Next Bezalel made the Ark of acacia wood—a sacred chest 45 inches long, 27 inches wide, and 27 inches high. He overlaid it inside and outside with pure gold, and he ran a molding of gold all around it. He cast four gold rings and attached them to its four feet, two rings on each side. Then he made poles from acacia wood and overlaid them with gold. He inserted the poles into the rings at the sides of the Ark to carry it. Then he made the Ark’s cover—the place of atonement—from pure gold. It was 45 inches long and 27 inches wide. He made two cherubim from hammered gold and placed them on the two ends of the atonement cover. He molded the cherubim on each end of the atonement cover, making it all of one piece of gold. The cherubim faced each other and looked down on the atonement cover. With their wings spread above it, they protected it. (Exodus 37:1-9)Every time I read about the ark and the tabernacle itself, I am amazed at one thing in particular. It was so small.
The who tabernacle was only 75 feet long. The ark itself was only four by two by two with a lid. The other items themselves were not all that large.
Opulent, yes. They were all made of special wood and covered in hammered and cast gold. Some of the more utilitarian items, like the altar of burnt offerings and the tent pegs were made of bronze and many of the rings used for carrying it all were made of silver.
Of course, it was small because they had to carry it around on their shoulders. They were nomads for a long time so God didn’t want them to have to carry around a big building or anything really heavy like that.
Everything they had was portable. They would travel for a few days until they found a spot that would suit them for forage for their animals and water and such for themselves, then they would camp for a while, maybe even a few months. The wanderings didn’t mean they were constantly on the move, but it did mean that they had no real home base, no fixed place to live.
But inside of these small containers dwelt the Living God, God Almighty. He made it clear to them that when they sat up that tabernacle and placed that ark in it, that he would inhabit that ark. That was his earthly seat.
That was why Peter called his own body a tent (2 Peter 1:13-14 I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of this body, because I know that I will soon put it aside, as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me NIV. a tabernacle in the old King James), he knew it was temporary, never designed to last.
We are like that tabernacle, holding the earthly seat of God within our hearts. And when it comes down to it, we are not all that big either, considering that God lives in us.
But deep inside our hearts, there is a room with an ark, covered over in pure gold and inside that ark is the pure presence of God and his love.
And we carry him to all we know.
No comments:
Post a Comment
To comment, post your comment and click the anonymous button. It would be nice if you signed it so I could know who you are.
You are welcome to say anything you want as long as it is nice. If I don't like it, or it is ugly, I will take it off, place it into the garbage disposal, grind it up, and allow it to be flushed into the Gulf of Mexico where it will be eaten by a fish and then excreted where it will lie on the bottom of the ocean until it is covered up by other comments.