Last week, in Wilderness Instruction, Part 3, we saw that our hearts, the Temple of the Holy Spirit, need to be fashioned after the heart of Jesus Christ. Only then can we truly experience God to the fullest.
But just how do we fashion our hearts after the heart of Jesus?
One important way God has given us for learning specific, deep aspects and attributes of Jesus is to contemplate the ancient instructions for the wilderness tabernacle. By studying the tabernacle we can come to know Jesus and the work that He has done in a much more profound and thorough way, and thus, we can gain invaluable instruction on how to construct our heart-temples! The next few devotionals individually address each set of instructions, in order to outline for us the important aspects of Jesus that God would have us to contemplate in the construction of our Heart Temples.
The first specific instruction comes to us from Ex: 25:10: “And they shall make an ark of acacia wood; two and a half cubits shall be its length, a cubit and a half its width, and a cubit and a half its height.” (NKJV)
The word, “Ark” appears in one other Bible story prior to this one: Noah is instructed to build an
“ark” for the saving of the people from the flood. But the actual Hebrew word used to describe the Ark of the Covenant is “aron”, which is a different word from the Hebrew word used to describe Noah’s ark. “Aron” is actually the same word that is used to describe the coffin that Joseph was buried in. Thus the Ark of the Covenant symbolizes a final resting place!
This is to remind us that we can rest in Jesus! He is our ultimate rest! When we let Him carry our problems, we can truly rest in Him, ever knowing that the God who allowed us to go through the trials of life has already created a way out! “…but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.” (1Cor 10:13, NKJV)
Friends, Jesus is our ultimate rest! And this fact is also God’s first priority!
This special chest was not to be made of just any kind of wood. It was to be made of “acacia” wood. Acacia wood, also called “Shittim”, comes from a gnarled and thorny tree commonly found in the Sinai Peninsula. It is a hardy wood, darker and harder than oak, and is known to be avoided by wood-eating insects.
God chose this type of wood to symbolize for us that our rest in Jesus, our ultimate Salvation, is something that will stand the test of time! It will not rot!
“And you shall overlay it with pure gold, inside and out you shall overlay it, and shall make on it a molding of gold all around.” (Ex. 25:11 NKJV)
Imagine a smallish, rectangular box, completely overlaid in pure gold. Now wouldn’t that be a hard box to miss, even in the dark! And of course, we can’t overlook the value of gold. This ark was of immense value!
This symbolizes to us that Jesus, our ultimate source of rest and salvation, is the most precious gift we could have ever been given!
“You shall cast four rings of gold for it, and put them in its four corners; two rings shall be on one side, and two rings on the other side. And you shall make poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with gold. You shall put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark, that the ark may be carried by them. The poles shall be in the rings of the ark; they shall not be taken from it.” (Ex 25:12-15 NKJV)
This system of rings and poles was of utmost importance. This was how the Ark of the Covenant was to be transported. Whenever the camp of the children of Israel moved, the Ark of the Covenant, along with the rest of the tabernacle parts and furnishings, moved exactly in the centre of the group, and while in camp, the Ark of the Covenant was the exact centre of the camp.
This reminds us that God is always with us. We can carry His presence and power into every situation we face, no matter how intense or ugly or delicate!
Finally, we know that the Ark of the Covenant was a chest, one that would later store important items. The tables of stone containing the Ten Commandments were stored there, for one thing, along with Aaron’s rod that budded, a jar of manna, and various other items throughout Israel’s history. These things were put there to remind Israel of God’s power and might.
This serves to remind us that God wants us to always remember the specific examples of His power and might!
Friends, the next time you read about the Ark of the Covenant, try not to think of it as just a piece of furniture for a temple that is no longer necessary. Instead, remember this:
1. God still wants to have an “Ark of the Covenant” in our heart-temples! He still wants us to understand that our ultimate rest and salvation come through Jesus, and they are His first priorities!
2. Jesus’ presence will stand the test of time.
3. Jesus’ presence should be seen as our most precious possession.
4. Jesus will always be with us, no matter what!
5. And finally, let’s let Jesus’ presence in our heart-temples be a constant reminder that our God is an all powerful, all-knowing, always perfect God whose primary desire is to spend time with us!
Join us next week, for Wilderness Instructions, Part 5, to learn what lessons the Mercy Seat can teach us about Jesus!
In His love,
Lyn
Lyn Chaffart, Speech-Language Pathologist, mother of two teens, Author and Moderator for The Nugget, a tri-weekly internet newsletter, and Scriptural Nuggets, a website devoted to Christian devotionals and inspirational poems, with Answers2Prayer Ministries.
(To access the entire “Wilderness Instructions” mini-series, please click here.)