Scripture Reading: Exo. 25:10-22
The ark occupies a very important place in the Bible. When God ordered Moses to build the tabernacle, the ark was the first thing that was mentioned. On the day the tabernacle was erected, the altar for the burnt offering and the laver were in the outer court, and the lampstand, the table, the showbread, and the golden incense altar were in the Holy Place. But in the Holy of Holies there was only the ark (Exo. 40:17-33). God met with man upon the ark and spoke with man from the midst of the cherubim upon the mercy seat on the ark. Hence, the ark is the center of the tabernacle, and it occupies a very important position.
Let us first consider the name of the ark. In Exodus, it is called the ark of the testimony; it does not say the ark of the covenant. The ark of the testimony means that God's testimony was among the Israelites. Wherever the ark was, God was there also. The presence of the ark proved the presence of God's law. In Numbers, the ark is given another name, "the ark of the covenant" (10:33; 14:44). This means that the ark was related to the covenant. Wherever the ark was, the covenant was there also. In 1 Samuel, we see another name, "the ark of God" (4:11, 13, 17, 19, 21-22). Wherever the ark was, God was there also. The ark represented God. When the ark was with the people, it meant that God was with His people.
What does the ark typify? The ark typifies the Lord Jesus. The ark was within the tabernacle, which typifies that God is with man. The coming of the Lord Jesus is the presence of God among men. He is Emmanuel (Matt. 1:23). Wherever He went, God was there. In the Old Testament, the ark was in the Holy of Holies. Today Christ is in the heavenly Holy of Holies (Heb. 8:1-2). When God ordered the Israelites to make the tabernacle, the first thing He mentioned was the ark. This signifies that the Lord is the center of everything. The ark was built with acacia wood and covered with gold within and without. Acacia wood is a very hard wood; it typifies the humanity of the Lord. Gold in the Bible signifies God's righteousness, glory, and all His attributes. Hence, gold typifies the Lord's divinity. The Lord Jesus is both God and man. With Him there is both divinity and humanity.
Upon the ark, which was two and a half cubits by one and a half cubits by one and a half cubits, there was a mercy seat. The mercy seat covered the ark and was made of pure gold. Its length and width were the same as the ark. Two cherubim wrought of gold were placed on the two ends of the mercy seat. They stretched their wings and covered the mercy seat. The cherubim had their faces toward each other and were over the mercy seat. (Cherubim signify the manifestation of God's glory — Ezek. 9:3; Heb. 9:5.) God told Moses: "And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel" (Exo. 25:22). From then on, God directed the Israelites in their walk and work from the place of the ark. The mercy seat in the Old Testament signifies the place that God dispenses His grace. In the New Testament, all of God's grace is dispensed to us through Christ. Leviticus 16 tells us that the high priest brought the blood of animals into the Holy of Holies every year on the seventh month when he offered up the sacrifice of the sin offering and sprinkled blood upon the mercy seat. In the same way, the Lord accomplished redemption, and His blood declares before God that the work of redemption is finished and that God must forgive our sins. Simply put, the ark typifies Christ; it typifies God's dispensing grace to us through Christ. When we have Christ, we have God's presence, and through Christ, we receive God's leading.
There were four golden rings upon the four feet of the ark, and two staves made of acacia wood and overlaid with gold were placed through the rings in order to carry the ark. The staves were to be inside the rings all the time and were not to be taken out. This meant that the ark could be moved at any time. This shows us two functions of the ark. On the one hand, it was the center of worship to God. The ark was placed in the Holy of Holies, which was the place where God met with man. In order to worship God, one had to go to the ark. Without the ark, there could be no worship. On the other hand, the ark was the direction to God's people. When the ark moved forward, the people followed (Num. 10:33; Josh. 3:3). The Israelites could not go as they pleased. They could only go where the ark directed them to go. This shows us that Christ is the One who directs us to the proper way.
How was the ark carried? Numbers 4:5-6 says, "And when the camp is to set out, Aaron and his sons shall go in and take down the veil of the screen, and cover the ark of the testimony with it; then they shall put a covering of porpoise skin over it, and spread over that a cloth all of blue, and they shall place its poles in it." Every time the ark was about to move, three things covered it. First, the veil that separated the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies was taken down and laid on it. Second, a covering of porpoise skin was used to cover it. Third, a cloth all of blue was used to cover it. The moving of the ark signifies the time for the proclamation of Christ. The veil signifies the body of Christ (Heb. 10:20). Now the veil is rent, which means that the Christ we proclaim has become an approachable Lord. The ark was also covered with porpoise skin. Porpoise skin looks ugly on the outside. This signifies the Lord's humiliation and rejection. The ark was also covered with a cloth all of blue. In the Bible, white signifies righteousness, gold signifies glory and anything divine, purple signifies authority, while blue signifies heavenliness, because the sky is blue. This shows us that the Christ we follow is, on the one hand, outwardly uncomely like the porpoise skin; He was rejected by men. But on the other hand, He was like a cloth all of blue, heavenly and acceptable to God. In short, the Christ we proclaim is an approachable Lord, a rejected Lord, yet a Christ who is acceptable to God.
Let us consider the history of the ark a little. This shows us the relationship between the ark and the Israelites, and from it we can find the relationship between Christ and us.
How did the Israelites cross the river Jordan when they were about to enter Canaan? Joshua 3:10-17 says, "And Joshua said, Hereby ye shall know that the living God is among you....Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth passeth over before you into Jordan....And it shall come to pass, as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests that bear the ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of Jordan, that the waters of Jordan shall be cut off from the waters that come down from above; and they shall stand upon a heap. And it came to pass, when the people removed from their tents, to pass over Jordan, and the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people; and as they that bare the ark were come unto Jordan, and the feet of the priests that bare the ark were dipped in the brim of the water, (for Jordan overfloweth all his banks all the time of harvest,) that the waters which came down from above stood and rose up upon a heap very far from the city Adam, that is beside Zaretan; and those that came down toward the sea of the plain, even the salt sea, failed, and were cut off: and the people passed over right against Jericho. And the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firm on dry ground in the midst of Jordan, and all the Israelites passed over on dry ground, until all the people were passed clean over Jordan." This passage of the Scripture tells us how the ark led the Israelites into Canaan. The first thing that went into the water was the ark, and the ark was the last thing that came out of the water. This shows us that a power greater than death was leading the Israelites safely across Jordan to the bank on the other side. Our death and resurrection with the Lord is like the Israelites crossing the Jordan; the ark is there taking the lead ahead of us.
After the Israelites entered Canaan and when the warfare was over, the whole congregation gathered in Shiloh and erected the tabernacle (Josh. 18:1). When Eli the priest was old, his two sons were evil and did not know the Lord; yet they were taking over the work of the priest. Eli could do nothing about them because he honored his sons more than the Lord. Later a man of God prophesied: "And thou shalt see an enemy in my habitation in all the wealth which God shall give Israel" (1 Sam. 2:32). This means that God would forsake the tabernacle. "And the word of the Lord was precious in those days; there was no open vision. And it came to pass at that time, when Eli was laid down in his place, and his eyes began to wax dim, that he could not see; and ere the lamp of God went out in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was, and Samuel was laid down to sleep; that the Lord called Samuel" (3:1-4). Although the lamp of God, which was in the temple of Lord where the ark was located, had not gone completely out and although the tabernacle was the same outwardly, God's presence was about to depart. At that time, God no longer called Eli, He called Samuel. He did not convey His word to Eli but to Samuel. From that time on, Eli was put aside, and God chose a child, Samuel, to be His prophet (v. 20).
Soon after this, the ark left the tabernacle in Shiloh. First Samuel 4:3 says, "And when the people were come into the camp, the elders of Israel said, Wherefore hath the Lord smitten us today before the Philistines? Let us fetch the ark of the covenant of the Lord out of Shiloh unto us, that, when it cometh among us, it may save us out of the hand of our enemies." The Israelites went to war with the Philistines and lost, and they thought they could avert their defeat if they brought out the ark. God's tabernacle was in Shiloh, and they carried the ark from Shiloh to their camp and shouted with a great shout (v. 5). But what was the result? "And the Philistines fought, and Israel was smitten, and they fled every man into his tent: and there was a very great slaughter; for there fell of Israel thirty thousand footmen. And the ark of God was taken; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were slain" (vv. 10-11). When these men were in peril, they tried to utilize the ark. But in the end, even the ark was captured. They thought that God would surely help them when the ark was in their midst, that God would surely not forsake His ark. But God did not do this. He allowed them to be defeated and the ark to be carried away. How serious this is! If anyone thinks that by proclaiming, "I have God" or "I come in the name of the Lord," they can overcome, they are making the same mistake as the Israelites. The Israelites were defeated before the Philistines because they did not deal with their sins. They did not realize that there could be no victory unless sin was first dealt with. They had forgotten the fact that they had rebelled against God, and they thought they would be victorious by clinging to the ark. They were wrong. God's ark cannot be used this way. We must forever remember that the flesh can never exploit spiritual things. The name of Christ can never be exploited by the flesh. If anyone tries to exploit spiritual things or use the name of the Lord in vain, the result will be total failure. The Israelites tried to exploit God's ark. They did not realize that God's glory had left Israel already. God allowed the ark to be taken away. We must remember that God's glory did not leave the tabernacle in Shiloh as a result of the ark being captured. God left the tabernacle in Shiloh first, and then the ark was captured later (Psa. 78:60-61). Once God's ark left the tabernacle in Shiloh, it never went back to Shiloh again!
What happened after the ark was taken to the land of the Philistines? The ark was well able to protect itself. First Samuel 5 says, "And the Philistines took the ark of God, and brought it from Ebenezer unto Ashdod. When the Philistines took the ark of God, they brought it into the house of Dagon, and set it by Dagon. And when they of Ashdod arose early on the morrow, behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to the earth before the ark of the Lord. And they took Dagon, and set him in his place again. And when they arose early on the morrow morning, behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to the ground before the ark of the Lord; and the head of Dagon and both the palms of his hands were cut off upon the threshold; only the stump of Dagon was left to him....But the hand of the Lord was heavy upon them of Ashdod, and he destroyed them, and smote them with emerods, even Ashdod and the coasts thereof" (vv. 1-6). The men of Ashdod were afraid and gathered together the lords of the Philistines and asked what they should do. They decided to send the ark of the God of Israel to Gath. But after the ark arrived there, everyone in the city, both great and small, had emerods, and so they sent the ark of God to Ekron. The Ekronites cried out saying, "They have brought about the ark of the God of Israel to us, to slay us and our people" (v. 10). They sent and gathered together all the lords of the Philistines and asked that the ark of Jehovah be sent back to its own place. The ark of the Lord was in the land of the Philistines for seven months. How did they send the ark of the God of Israel back? Chapter six tells us that the priests and diviners among the Philistines came up with a new way. They made a new cart and took two milk cows, on which there had come no yoke, tied the cows to the cart, brought their calves home from them, and put the ark of the Lord on the cart. They also prepared gifts for a trespass offering, five golden mice and five golden emerods, and put them on the cart. They said, "See, if it goeth up by the way of his own coast to Bethshemesh, then he hath done us this great evil: but if not, then we shall know that it is not his hand that smote us; it was a chance that happened to us" (v. 9). The amazing thing was that the cart went straight on until it stopped at a place called Bethshemesh. The lords of the Philistines were subdued. This is why we say that the ark was well able to protect itself.
What happened after the ark reached Bethshemesh? "And they of Bethshemesh were reaping their wheat harvest in the valley: and they lifted up their eyes, and saw the ark, and rejoiced to see it" (v. 13). But following this, a tragic thing happened. "And he [Jehovah] smote the men of Bethshemesh, because they had looked into the ark of the Lord, even he smote of the people fifty thousand and threescore and ten men: and the people lamented, because the Lord had smitten many of the people with a great slaughter. And the men of Bethshemesh said, Who is able to stand before this holy Lord God? and to whom shall he go up from us? And they sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kirjathjearim, saying, The Philistines have brought again the ark of the Lord; come ye down, and fetch it up to you" (vv. 9-21). The presence of Christ is a blessing, but a man must also be holy in His sight. The men of Bethshemesh looked into the ark of the Lord and did not have a fear of the Lord. Hence, God smote them. After they were smitten, they did not want the ark anymore. Rather than dealing with the reason for being smitten, they decided instead to reject the Lord's presence. What a pity this is!
What was the attitude of the men of Kirjathjearim towards the ark? "And the men of Kirjathjearim came, and fetched up the ark of the Lord, and brought it into the house of Abinadab in the hill, and sanctified Eleazar his son to keep the ark of the Lord. And it came to pass, while the ark abode in Kirjathjearim, that the time was long; for it was twenty years: and all the house of Israel lamented after the Lord" (7:1-2). The ark came out of Shiloh, yet it never went back to Shiloh. It was in the house of Abinadab in Kirjathjearim for twenty years. In Shiloh there was the tabernacle, but there was no ark. How empty Shiloh was! Now the house of Abinadab had the Lord's presence. Brothers and sisters, the ark would never return to Shiloh again. The question now is: Are we like the men of Bethshemesh who feared the Lord's presence, or are we like the men of Kirjathjearim who welcomed His presence?
After twenty years, David was raised up as king. Once he came to the throne, he ordered that the ark be taken to Jerusalem. First Chronicles 13:1-3 says, "And David consulted with the captains of thousands and hundreds, and with every leader...let us bring again the ark of our God to us: for we inquired not at it in the days of Saul." It was right and good for David to try to bring the ark to Jerusalem. But what did they do? "And they set the ark of God upon a new cart, and brought it out of the house of Abinadab that was in Gibeah: and Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, drave the new cart....And David and all the house of Israel played before the Lord on all manner of instruments made of fir wood, even on harps, and on psalteries, and on timbrels, and on cornets, and on cymbals" (2 Sam. 6:3, 5). In the midst of such rejoicing, something tragic unexpectedly happened. "And when they came to Nachon's threshingfloor, Uzzah put forth his hand to the ark of God, and took hold of it; for the oxen shook it. And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah, and God smote him there for his error; and there he died by the ark of God....And David was afraid of the Lord that day, and said, How shall the ark of the Lord come to me? So David would not remove the ark of the Lord unto him into the city of David: but David carried it aside into the house of Obededom the Gittite. And the ark of the Lord continued in the house of Obededom the Gittite three months: and the Lord blessed Obededom, and all his household" (vv. 6-11). Rather than investigating the reason that the oxen were shaken, David rejected the ark from the city of David just because Uzzah was smitten. Yet the house of Obededom welcomed the ark, and his household was blessed. Brothers and sisters, are we going to forsake the Lord's presence as soon as we suffer God's dealings? Or are we going to welcome His presence like the household of Obededom?
David was wrong because He intended to move the ark of God to Jerusalem and discussed it with the captains of thousands and hundreds, but he did not search into the law for the proper way to move the ark. According to Numbers 4:4-15, the ark was to be carried by the Levites. God did not order the ark to be drawn by a cart. The cart with the oxen was a method copied from the Philistines. God did not blame the Philistines for their ignorance, but He would not allow David to ignore God's command and follow the way of the Philistines. This shows us that any zeal for God that is according to a new method not found in the Bible or according to a novel way apart from God's will can never last and will eventually bring in disaster. At the beginning, the playing was exciting, and many people were there. But after a while, everything stopped. God takes no pleasure in temporary excitement. He will not allow the flesh to touch anything that He has ordained for individuals as well as for the church. He will not allow man to alter any of His arrangements. Uzzah probably put forth his hand to stop the ark of God from falling because he loved the ark and was zealous for it. But God was not pleased. He did not allow Uzzah to touch the ark with his fleshly hands. In other words, God did not allow man to uphold errors with fleshly hands. Perhaps you think that your idea is better than God's ways. But God will not allow you to change anything. You can only work according to God's design. Otherwise, you will see nothing except God's judgment. Perhaps some will say that many people in the church are replacing God's will with fleshly ways. Why is it that God has not judged them? We must say with fear and trembling that it is either because the time has not come or because the ark has left them! We should not despise God just because of His forbearance and endurance.
David did not know why God smote Uzzah. He was afraid to move the ark to Jerusalem. Yet while the ark was in the house of Obededom, God blessed Obededom and his household. When someone told David about this, he happily moved the ark of God from the house of Obededom to the city of David (2 Sam. 6:12; 1 Chron. 15:25). This time it was different. In his preparation David ordered: "None ought to carry the ark of God but the Levites: for them hath the Lord chosen to carry the ark of God, and to minister unto him for ever" (1 Chron. 15:2). He had learned the lesson. In the past, he thought he could do what the Philistines did. Now he knew that God's service had to be done according to God's pattern and not according to man's pattern. Now the Levites carried the ark. As a result, "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 when David had made an end of offering the burnt offerings and the peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord" (16:1-2).
There was still another story related to the ark. First Kings 3:4 says, "And the king [Solomon] went to Gibeon to sacrifice there; for that was the great high place: a thousand burnt offerings did Solomon offer upon that altar." On the night after the offering, Jehovah appeared to Solomon in a dream. He prayed for wisdom, and the Lord granted his request; He even gave him what he did not ask for. When he woke from his dream, what did he immediately do? "And he came to Jerusalem, and stood before the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and offered up burnt offerings, and offered peace offerings, and made a feast to all his servants" (v. 15). Read again this account in 2 Chronicles 1:3-4: "So Solomon, and all the congregation with him, went to the high place that was at Gibeon; for there was the tabernacle of the congregation of God, which Moses the servant of the Lord had made in the wilderness. But the ark of God had David brought up from Kirjathjearim to the place which David had prepared for it: for he had pitched a tent for it at Jerusalem." At that time, the tabernacle was in Gibeon, but the ark was not there anymore. While the tabernacle was in Gibeon, the ark was in Jerusalem. Therefore, after Solomon received wisdom, the first thing he did was to return to Jerusalem and offer sacrifices before the ark. He no longer offered sacrifices in Gibeon. This was a great turn in Solomon. Outwardly speaking, the tabernacle, the altar, the laver, the lampstand, the table with the showbread, and the golden incense altar were at Shiloh. But the ark was not there. (The tabernacle in Gibeon was the same tabernacle that was in Shiloh, because 2 Chronicles 1:3 clearly says that the tabernacle in Gibeon "was the tabernacle of the congregation of God, which Moses the servant of the Lord had made in the wilderness.") Man thinks that it does not mean much to be without the ark. Yet the ark represents the presence of God, and without His presence, His heart cannot be satisfied even if everything else is good. Neither will our hearts be satisfied. Before Solomon received the Lord's revelation, he did not realize the importance of the ark. But after he received the Lord's revelation, he was enlightened and realized that the Lord's presence was more precious that anything else, and he returned to Jerusalem and offered sacrifices before the ark of the Lord. In Gibeon he only offered burnt offerings, but in Jerusalem he offered both burnt offerings and peace offerings and prepared a feast for all his servants. True worship is a worship that is before the Lord. True fellowship is a fellowship that is before the Lord, and true joy is a joy that is before the Lord. This was Solomon's experience; it is also the experience of many who know the Lord. O ark, precious ark! Those who know You will seek after You and will worship before You. When Solomon finished building the temple, he placed the ark in the temple, and the ark became the center once again in the temple (2 Chron. 5:1-9).
We have seen much of the history of the ark. The purpose for this study is to find out the relationship between Christ and the church. We have seen that the ark represents Christ. When the ark crossed the Jordan, it typified the Lord's death and resurrection. After His death and resurrection, we began to preach Christ, telling men that the veil has been rent and that Christ has opened a new and living way to God for us. We also tell people that He was the despised One, the One typified by the porpoise skin, yet He is now the One with whom God is pleased. He comes forth from God, as typified by the cloth all of blue. We are here to preach a Christ who was despised, who was exalted by God, and who is now glorified before God.
At its beginning, the church indeed preached a heavenly Christ. But even before the age of the apostles was over, changes had crept in. At the time of Paul, some had risen up to preach "a different gospel" (Gal. 1:6). Peter also warned that we should beware of "destructive heresies" (2 Pet. 2:1). John told us that we have to be aware of "the deceiver and the antichrist" (2 John 7). This shows us that there was an adulterating of the Lord's word even at that time. When Constantine rose up, he made Christianity the state religion and made the bishop of Rome the head of the whole church. Originally, the name of Christ was found inside the church only. At this time, it was found outside the church. The ark which was in Shiloh was now in the land of the Philistines. Once God's ark left the tabernacle in Shiloh, it never went back again. Jeremiah 26:6 says, "Then I will make this house like Shiloh, and this city I will make a curse to all the nations of the earth." In other words, although the tabernacle was still in Shiloh, God's ark was gone; His rejection of the tabernacle in Shiloh became certain.
God's children are truly in need of a revelation. They need the revelation of Solomon! God appeared to Solomon and opened his eyes. He gave Solomon a great turn and showed him the preciousness of the ark and the vanity of a tabernacle without the ark. Brothers and sisters, are we for God's ark, or are we for a tabernacle that is void of the ark? Will we choose Christ, or will we choose a Christless religious form? We must consider whether our emphasis and center is Christ or whether we are maintaining a tabernacle in Shiloh which is void of the ark. Man considers the tabernacle in Shiloh precious; they grasp firmly to it. They think that since it was once the house of God, it will always be the house of God. But they are wrong. Jeremiah 7:4 says, "Do not trust in the words of falsehood that say, The temple of Jehovah, the temple of Jehovah, these buildings are the temple of Jehovah." God rebuked the Israelites because they cared for nothing except vain words, saying, "This is the temple of Jehovah," three times. Little did they realize that the temple became the temple of Jehovah because God was the center of the temple. Once God left the temple, the temple became nothing but an ordinary building. Brothers and sisters, the thing we have to treasure is the ark and not the tabernacle because the center of the tabernacle is the ark. The question now is: Is Christ the center, or are we holding onto the tabernacle as an empty shell? Brothers and sisters, if our heart is for Christ, we must look for the place where Christ is the center. We should be at the place where the name of Christ is found. Brothers and sisters, is Christ the center in the place where you are? If He is, we thank and praise the Lord! If He is not, may the Lord open our eyes, and may He turn us back to Jerusalem like Solomon, after he received the revelation to worship before the ark. May the Lord cause us to realize the vanity of our zealous service of the past, and may He bring us into the joy and peace before the ark, so that we can offer genuine service and worship to Him. Brothers and sisters, I earnestly pray that the Lord grants you a revelation of His preciousness, so that you make Him your excellent treasure and your center, offering up the burnt offering to Him, living for Him, and satisfying His heart!
