ARK OF THE COVENANT_DECEMBER 21, 2023 [Autosaved].pptx

understanding the Ark of Covenant in the Bible

1. MELENIA K. CABATAN ARK OF THE COVENANT

2. What is the Ark of the Covenant? God made a covenant (a conditional covenant) with the children of Israel through His servant Moses. He promised good to them and their children for generations if they obeyed Him and His laws; but He always warned of despair, punishment, and dispersion if they were to disobey. As a sign of His covenant He had the Israelites make a box according to His own design, in which to place the stone tablets containing the Ten Commandments. This box, or chest, was called an “ark” and was made of acacia wood overlaid with gold. The Ark was to be housed in the inner sanctum of the tabernacle in the desert and eventually in the Temple when it was built in Jerusalem. This chest is known as the Ark of the Covenant.

3. Study of History of the Ark of Covenant. Sometime during the wilderness wanderings, God commanded that a container of  manna  be added to the ark’s cargo: “Moses said to Aaron, ‘Take a jar and put an omer of manna in it. Then place it before the  Lord  to be kept for the generations to come.’ As the  Lord  commanded Moses, Aaron put the manna with the tablets of the covenant law, so that it might be preserved” ( Exodus 16:33–34 )

4. After the  rebellion of Korah , God commanded the leader of each tribe of Israel to bring a staff to the tabernacle. The name of each leader was inscribed in his staff; the tribe of Levi bore Aaron’s name. God instructed that the staffs be placed in the tabernacle overnight. The next morning,  Aaron’s rod  “had not only sprouted but had budded, blossomed and produced almonds” ( Numbers 17:8 ) as a sign of God’s blessing on the Levitical priesthood. God then said, “Put back Aaron’s staff in front of the ark of the covenant law, to be kept as a sign to the rebellious” (verse 10).

5. So, by the time Israel reached the Promised Land, the ark was associated with the items mentioned in  Hebrews 9:4 : the stone tablets, the jar of manna, and the staff of Aaron. When  King Solomon’s temple  was finished, the king had the ark of the covenant, along with all the other furnishings of the tabernacle, brought to the new temple’s dedication. At that time, the biblical historian notes that “there was nothing in the ark except the two stone tablets that Moses had placed in it at Horeb” ( 1 Kings 8:9 ; cf.  2 Chronicles 5:10 ).

6. There are two possible ways to reconcile  1 Kings 8:9  with  Hebrews 9:4 . One is that the ark in Moses’ time contained all three items mentioned in Hebrews but, by Solomon’s time hundreds of years later, only the stone tablets remained. The other items could have been removed in Eli’s time by the men of Beth Shemesh when “they looked into the ark of the Lord” ( 1 Samuel 6:19 ). Before that, the ark was in the possession of the Philistines for a time, and they could have removed some of the ark’s contents. It could also be that Solomon himself had the manna and the staff removed from the ark and set nearby in the same room at the time of the temple’s dedication.

7. Another possibility is that the jar of manna and Aaron’s staff were not usually  inside  the ark of the covenant, but rather  beside  it. God’s command in  Exodus 16:33  was for Moses to place the manna “before the LORD” (ESV) or “in a sacred place before the LORD” (NLT). Similarly, the staff was to be placed “before the testimony” ( Numbers 17:10, ESV ) or “permanently before the Ark of the Covenant” (NLT). So, the manna and the staff were kept in the same place as the tablets of stone, but it’s possible they were not, strictly speaking, inside the ark.

8. It is also quite possible that the jar of manna and Aaron’s staff were carried inside the ark every time the ark was moved. When the ark was at rest in the Most Holy Place, the manna and the staff were placed beside or in front of the ark. But, while the ark was in transit, the most practical place to carry the manna and the rod was inside the ark

9. The total weight obtained for the Ark is 83 kilograms (183 pounds)

10. Hebrews 9:4   The Most Holy Place had “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.” The stone tablets were those on which God had written the Ten Commandments.

11. What’s inside the ark of the Covenant? Read Hebrews 9:4 gold jar of manna Aaron’s staff that had budded   stone tablets of the covenant

12. What is manna in the bible? Manna- miracle bread from heaven that saved God’s people. Exod. 16:14;31 ; Num. 11:7

13. manna

14. What is manna in the bible? Manna- is the Spiritual meat from heaven that gave life referring to “Jesus”. John 6:32-35, 51

15. What is manna in the bible? Rev. 2:17 speaks of the Hidden manna- spiritual nourishment in the wilderness of this world.

16. What’s inside the ark of the Covenant? 2. Aaron’s staff that had budded . Number 17:5

17. Israelite Culture Rod- Natural symbol of Authority The rod of Aaron endowed with miraculous Power. Flowering rod- evidence of the exclusive right to the priesthood of the tribe of Levi. * Priesthood given to us through Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 2:9

18. 3. S tone tablets of the covenant 10 Commandments of God given to Moses at Mt. Sinai - New commandment- 2Jn 1:5

19. The ARK TYPIFIES OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST

20. “ARK” “MERCY SEAT” The ark is made up of INCORRUPTIBLE wood overlaid with gold.

21. “Acacia Wood”- Represents HIS incorruptible and sinless humanity. Gal. 2:9 “MERCY SEAT”

22. “Gold ”- speaks of His perfect divinity and deity. Hebrew word “ kapporeth ” Means “MERCY SEAT”

23. Ark – could also be a type of Believers Heart (Prov. 3:1) “Put in the ark the tablets of the covenant law, which I will give you” ( Exodus 25:16 ).

24. What is the significance of the mercy seat? To understand the significance of the mercy seat, we have to understand the contents with in the ark of the Covenant.

25. What is the significance of the mercy seat?

26. God commanded that the gold jar of manna, Aaron’s staff that had budded, and the stone tablets of the covenant shall be put to the Ark and covered with the mercy seat.

27. The real significance of the Ark of the Covenant was what took place involving the lid of the box, known as the "Mercy Seat." The term ‘mercy seat’ comes from a Hebrew word kapporeth meaning “to cover, placate, appease, cleanse, cancel or make atonement for.”

28. In the Old Covenant it was here that the high priest, only once a year ( Leviticus 16 ), entered the Holy of Holies where the Ark was kept and atoned for his sins and the sins of the Israelites. The priest sprinkled blood of a sacrificed animal onto the Mercy Seat to appease the wrath and anger of God for past sins committed. This was the only place in the world where this atonement could take place.

29. In the New Covenant: God took the three symbols of man’s rebellion and failure, placed them in the ark of covenant, and covered with His mercy seat. Mercy seat It’s a beautiful picture of His unmerited favor over our lives, of how mercy triumphs over judgement.

30. In the New Covenant: God took the three symbols of man’s rebellion and failure, placed them in the ark of covenant, and covered with His mercy seat. Mercy seat Ps. 91:4 He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take Refuge.

31. Romans 4:7 Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered.

32. The Mercy Seat on the Ark was a symbolic foreshadowing of the ultimate sacrifice for all sin—the blood of Christ shed on the cross for the remission of sins. The Apostle Paul, a former Pharisee and one familiar with the Old Testament, knew this concept quite well when he wrote about Christ being our covering for sin.

33. Col. 1:14 In whom we have redemption through his blood , even the forgiveness of sins. Ephesians 1:7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace Heb. 9:22 And almost all things are by the purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission. I John 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

34.   Romans 3:24-25 : "…and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus , whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith."

35.  Just as there was only one place for atonement of sins in the Old Testament—the Mercy Seat of the Ark of the Covenant — S o there is also only one place for atonement in the New Testament and current times— the cross of Jesus Christ. As Christians, we no longer look to the Ark but to the Lord Jesus Himself as the propitiation and atonement for our sins.

36. Thank you…. Happy new life in Christ