The Presence

Then King David was told,

"The Lord has blessed Obed-edom's household

and everything he has

because of the Ark of God."

2 Samuel 6:12

I have always been fascinated by the Ark of the Covenant. It was a wooden chest, 4 feet long, 2 feet wide and 2 feet high (roughly), covered within and without with gold. It had a lid of solid gold, topped by two golden cherubim whose wings touched over the top. It had rings at the four corners through which gold covered rods were placed so that the Ark could be carried on the shoulders of the priests assigned to it. When the Ark was stationary, it was to be placed in a fifteen-by-fifteen room at one end of the Tabernacle of Meeting behind a linen and embroidered veil. When in transit, the ark was to be covered by the veil, then a tarp of badger skin, and finally a blue cloth.

Inside the Ark were items of special import. First were the Tablets of the Law, the stones engraved with the Commandments of God. Next was a jar of manna, the bread that came down from heaven. And finally was Aaron's staff that budded to demonstrate the anointing upon him for leadership and priesthood. All of these are pictures of Christ as the Word of God, the Bread of Life, and Rod of Authority.

And it was between the Wings of the Cherubim that the visible manifestation of the presence of God, called the Shekinah, appeared to the High Priest, who could only go into that presence once a year to atone for the sins of the nation.

Everything about the Ark of the Covenant represented the very awesome power and personal presence of God in the midst of His people. For 500 years, it resided in the Tabernacle of Meeting at Shiloh. When the sons of Eli foolishly carried it into battle against the Philistines, it was captured and placed in the temples of their gods, where it wreaked havoc and disaster on the population. When the Philistines returned it to Israel, it was placed in the home of a priest and kept there for nearly 80 years until a king after God's own heart said, "I want God's presence in my city, where God can dwell again in the midst of His people."

After a disastrous first start, followed by a three-month delay while the Ark was kept in the home of Obed-Edom, David finally led the triumphal entry of the Ark of God into Jerusalem. Dressed in common priestly garments rather than the royal garments of his kingship, David sacrificed a bull and a fatted calf every six paces to the Lord, whirling and dancing with celebratory joy before the Lord. And though he left the Tabernacle of Meeting at Gibeon, David built a special tent on Mount Zion where the Ark was installed. And for all of his reign, David had direct access to the presence of God. Perhaps with his harp and nothing else, David would go in and sit in the presence of God, worshiping and serving before the Lord--not a priest in heritage, but a priest in heart.

200 years after that, after a temple had been built in Jerusalem to house the Ark of the Covenant and the presence of God, a prophet made this promise in Amos 9:11--On that day I will raise up the tabernacle of David, which has fallen down, and repair its damages; I will raise up its ruins, and rebuild it as in the days of old." And 800 years after that, James the brother of the Lord quoted Amos about David's Tabernacle when the disciples realized the Holy Spirit had been given to ALL believers in Jesus Christ--Jews AND Gentiles.

We don't have a visible, tangible relic in our religious tradition that contains or represents the power and presence of God. Instead, we have something much better. We have the Holy Spirit--the very power and presence of God--living inside of us! In vessels of earth, we hold the treasure of heaven. And that power and presence are available to all who come to Him. We aren't separated from God by a veil; we no longer have to have an intermediary. Jesus took care of that on our behalf, so that now we can boldly approach the presence of God to find His help whenever we need Him!

And how thrilling it is to know that the presence of God blesses my life, my house, and the work of my hands. He's not sitting on the far-off circle of some nebulous never-never land...He is here, and He is at work, and He is good!