The Ark of the Covenant and its Contents

"Behind the second veil, the part of the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of All, which had the golden censer and the ark of the covenant overlaid on all sides with gold, in which were the golden pot that had the manna, Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tablets of the covenant; and above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat." (Hebrews 9:3-5)

The “Holiest of All” is the same thing as “The Most Holy Place” or “the Holy of Holies.” Only the High Priest could enter the Holy of Holies and he could only enter it once a year on the Day of Atonement. There was only one piece of furniture in this room – the Ark of the Covenant. It was overlaid with pure gold. Inside the ark were three special items of significance to God’s people –the golden pot that had the manna, Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tablets of the covenant. The jar of manna was a memorial of God’s miraculous provision for the people of Israel during their time in the wilderness. Manna signifies Jesus as the living bread who daily sustains us by his grace. Each day the Israelites had to go out and gather the manna. If they kept it over to the next day it would spoil. So the believer in Jesus needs to feed on Him daily and receive new grace each day. We cannot rely on yesterday’s prayers and time in the word. We must seek the Lord each day and abide in him always.

Aaron’s rod was also inside the Ark. This was Aaron’s rod which had budded overnight to indicate that out of all the tribes, the tribe of Levi and the descendants of Aaron alone were authorized to serve in the Tabernacle. According to Numbers 17 each of the 12 tribes were to place a rod with their name on it before the Lord. The name of Aaron was written on his rod. The next day the one which budded would be the one God had chosen. The reason this was done was to silence the complaints of the people against Aaron and Moses and to prove that Aaron’s authority as High Priest was of God. Aaron’s rod budded, proving that he was the one God had chosen. Aaron's rod that budded also speaks of Jesus. The rod was something that had died and supernaturally came to life again. Jesus died and came to life again on the third day. He also said, "I am the resurrection and the life." 

The last item mentioned that was in the Ark were the two unbroken tablets of the covenant with the Ten Commandments written on them. The unbroken tables of stone set forth Jesus as the One who perfectly kept the Law and never broke God's Commandments. The Bible says that He "committed no sin, nor was deceit found in His mouth."  The Ten Commandments reflect the very character of God and also reveal His will for our lives. He desires that we be like His Son Jesus, who kept the law perfectly. The Ten Commandments show us our sin, our need of a Savior and then they show us the way of life as saved sinners.

The Ark itself was important for it was the place where God especially dwelt and would speak from there. We might say that the Ark was God’s throne on earth. Verse 5 says that above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat. The Ark of the Covenant was where Gods justice and judgment toward sin was satisfied.  It represents the Lord Jesus because he is the Mercy Seat where sin was atoned for. When Jesus died, the veil of the Temple was torn in two. It was the veil to the Holy of Holies, which signified that through the atoning death of Christ the way has now been opened for believers to be ushered into the very presence of God and His throne of grace. God no longer communes with man from between the wings of the cherubim on top of the mercy seat. He communes with man through his Son Jesus Christ. He alone is the propitiation for our sins, the one true Mercy Seat. When we come to God by Him, we have atonement for our sins, we have access to God and we have communion with God.

The Tabernacle was a symbolic sanctuary. It was an outwardly beautiful, sensory experience of worship. But remember, it was all a parable for the true sanctuary and the true worship we are to bring to God in and through Jesus Christ. Today in the church we must not become enamored with the material building of worship and its accouterments. When we make the outward, visible things more important than the things of the Spirit, we are in danger of going back to a form of Judaic religion. The worship of the New Covenant is simple worship of the Father in spirit and truth. Apart from the elements used in the sacraments of baptism and the Lord’s Supper, the worship we engage in today is not focused on earthly things, but on heavenly realities.

In conclusion, the Tabernacle was given by God as a display of grace and truth as it is found in Jesus Christ. Each item in the Tabernacle was a visual aid to show the sinner his true need, to symbolize God’s provision to meet that need, and to point them to the coming Messiah who fulfilled all that it symbolized. Thank God for this symbolic sanctuary. And thank God for the true Tabernacle of God, the person of Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, the Lord of Glory, the true Mercy Seat, the Lamb of God, the Great High Priest, the Way, the Truth and the Life! Come to Jesus today. Worship Him, trust Him, serve Him. "Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom, And strength and honor and glory and blessing!"