What Is Inside The Ark Of The Covenant?
(From the #WeirdDarkness episode, “The Alien Abduction of Lynda Jones”: https://weirddarkness.com/alienabductionoflindajones/)
Whenever we hear the word “ancient” before a certain technology, we’ve been conditioned by spectacular movies and TV shows to think of the Ark of the Covenant first—a capacitor of some kind, a power source, or a communicator to talk to ancient aliens. Some even insist it was a powerful weapon of mass destruction. There have also been fantastic, non-canonical claims that beams of light came out of the Ark and destroyed entire armies, although these claims are not found in the Bible. More on that later. The Ark also held the Ten Commandments, but if you read the passages from Hebrews, Exodus, and Numbers, you will understand that this is only part of the story.
The Bible states, ““The first covenant had regulations for worship and also an earthly sanctuary. A tabernacle was set up. In its first room were the lamp stand, the table and the consecrated bread; this was called the Holy Place. Behind the second curtain was a room called the Holy of Holies, which had the golden altar of incense and the gold-covered Ark of the Covenant. This Ark contained the gold jar of manna, Aaron’s staff that had budded, and the stone tablets of the covenant. Above the Ark were the cherubim of the Glory, overshadowing the atonement cover.” (Hebrews 9:1-5)
The book of Exodus states that when Moses climbed Mount Sinai to receive the Law, which he then gave to the Israelites who had recently fled slavery in Egypt, God told him to create an Ark on which His glory might dwell.
Derived from the Greek word for chest, an ark is a container. A covenant is a binding testament, decree, or contract. When the original Hebrew texts were translated into Greek (known today as the Septuagint), translators used these terms. The Ark of the Covenant was meant as a religious symbol representing a contract between God and Israel, not as a technological device or weapon.
The Ark, approximately 2.5 feet high and wide by 4.5 feet long, was constructed from wood overlaid with gold-leaf and carried on two elongated poles inserted into four golden rings mounted to the sides. It was stored in the Holy of Holies—the inner sanctum of the Tabernacle or Tent of Meeting—during the Israelites’ 40 years wandering in the Sinai desert. When the Israelites conquered Canaan, it was installed in a sanctuary at Shiloh and later traveled with King David to Jerusalem, where it was placed in Solomon’s future Temple. This event so inspired David that he “danced before the Lord,” which his wife despised him for.
By 586 BC, it had disappeared from history after the Babylonians destroyed Solomon’s Temple. Its location remains unknown, despite numerous attempts to find it. Some believe it lies in a temple in Ethiopia, taken there by the son of Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. Others think it is hidden in the caves of Qumran, buried beneath the temple mount, or even locked away on Oak Island off Canada’s coast. Most scholars believe it was destroyed, and some doubt it ever existed.
The Ark is most famously known for housing the Ten Commandments. However, Exodus 16 and 25, along with Numbers 17, also mention other items: a gold jar of manna and Aaron’s staff that had budded. The Bible provides more context for these items, emphasizing their religious significance.
The stone tablets with the Ten Commandments represented God’s law, which the people violated. While Moses was on the mountain receiving instructions from God, including a prohibition against idols, the people were worshiping an idol shaped like a calf. Hence, the tablets symbolized their denunciation of God’s law.
The pot of manna symbolized God’s provision. Manna was the bread from heaven that God provided when the Israelites needed food in the desert. It could not be hoarded, teaching the people to trust in God’s daily provision. However, the people eventually complained, longing for the food they had in Egypt, making manna a symbol of their rebellion against God.
Aaron’s rod that budded represented God’s chosen leadership. When the Israelites challenged Aaron’s priesthood, God instructed Moses to have each tribe place a staff in the tent of meeting. The staff that budded would indicate God’s chosen leader. Aaron’s staff budded, reaffirming his leadership.
The Mercy Seat, on top of the Ark, featured two cherubim with wings that met in the middle, looking down at the contents of the Ark. They symbolized the rejection of God’s law, provision, and leadership. On the Day of Atonement, the High Priest would sprinkle the blood of a sacrificed lamb on the Mercy Seat, symbolizing atonement for the people’s sins.
The Ark has become the subject of considerable speculation. Some posit that God enlightened Moses on Mount Sinai with a light radiation emitted from within the Ark, explaining why Moses wore a covering over his face. Others suggest the Ark was a transponder for communication with ancient aliens.
The Ark is said to have given armies courage during battles, and one man is said to have been killed for touching it without being fully consecrated. However, the text suggests Moses’ face was not glowing but that he wore a veil out of shame.
The Ark of the Covenant remains an enigma, possibly waiting to be discovered in its 2,500-year-old tomb. For the Israelites, it was a simple, potent religious symbol reminding them of their relationship with God. It served as inspiration on the battlefield, much like the Crusaders’ cross or any army’s flag. There are no death rays or Indiana Jones-style curses associated with it.
In I Samuel 5, the Philistines captured the Ark and placed it in the temple of their god Dagon. The next day, they found Dagon fallen before the Ark. The Philistines moved the Ark from village to village, but no one wanted it. After seven months, they returned it to the Israelites with a trespass offering.
The Ark of the Covenant has become a legend, with stories and myths surrounding it. However, it remains a religious icon central to Jewish and Christian theology, symbolizing God’s law, provision, and leadership, and the atonement for humanity’s sins.
(“What Is Inside The Ark of the Covenant?” source: Jim Willis, AncientOriginsUnleashed.com: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/4rh6b6my | Photo: ChristianCourier.com)
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