Christ in all the scriptures The Ark of the Covenant part 7

 Christ in all the scriptures

The Ark of the Covenant part 7

The ARK OF THE TESTIMONY

"And thou shalt put into the ark the testimony that I shall give thee"    Exodus 25v16; "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"   Exodus 25v21; "And he took and put the testimony into the ark..."  Exodus 40v20; "And after the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of all; which had the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron's rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant; and over it the cherubims of glory overshadowing the mercy seat..." Heb. 9v4-5. 

Here and there, in scripture, we find reference to the contents of the Ark.  These are evidently symbolic of things close to the heart of God, and attention should be given to them.  Taking all references, there are three contents of the Ark: the tables of stone, the golden pot of manna, and the rod of Aaron.   Arguments persist as to whether the last two named were inside the ark or placed beside it.  However no provision is made separately for how these items are to be conveyed during numerous journeys, and it is likely they were kept inside.  Ultimately, only the tables of stone were in the ark when it rested in the temple, according to 1st Kings 8v9.  When the nation entered the land the manna ceased, and by then the Aaronic priesthood was fully accepted.  These three represented important events in the pilgrim nation; the giving of the law-God's righteous standard; the golden pot-God's care and provision all through the wilderness journey; Aaron's rod that bore fruit-God's authority over them.  In these three, the sin of idolatry, the sin of discontentment, and the sin of rebellion were all covered, and in Christ every deficiency is made good.

The tablets of stone   This is the decalogue (the ten commandments) given to Moses in Sinai, but which were broken because of the gross idolatry and immorality of the people.  A second set was given to Moses, written by the finger of God on stone, and these were unbroken and preserved in the ark.  What is the meaning of this?  Israel, as a sample of humanity, broke the law; Christ as the second man fulfilled the law.  The decalogue represented the character of God-Exodus 32v16 "And the tables were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God graven upon the tables"; they were a testimony to the nature and character of God.  The decalogue declares God, what He thinks, and what He is, and what He demands.  No less than 33 times is the word testimony used to describe the Ark.  Indeed, the entire tabernacle is said to be a testimony of God, it was called "the tabernacle of the testimony"-Ex.38v21 and others.  Paul wrote in Romans 7v12 that "the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good."  There is nothing deficient about the law, which portrays the perfection of God, and given to us to regulate society for the good of all.   Exodus 20 itemises it as God's demands on us and our response, in three ways: our attitude to Him, to our earthly parents, and to every human being with whom we are in contact.  Singular devotion and reverence to God; honour to parents; and respect to everyone in our thoughts as well as deeds.  In reality, none of us has reached that level, and so we have all come short of His standard.  Only One fulfilled the law to the letter, and so the perfection of God is exonerated in Christ.  The extent to which He did it is revealed in fulfilment of even the jot and tittle of the law-Matthew 5v17-18.  The jot is the smallest letter, the tittle is the tiny inflection that gives a letter emphasis; so not only did Christ fulfil the terms of the law, He fulfilled the very spirit of the law.  The perfection of God was displayed in Christ, and the righteous demands of God are satisfied in an unbroken law.

The golden pot of manna  God rained manna from heaven to nourish His people, during all the 40 years of the wilderness pilgrimage.  Symbolically, He preserved in the ark a golden pot, containing one omer of manna (one man's portion for a day) as a guarantee of His provision until their final destination.  When the manna came down each day, it would degrade if left beyond midday.  The golden pot preserved in the ark ensured constant fresh provision.  For us, Jesus is the living bread, readily available at all times, as is expounded in John chapter 6.

Aaron's rod that budded   The narrative of this is recorded in Numbers 16-17.  The event was a mutiny in the camp against the leadership of Moses and Aaron.  This was no small uprising, instigated by Korah, and involving 250 princes of the people, men who were well known in the camp.  The logic went like this "...all the congregation are holy, every one of them, wherefore then lift ye yourselves above the congregation of the Lord?"  Nobody can argue with the first statement-each of God's people have equal standing before the Lord.  However the second does not follow, for God has appointed leaders as it has pleased Him, and Israel must accept their appointment.  The rest of the narrative reveals how serious this rebellion was.  This was a challenge to God's authority in the congregation.  They were ordered to take one rod for every tribe, the names of the tribe to be written on each and the name of Aaron on the rod of Levi.  Only the rod of Aaron budded, a miraculous sign from God that Aaron was the choice of God as the High Priest in the congregation.  The rod that budded (Aaron's rod) was placed in the ark as a continual reminder that God is Lord in the camp and He chooses the leaders.  The New Testament is replete with this, and the following is a reminder to all of us who rules in the house of God.

1st Corinthians 12v4-5 "Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.  And there are differences of administrations but the same Lord.  And there are diversities of operations but it is the same God which worketh all in all".

1st Corinthians 12v18 "But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body as it has pleased Him."

1st Corinthians 12v28 "And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that..."

Ephesians 4v11-12 "And He (Christ) gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some evangelists, and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ."

1st Timothy chapter 3 cites suitably qualified overseers and deacons to regulate behaviour in the house of God, church of the living God.  Other portions, like Heb. 13, Titus 1, and 1st Peter  5 indicate a structure which is appointed by God for the good order of the whole.  There are no longer apostles to appoint leaders, all who put themselves forward as overseers, today, are self- appointed, and as such need to observe both their fitness and ability for the work.  God rules in His house and these matters are best left to Him.  Opposition to leaders may be opposition to God, so care must be taken.  

In Christ, God's honour is preserved; His people are nourished; His authority is established. 

He is the perfect testimony of God!