Tom

living out life
2008-01-08 04:57:45 (UTC)

The Ark of the Covenant, part 3

Exactly what was inside the Ark of the Covenant? The book
of Hebrews tells us:

Hebrews 9: 3,4 – Behind the second curtain was a room
called the Most Holy Place 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
budded, and the stone tablets of the covenant (NIV).

1. The golden jar of manna

Exodus 16:1-36
The children of Israel began to complain to Moses and
Aaron that they had nothing to eat. Exodus 16:2 says that
the whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured
against them. God heard the murmuring of the people and
provided quail and bread, or manna. Exodus 16:35 says that
they ate the manna for 40 years. It was as a reminder of
this event that the golden jar of manna was placed inside
of the ark.

Exodus 16: 33,34 – And Moses said unto Aaron, take a pot,
and put an omer full of manna therein, and lay it up
before the Lord, to be kept for your generations. As the
Lord commanded Moses, so Aaron laid it up before the
Testimony to be kept.

2. Aaron’s staff that budded

Numbers 16:1-50, Numbers 17, and Numbers 18:1-7

Numbers 17:41 says that once again all the congregation of
Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron. This time they
were murmuring because of what had happened to a man named
Korah who had led a rebellion against Moses. Moses took a
stand against Korah and all of his supporters. In a show
of his greatness, the Lord opened up the ground and Korah,
his conspirators, their families, and even their tents
were swallowed up into the earth. Also, fire consumed 250
more of his followers that were offering incense.

Even though Korah was wrong, the children of Israel still
complained because so many of the people had been killed.

Numbers 17:41 – But on the morrow all the congregation of
the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against
Aaron, saying, ye have killed the people of the Lord.

Because of this the Lord wanted to consume all of them,
but Moses and Aaron fell on their faces and pleaded with
the Lord. The Lord heard their prayers and Aaron was
instructed to run into the congregation with a censer of
incense from the altar as an atonement. Aaron made an
atonement for the congregation, but not before 14,700
Israelites had been smitten by a plague.

God instructed Moses to gather a rod, or staff, from every
tribe of Israel with Aaron’s name being written on the
staff from the tribe of Levi. All twelve of these staffs
were placed in front of the Ark of the Covenant. The next
day the staff of Aaron had budded, blossomed, and produced
almonds. From that point on Aaron, his sons, and the tribe
of Levi were set aside to be the priests and to minister
in the tabernacle.

3. The stone tables of the covenant

Deuteronomy 9:6-29

Moses had fasted for 40 days and nights and received the
Ten Commandments, written on tables of stone by the very
finger of God. While he was on the mountain, the children
of Israel once again began to complain and murmur. This
time Aaron was with them. They fashioned a calf of gold
and began to worship it instead of God. As Moses came upon
the scene he became angry, cast the stone tablets out of
his hands, and then fell on his face in prayer. The Bible
says that the Lord was so angry with Aaron that he would
have destroyed him, but Moses prayers were once again
heard and he was spared. After that, Moses was instructed
by God to hew out two stones and come back up on the
mountain where God once again wrote the words that were on
the other two tables. Moses brought them back down the
mountain and placed them in the ark.

These three items were placed in the ark as a reminder to
the people of times when God had taken care of them even
after they had turned their backs on him. The golden bowl
with manna reminded them of the food that rained down from
heaven for 40 years. Aaron’s staff that budded reminded
them of when he swallowed up the rebels and appointed a
priesthood out of the congregation to atone for their
sins. Finally, the stone tablets reminded them of God’s
law or covenant and the second chance that was afforded
them through his mercy.




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