Exodus 25:10 – 16 “And they are to construct an ark of acacia wood, two and a half cubits long, a cubit and a half wide, and a cubit and a half high. Overlay it with pure gold both inside and out, and make a gold molding around it. Cast four gold rings for it and fasten them to its four feet, two rings on one side and two on the other. And make poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. Insert the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark, in order to carry it. The poles are to remain in the rings of the ark; they must not be removed. And put into the ark the Testimony, which I will give you.”
It was June 12, 1981, and a new adventure movie was being released in more than a thousand theaters across America. When the movie “Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark” hit the screens, it immediately became wildly popular. The movie had everything going for it – lots of action, exhilarating music, and a fascinating plot. The movie was based around Indiana Jones, a mild – mannered college professor who was actually a rock’em sock’em treasure hunter. The story claimed to take place in the 1930’s during the rise of Hitler at a time when the Germans were searching for any means possible to gain power, including spiritual power. The Ark of the Covenant had been lost when the temple of Jerusalem was destroyed; however, it had been hidden for centuries. Now the race was on to find the Ark and to keep it, assuming that whoever had the Ark would be able to tap into the power of God. But what was the Ark in the first place?
When God gave instructions to Moses as to how to construct the Ark, He was extremely specific. The Ark was to become the symbol of God’s Presence with His people; therefore, the Ark needed to be beautifully made. Acacia was one of the trees that grew in the desert. The wood was quite hard and durable. Today, a standard cubit is generally considered to be 18 inches. The dimensions of the Ark would then be 45 inches long by 27 inches wide by 27 inches high.
“Overlay it with pure gold both inside and out, and make a gold molding around it.” That Egyptian gold was put to good use. Historically, gold was a symbol of royalty and of purity because it had to be refined in a fire to be of any use.
“Cast four gold rings for it and fasten them to its four feet, two rings on one side and two on the other. And make poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. The poles are to remain in the rings of the ark; they must not be removed.”
God wanted the Israelites to understand that the Ark was so holy that nobody was to touch it and nobody was to become curious and to peek into it. (When curious people in the movie open the Ark, they immediately age and disintegrate into ashes.) The Ark was always to be carried using these poles so that nobody had to touch the Ark. Notice that even the carrying poles were to be overlaid with pure gold.
Later in King David’s time, the Ark had been carried away by the Philistines, and then was subsequently sent back. A man named Abinadab kept the Ark at his house. David ordered the Ark to be returned to Jerusalem; however, it was loaded onto a cart, rather than being carried by the priests as it should have been. When the oxen pulling the cart stumbled, one man named Uzzah was struck dead when he touched the Ark with his hand. (2 Samuel 6:3-8) It was only when David later ordered the priests to carry the Ark setting the poles on their shoulders that the Ark was brought safely to Jerusalem.
“And put into the ark the Testimony, which I will give you.” God was about to give Moses the Ten Commandments on tablets of stone that would be permanent records of His Law. Throughout the Middle East it was quite common for important laws to be chiseled into stone. God wanted to make sure that His people would realize just how valuable and how important His commands were.
APPLICATION: Indiana Jones wanted to save the Ark from falling into the wrong hands, both because it was precious and also because it was holy. (Incidentally, the concept of the movie was not that far – fetched. During the build – up to World War II, the Germans really were looking for any sources of spiritual power possible.) Those searching for the Ark did not realize that God’s power still resided in the Ark just as it had in the time of King David. The evil doers who were trying to capture the Ark had no idea that they could not possibly use the Ark for their own schemes.
1 Samuel 5 tells the story of what happened to the Philistines when they captured the Ark. The Philistines brought the Ark to the temple of Dagon in Ashdod. The next morning, the statue of Dagon had fallen forward on its face in worship towards the Ark. When the Philistines set the statue of Dagon back up, the following day, the statue had fallen again. This time the head and hands of the statue lay broken on the threshold of the temple while only the torso remained. Then God sent plagues on the Philistines as they moved the Ark from one city to the next. (This might have truly been bubonic plague.) Finally, the Philistines placed the Ark on a new cart with two milk cows whose calves remained tied up. In the cart the Philistines placed golden images of 5 rats and 5 “tumors” (huge masses of lymphatic tissue in the groin) to signify the plague that had attacked them. When the cows were set free, they headed straight to Israel, lowing as they went, but obviously compelled by God to leave their calves and to head for a strange place.
The Ark was to be the symbol of God’s presence with His people. We are not supposed to worship idols; however, there are those things that symbolize God that help remind us of His Holiness and His Worthiness to be worshiped. Each of us may honor God a little differently; however, we must find ways to acknowledge him as Lord of our lives. Ask God how He would have you honor Him in your own life.
PRAYER: Father God, please give us such a vision of Your Holiness that we will honor You at all times. Thank you for loving us and for caring for us. We bless Your mighty Name. And help us to follow hard after You all the days of our lives. In the matchless Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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