The Ark of the Covenant has always been the most powerful and sacred object ever to have been made by the hands of men and then completely endued with the power of Almighty God. It was kept in the Holy of Holies of the Tabernacles, and after Solomon built the Temple in Jerusalem, it was kept in the Holy of Holies of the Temple. Only the High Priest was to minister before it and on it once a year on the Day of Atonement. Although the Ark’s location is not known today by man, God most surely knows of its resting place. The Jews continue to keep the Day of Atonement, even in the absence of the Ark of the Covenant. They call it Yom Kippur. The day represents the people of God being reconciled and at one with the LORD. It is the most sacred day in the life of a Jew and is a day of complete fasting; no food and no water from sunset to sunset; a full twenty four hours in accordance with God’s instructions in Leviticus 23.27.
The Ark of the Covenant; was the most treasured possession. Not only was it the Mercy Seat of God, by which Israel could receive reconciliation and atonement; it was God’s presence and power; that was to be carried into battle, assuring the promise of victory. It was a type of mini tabernacle or mini temple that was filled with the Holy Ghost. At the death of our Savior, the LORD Jesus Christ; access to the Holy of Holies became open to all people. The veil of the temple; that separated the Holy of Holies from everyone but the High Priest; and him only once a year; that veil was ripped from top to bottom. It was possibly as thick as 3 inches and 80 feet tall by 25 feet wide; a woven tapestry covering that sealed off the Holy of Holies. Jewish tradition and writings from the Tanakh and Talmud, state that the Holy of Holies was actually completely sealed off; that the High Priest had to be completely atoned before atoning Israel. He would stand outside the Holy of Holies and the LORD would miraculously transport him through the veil if he was acceptable and if not; God would strike him dead. The veil of the temple was woven so thick that no man could have cut it or tore it. When it was ripped in two at Christ’s death, it was an act of God. The veil represented the old covenant that was ripped in two as we would rip a contract in two if it were fulfilled and no longer valid. We now have access to the Holy of Holies 24/7; 365 days a year. We can enter before the Mercy Seat any time because of the blood of Jesus Christ. Further more, the temple of the Holy Ghost is no longer the Ark of the Covenant. Repentant, blood washed, baptized in Jesus name, filled with the Holy Ghost, Christians are the temple of the Holy Ghost. We are a type of The Ark of the Covenant, within us resides the power of God, the light of Christ, the New Covenant and the hope of the world. As no weapon formed could prosper against the Ark of the Covenant, no weapon formed against us can prosper, because we have the Holy Ghost. No enemy, no weapon, no sickness, no disease and even death cannot prosper or prevail against us. But we must be Holy. Don’t just let these words drift and float over you. Stop and think about this awesome truth. Meditate upon it. Speak it out loud many times a day praising God saying, “Thank you Jesus that I am the temple of the Holy Ghost, and no weapon formed against me will prosper!” Speak it with feeling and claim the promise ten times a day or more; live in it! It will change your life.
1 Corinthians 6:19 KJV What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
Isaiah 54:17 KJV No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD.
Israel threw away these promises when they kept throwing away God. Every time they worshipped Baal and other pagan gods, they committed adultery and they brought upon themselves the punishment of God. As Eli the High Priest had contempt for the sacrifices of the LORD, so did Israel as you can read in 1 Samuel chapter 4. They had the two wicked sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, bring the Ark of the Covenant into battle; against the Philistines., but God was not present with the Ark of the Covenant because of Israel’s disobedience. They lost the battle to the Philistines; 30,000 Israelites were killed; Eli’s two sons were killed on the same day as prophesied; and they captured the Ark of the Covenant. When hearing about the battle, the capture of the Ark of the Covenant and the death of his two sons, Eli fell backwards and broke his neck and died.
1 Samuel 4:10-11 & 18 ESV So the Philistines fought, and Israel was defeated, and they fled, every man to his home. And there was a very great slaughter, for there fell of Israel thirty thousand foot soldiers. (11) And the ark of God was captured, and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, died. (18) As soon as he mentioned the ark of God, Eli fell over backward from his seat by the side of the gate, and his neck was broken and he died, for the man was old and heavy. He had judged Israel forty years.
The Philistines can’t be given any marks for being smart. They put the captured Ark of the Covenant in the temple of their god Dagon. In the morning Dagon was on its face before the Ark of the Covenant. They stood the idol up. The next morning Dagon was on its face before the Ark of the Covenant, only this time, its hands and head were broken off.
1 Samuel 5:4-5 ESV But when they rose early on the next morning, behold, Dagon had fallen face downward on the ground before the ark of the LORD, and the head of Dagon and both his hands were lying cut off on the threshold. Only the trunk of Dagon was left to him. (5) This is why the priests of Dagon and all who enter the house of Dagon do not tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod to this day.
Then things got worse, all of the people in the near by villages of Ashdod, broke out in a plague of tumors. They moved the Ark of the Covenant to Gath and the people broke out in a plague of tumors there as well.
1 Samuel 5:6 ESV The hand of the LORD was heavy against the people of Ashdod, and he terrified and afflicted them with tumors, both Ashdod and its territory.
It was moved to Ekron, but the people refused it and said, “Are you going to kill us too!”
In all, the Philistines kept the Ark of the Covenant for seven months and it devastated the people with death and tumors. Then the Philistines finally wised up and realized that they could not keep the Ark of the Covenant.
1 Samuel 5:8-10 ESV So they sent and gathered together all the lords of the Philistines and said, "What shall we do with the ark of the God of Israel?" They answered, "Let the ark of the God of Israel be brought around to Gath." So they brought the ark of the God of Israel there. (9) But after they had brought it around, the hand of the LORD was against the city, causing a very great panic, and he afflicted the men of the city, both young and old, so that tumors broke out on them. (10) So they sent the ark of God to Ekron. But as soon as the ark of God came to Ekron, the people of Ekron cried out, "They have brought around to us the ark of the God of Israel to kill us and our people."
The Philistines knew that they had angered the LORD; so they prepared a guilt offering of gold figures; golden tumors and golden rats from the plague. Then a brand new cart was constructed and new oxen which had never before been yoked; carried the Ark of the Covenant back to Israel. They basically pointed the oxen in the right direction and let it go, watching afar off until it arrived in Beth-shemesh.
1 Samuel 6:12 ESV And the cows went straight in the direction of Beth-shemesh along one highway, lowing as they went. They turned neither to the right nor to the left, and the lords of the Philistines went after them as far as the border of Beth-shemesh.
Then seventy men of Israel, of Beth-shemesh, were struck down dead by the LORD, because they looked inside the Ark of the Covenant.
1 Samuel 6:19 ESV And he struck some of the men of Beth-shemesh, because they looked upon the ark of the LORD. He struck seventy men of them, and the people mourned because the LORD had struck the people with a great blow.
The message was clear and reinforced by many dead; don’t mess with the sacred things of God. What God proclaims holy and sacred, must be respected.
Prayer: Heavenly Father thank you for giving me the blessing of prayer; that I can come into your presence, into the Holy of Holies and before your throne and the Mercy Seat. Help me not to profane this blessing, but respect it realizing that prayer is sacred. I pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Copyright © 2006, 2011 Thomas C. Blake
No comments:
Post a Comment