Ark of the Covenant
The Mystery of the Ark of the Covenant The Ark of the Covenant has been surrounding in mystery for generations. ... The meaning of the Ark can be defined in several ways, such as, the religious significance and historical values that is held for the ancient Jews, debates as to what ever happen to the Ark and the actual archeological sighting or explorations to uncover this wonder and attain either the find of the century or invoking the wrath of God. To understand how to decipher between fact or fiction, consider the origins and purpose of the Ark. The Ark of the Covenant is first described in the book of Exodus in the Jewish Torah and Old Testament of the Christian Bible. The history of the Ark is sometimes lost in the mists of time, however, there seems to be certainty as to its origin and its purpose, according to Biblical accounts, such as: By the command of the Almighty God, its construction was ordered by the Hebrew patriarch Moses to his chief carpenter, Bezaleel, the son of Uri of the tribe of Judah, and Aholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan (Exo. ... The Ark is distinguished from all others Godly creations by such titles as the "Ark of God" (1 Sam. 3:3), "Ark of the covenant" (Josh. ... 9:4), "Ark of the testimony" (Ex. ... Its upper surface or lid, the mercy-seat, was surrounded with a rim of gold; and on each of the two sides were two gold rings, in which were placed two gold-covered poles by which the Ark could be carried (Num. ... 25:13-15) because no one was allowed to touch the Ark of the Covenant, for the penalty was death. ... Over the Ark, at the two extremities, were two cherubim, with their faces turned toward each other (Lev. ... Their outspread wings over the top of the Ark formed the throne of God, while the Ark itself was his footstool (Ex. ... The Ark was deposited in the "holy of holies", was the most sacred part of the temple where God Himself chose to dwell among man, and was so placed that one end of the poles by which it was carried touched the veil which separated the two apartments of the tabernacle (1 Kings 8:8). ... The two tables of stone which constituted the "testimony" or evidence of Gods covenant with the people (Deut. ... 17:10), were laid up in the Ark (Heb. ... The Ark and the sanctuary were "the beauty of Israel" (Lam. ... During the journeys of the Israelites the Ark was carried by the priests in advance of the host (Num. ... After the settlement of Israel in Palestine the Ark remained in the tabernacle at Gilgal for a season, and was then removed to Shiloh till the time of Eli, between 300 and 400 years (Jer. ... It remained then at Kirjath-jearim (7:1,2) till the time of David (twenty years), who wished to remove it to Jerusalem a new cart was built for the Ark and great multitudes of musicians played before it. Oxen pulled the Ark which sat upon the new cart. At one point the oxen stumbled causing the Ark of the Covenant to fall at a place called “Nachon” which in Hebrew means “prepared” (1 Chr. ... 6: 6-7) but the proper mode of removing it having been neglected, Uzza, a servant of David, put forth his hand to steady Ark and he was instantly killed by God for touching it (1 Chr. ... It was against God’s Law to touch the Ark of the Covenant for any reason. ... When the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem and plundered the temple, the Ark was probably taken away by Nebuchadnezzar and destroyed, as no trace of it is afterwards to be found. The absence of the Ark from the second temple was one of the points in which it was inferior to the first temple. Faederis Arca (French Catholic scholar) according to Catholic tradition, led by the Fathers of the Church, has considered the Ark of the Covenant as one of the purest and richest symbols of the realities of the New Law.