Israel made the Ark of God after the Children reached Mt. Sinai. It took until the end of that year to finish it and the rest of the Tabernacle. Moses received the plans while being in God’s presence. He viewed the real things that were in heaven. It was the center of the camp of Israel for forty years. They housed the Ark in a special tent that held other sacred objects for the worship and honoring of God. A wall of “curtains” that also housed an altar for burnt sacrifices and offerings surrounded this tent. The tents of Aaron and the other Levite families, which were protected by the Tribes of Israel, circled all of this. The layout of the camp and the order they followed the Ark when the pillar of fire moved seemed to be arranged by birth order (who the mother was) and the size of the tribe.
The Ark is three distinct things that are known as the Ark. The three components are the Mercy Seat or the Atonement Cover, the Ark or box, and the Poles. I have no problem with the symbolism of this representing the Trinity-the Cover is the Father, the Box is Jesus, and the Poles are the Holy Spirit. The three parts are distinct in their functions but equal to the Ark of God, which represents God’s presence here on earth.
Because this holy object went missing at the time of Jeremiah and the fall of Jerusalem, myth and legend have become associated with it. They have made many documentaries about it that explore where it could be. There is a genuine artifact that is housed and guarded in Ethiopia. There are researchers who claim they saw it under the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. Others have assigned the Ark of God as being a receiver for cosmic messages or made fictional movies about the fantastic powers it could unleash. Rant-If it is a receiver, the message will be “go read my Book and believe in My Son”. If you want power; accept Jesus as Lord and be baptized with the Holy Spirit, then walk in His way!
This study started during Easter because of the tomb and the two angels sitting on the slab where Jesus was laid before He rose from the dead. That symbolized the Mercy Seat and the blood offering that was put on it during the Feast of Atonement. This makes you wonder if the real tomb faced east? Other questions that you will not find answers to (this list is not complete).
- Was the Ark always covered when they moved it?
- Did Samuel, as a boy, sleep near the Ark?
- Why were they always taking it into battle?
- How long were the poles?
- The actual weight of the gold that was in and on the Ark.
- How thick were the boards of the side of the Ark?
- Where and when did Aaron’s rod and the manna get removed from the Ark?
- Which direction did they carry the from-long sides or short sides?
- How many men carried the Ark-4, 8, or 12?
This site supplies some good possible answers.
A reason we are not shown everything. Because God is a mystery.
A work assignment-compare and contrast Noah’s ark and Moses’ basket with the Ark of the Covenant.
Mark's Bible Study 