shadow as a metaphor in their teachings and writings; it has been around for a very long time. (Use the sites below as a learning tool, I did. I just may not agree with everything they wrote.) I enjoy looking at the roots and early thoughts of words and ideas, it is how our “box” was formed so we can think outside of it. 

A shadow is a place of separation. It can separate light from dark and thus became a divider for good and evil. The shade also becomes a symbol of protection because of His hand, wings, or Himself. 

In the NIV shadow is used in forty-four verses, some things the KJV (60+ times) would call shadow, it uses darkness. Other translations have varying numbers of verses that use shadow. To be fair you might have to search shade or even cover to find verses that you want.  

WORD STUDY – THE SHADOW OF HIS WINGS – בצל כנפיכ | Chaim Bentorah  

Tselem: Being IMAGE bearers – Hebrew Word Lessons 

Bible 911-Psalm 91:1

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Psalm 91:1 (KJV) He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

This Psalm and verse has been a comfort to people in trouble for a long time. It took on a new roll when the terrorist attacked New York on 9/11. I know, I say a version of verse 5 and 6 when I go out in public because of the pandemic.

I view Psalms 90-100 (Book IV) as having been written by Moses. I can see teaching and encouragement in these psalms for a people who have come out of Egypt and years of bondage. Putting a psalm into a scriptural context helps me see the Father better and how He deals with us. This psalm could have been written after the Amalekite attack in Exodus 17.

For this Bible 911 series I focused on the “secret place” and the “shadow of the Almighty”. I believe the “shadow” refers to the pillar of cloud that shaded the Children during their forty years of wandering in a very hot desert. The secret place of the Most High God could be His Mercy Seat, that is part of the Ark. It was here that Aaron would put the blood of the sacrifice to roll back judgment for another year. The heavenly one is where Jesus put His blood when He finished His work and went to the Father.

The Ark-Almonds

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What do almonds have to do with the Ark of the Covenant Law? There are two connections, Aaron’s staff, and the Menorah or the Golden Lamp.

Numbers 17 tells the tale of God having had enough of the grumbling against Aaron and Moses (vs. 5). Aaron’s staff had leaves, flowers, and fruit of the almond tree on it. This was the sign that God had chosen him to be the leader. The staff was to be put back into the Ark as a sign for Israel.

Numbers 11 to 16 are part of the ten test times that Israel tested God. The story of the manna and the quail, the spies returning and complaining about the land. (I think the people planned to take everyone back to Egypt and conquer the nation. They were not going back as slaves.) The two that directly affect the staff are Miriam and Aaron (Chapter 12) complaining about Moses, and Korah (a close relative of Moses) the Kohath, and Dathan and Abiram (Reubenites or the firstborn) trying to take control of the camp (Chapter 16). By this time, the people had been trained as an army.

Exodus 25 gives the instructions for the making of the Tent of Meeting and the furniture associated with it; Exodus 37 gives the same information, but it seems to be the confirmation that it was done. Details of the Menorah are here. There is much symbolism associated with the branches, bumps, flowers, and lights of this lamp. The simplest truth about the lamp and its artwork is that it is an almond tree. The lamp was to light the area in front of it.

The almond tree is one of the first to bloom in the spring and is used to symbolize someone who is watching over things. The Menorah is a “watcher” that lights the way for those coming to it, or for those who need to see.

Jeremiah 1:11 and 12 is a play on words when Jeremiah sees an almond branch and the Lord says He is “watching over” His words and Jeremiah.

Ecclesiastes 12:5 also has an almond tree that is showing the start of the year and includes a grasshopper dying that represents the end of the growing cycle or season.

Genesis 28:19 has Jacob running from Esau and resting at Luz (Almond Tree) for the night. Because of the dream of the ladder to Heaven, he asks God to watch over him on this journey and take care of him. He then renames the place Bethel or House of God.

Jacob also uses branches of the almond tree in his ritual in Genesis 30:37 of putting peeled limbs into the water. The poplar and plane tree were abundant and very leafy, so the symbolism is possibly more important than the wood. I had read once that experiments had been carried out on this combination of things and nothing was noticed that would account for Jacob’s results.

The only time that the almond nut (not the tree) is the center of attention is in Genesis 43:11 when Jacob sends almonds to the man in Egypt (Joseph).