CONTENTS OF THE ARK
One of the most intriguing aspects of Biblical history is the ark of the covenant. Theories of where the ark disappeared into abound and various movies and novels reference the lost ark of the covenant. However in the Old Testament times, the ark remained the centerpiece of worship.
Moses was instructed to build the ark,
At that time the LORD said to me, “Chisel out two stone tablets like the first ones and come up to me on the mountain. Also make a wooden ark. I will write on the tablets the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke. Then you are to put them in the ark.” (Deuteronomy 10:1,2)
The ark was built according to the specifications given to Moses and thereafter became the official ‘seat’ of God. The ark carried with it supernatural powers as seen in blessings and curses that came with it depending on who handled it and how it was handled. The ark was the place where God’s answers were sought and when the temple was built, the ark found its place in the innermost holiest place, away from the eyes of men. Suffice to say, before the revelation of Christ, the perfect human representation of God, the ark was the closest to what you could describe as the presence of God. The content of the ark is interesting.
There was nothing in the ark except the two tablets that Moses had placed in it at Horeb,— (2 Chronicles 5:10)
While in Hebrews, there is a mention of the ark also containing a golden jar of manna and Aaron’s staff, the Old testament description of the content is nothing but the stone tablets on which God had inscribed the commandments. Why would God choose the ark to have nothing but the tablets? Why not have multiple objects of worship within it? Because, in my understanding, the content of the ark represents the true intrinsic nature of God.
In Genesis 1 and in John 1, we read that before the beginning of time and of the multi-faceted creation as we see it today, there was nothingness and the word of God- nothing else!
Imagine trying to describe God. Idols would fail, any human representation would fail and words would fail; but when you go to the very core of God, you would find only the Word of God and his nature as described in the Word.
‘In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God’ (John 1:1)
If a disciple wants to truly go deeper and commune with God, he would do well to put away the inputs he receives in his physical senses, inundate his soul with the word of God and in emptiness and nothingness await God’s revelation in the depths of his spirit; because again at the very core of God is nothingness and the Word.
We however, live in a world that is hurtling in the opposite direction. With the explosion of technology and the availability of smart devices in everybody’s pocket, today there is no dearth of information. We have learnt to fill our minds with so much information that it is becoming increasingly difficult for the average person to retreat away from the avalanche of information to the nothingness of the presence of God where his Word dwells.
And the world is poorer because of it. Anxiety and depression rages. The more connected we are, the less intimate our relationships. Being able to think clearly has become a rare relic of the past. And how can we, unless man once again, in nothingness and the pure abundance of God’s word, rediscover his orientation and his creativity!
