"ARK OF THE COVENANT'

What exactly is the Ark of the Covenant? Growing up I always heard pastors talk about this, but I never knew what it was, so as I was preparing today I wondered how many others might not know what it is either. I will try to explain it now and its importance.

When God made a covenant or agreement with the people of Israel on Mount Sinai, God gave Moses the Ten Commandments and instructions to make a chest or box of acacia wood with poles in which to store the Ten Commandments written on two stone tablets. It was to be set behind the inner curtain, in the most holy place inside the sacred tent (Exodus; 40:3, 21). God would meet with the people by the sacred chest and tell them what to do (Exodus). The sacred chest was called “Ark of the Covenant” because it held the tablets of the Ten Commandments and symbolized the presence of God. The Ark of Covenant was no longer heard of after the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the temple in 587 B.C.

The Ark remained in the Temple until 607 B.C. when the Babylonians, led by King Nebuchadnezzar II invaded Jerusalem. The Temple of Solomon was destroyed in the attack and the Ark’s fate from that point onward remains a matter of amateur and scholarly speculation.

The Ark was nowhere to be found when the Israelites returned 70 years later to rebuild Jerusalem and it is unlikely that the Babylonians took it, as their detailed lists of looted items made no mention of the Ark. So, what happened to it?

NO ONE REALLY KNOWS WHERE THE ARK IS TODAY, OF COURSE THERE ARE MANY THEORIES ABOUT ITS LOCATION. IS IT POSSIBLE THAT ONLY GOD KNOWS? THE IMPORTANT THING FOR US TO REMEMBER IS WHAT WAS IN THE BOX, AND THAT IS THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. USE THEM IN YOUR LIFE EVERYDAY, AND IF YOU DO MESS UP AS WE ARE NONE SIN FREE, GET ON YOUR KNEES BEFORE YOUR HEAVENLY FATHER AND ASK FOR FORGIVENESS.

 •“Thou shalt have no other gods before me” ( Exodus 20:3).
•“Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image” ( Exodus 20:4).
•“Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain” ( Exodus 20:7).
•“Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy” ( Exodus 20:8).
•“Honour thy father and thy mother” ( Exodus 20:12).
•“Thou shalt not kill” ( Exodus 20:13).
•“Thou shalt not commit adultery” ( Exodus 20:14).
•“Thou shalt not steal” ( Exodus 20:15).
•“Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour” ( Exodus 20:16).
•“Thou shalt not covet” ( Exodus 20:17).