The journey of the Ark of God, representing God’s Glory and Presence in His people Israel. The Ark was completely covered in gold, inside and out, demonstrating kingship and purity or holiness.
Men didn’t take the Ark, the Ark took the men!
The Ark of God had quite a journey beginning in the battle with the Philistines in 1 Samuel 4:3. Israel had been defeated in battle and decided to bring the Ark of God on to the battlefield to save them from their enemy. But God wasn’t so easily manipulated, Take Note! Israel were defeated again AND the wicked priests, Eli’s sons died by God’s Hand. Eli the High Priest also died when he heard the Ark of God had been captured.
As discussed in yesterday’s blog, the Philistines took the Ark of God as plunder but soon regretted it. Their cities were invaded by panic, death, rats and tumours on the people. The Ark of God; The Presence of God in their camp brought death and disaster. They soon Sent it back. 1 Sam 6
We also saw yesterday that the Ark arrived at Beth Shemesh and they rightly offered a sacrifice to the Lord but later they were much too familiar, opening it and looking inside. Seventy of them were put to death. 1 Sam 6:19
The Ark of the Lord was then taken to Abinadab’s house on the hill (interesting it rested on a High Place) and his son Eleazar was consecrated to guard it there. Abinadab was a Levite, he had a God given position. 1 Sam 7:1 ‘It was a long time, twenty years in all, that the Ark remained there’. God’s Presence dwelt among the people there, ‘and all the people mourned and sought after the Lord’. The people were moved to repentance and Samuel reappeared as leader or Judge of Israel.
David thought to bring the Ark up to Jerusalem, the right place for Ark, but didn’t seek the Lord how to do that and Uzzah died when he touched it. 2 Sam 6:7 Presumption killed him also. The Ark was left, because of fear at the house of Obed-Edom for three months and God blessed him and his household.
Finally David brought the Ark of God’s Presence up to Jerusalem with the priests and sacrifices and worship. It arrived safely, but even then David’s wife Michal, daughter of Saul, became barren because of her disrespect to David dancing before the Lord.
The Ark of God was always destined to make the journey from the Tabernacle in Shiloh to the Temple in Jerusalem, the heart of the Jewish nation but what a convoluted trip and how many died along the way. Could this in some way represent the journey of the believers, God’s Church today. Step by faltering step the Church may well be approaching the climax of our journey, a people looking for the return of the Lord Himself. Thank the Lord that our right standing is in and from Him, none of us could ever stand in our own righteousness before the Holy God.
May God bless you and give you the strength to finish your own journey today no matter what the obstacles. He is a good, good God.