The Ark of the Covenant is one of the most well-known artifacts described in the Bible. It was a wooden chest covered in gold that contained the stone tablets of the Ten Commandments that God gave to Moses on Mount Sinai. The Ark served as the physical manifestation of God’s presence with the Israelites as they wandered in the wilderness and later settled in the Promised Land. Here is an in-depth look at what the Bible teaches about this sacred object.
The Construction of the Ark
After receiving the Ten Commandments, God gave instructions for building the Ark to house these holy tablets. According to Exodus 25:10-22, the Ark was to be made of acacia wood and overlaid with pure gold both inside and out. It was to measure 45 inches long, 27 inches wide, and 27 inches high. Four gold rings were to be attached to the Ark, two on each side, so that poles could be put through them to carry the Ark. These poles were also to be made of acacia wood overlaid with gold. A golden cover known as the mercy seat was to be fashioned with two cherubim (angels) facing each other and spread out over the top. God told Moses that He would meet with him above the mercy seat, making the Ark not just a storage place for the commandments but the earthly throne of God.
The Purpose and Significance of the Ark
The Ark served multiple spiritual purposes for the Israelites. First, it represented the physical presence of God dwelling among His people (Exodus 25:8). The glory cloud indicating God’s presence would hover over the mercy seat when He communed with Moses (Exodus 40:34-38). Second, it served as a reminder of God’s covenant with Israel. The Ten Commandments inside were the stipulations of the covenant God had made with the Israelites when He freed them from slavery in Egypt (Exodus 20-24). Third, it served as a witness to God’s faithfulness and power, having led Israel safely through the wilderness with pillars of cloud and fire and bringing them into the Promised Land by parting the Jordan River (Joshua 3-4).
The Ark was considered Israel’s most sacred religious object, as the earthly throne and physical manifestation of the presence of the God of the universe. Therefore, extreme care was taken in handling and protecting the Ark due to its utmost sanctity. The Ark was kept in the inner sanctum of the tabernacle and later in the Temple in Jerusalem, shielded from view by a curtain (Exodus 40:21). Only the high priest could enter the Most Holy Place and see the Ark, and then only once a year on the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16:2). The priests carried the Ark on their shoulders using the poles when it needed to be transported, per God’s instructions, avoiding any direct contact (Numbers 4:15).
The Ark in the Wilderness and Promised Land
The Ark accompanied the Israelites on their 40 year sojourn in the wilderness, guiding their movements by the pillars of cloud and fire emanating from above it. Whenever the cloud lifted, they would set out, following the Ark (Numbers 9:15-23). The Ark was integral in the crossing of the Jordan River into the Promised Land, the waters parting as soon as the Levite priests’ feet touched the river’s edge with the Ark (Joshua 3:14-17). It led the march around Jericho during that miraculous battle (Joshua 6). Later, the Ark resided at the sanctuary in Shiloh during the period of the judges (Judges 20:27). Unfortunately, Israel’s corruption caused them to presume upon the Ark as a sort of magic talisman, leading to its capture by the Philistines when it was brought unwisely into battle (1 Samuel 4-5).
The Ark in Biblical History
The Philistines quickly sent the Ark back to Israel after it brought plagues and misfortune on them. From there it spent several decades in obscurity at the village of Kiriath-jearim (1 Samuel 6:20-7:2). King David later had it brought to Jerusalem amidst great celebration as the centerpiece of his plan to make Jerusalem the political and spiritual capital of the nation (2 Samuel 6). However, when David’s son Solomon built the Temple there, the Ark was brought into the inner sanctuary and placed in the Most Holy Place, where it remained permanently (1 Kings 8:1-9).
The Bible is then silent about what happened to the Ark. There is no record of it being destroyed when the Babylonians conquered Jerusalem and destroyed the Temple in 586 BC. However, it was certainly gone by the time the Temple was rebuilt following the Babylonian exile, as the Holy of Holies was empty and new sacred items were crafted for the new temple. Various traditions have arisen over the centuries about the fate of the Ark, but the Bible itself includes no details about its ultimate end.
Significance for Today
While the Ark is no longer with us today, its legacy and significance endure. As the most sacred object in ancient Israelite worship, it serves as a reminder of the importance of honoring God in a special way, not treating holy things lightly. Its placement in the inner sanctum indicates how we must approach God’s presence with reverence, awe, and humility. The tablets it contained remind us to obey God’s laws, while its mercy seat points to the need for atonement of sins. And it stands as a picture of God’s faithfulness in guiding and providing for His people and dwelling among them.
For Christians today, the Ark carries additional symbolic importance. The empty Holy of Holies in the rebuilt Temple points forward to Christ, who as the final high priest and ultimate sacrifice rendered the Ark’s religious function obsolete. The Ark served as the earthly “footstool” of God (1 Chronicles 28:2), but now Christ sits victoriously enthroned in heaven. And while the Ark was but a shadowy copy of heavenly realities (Hebrews 8:5), Christ Himself is the true meeting place between God and man, the reality to which the Ark pointed (John 1:14, Colossians 2:9).
So the Ark of the Covenant stands as an important symbolic and historical part of God’s unfolding revelation to His people. Careful study of it enriches our understanding of the Old Covenant and God’s work in redemptive history. Even though it is no longer with us, its legacy lives on in Christ, who does not merely point to God’s presence but actually embodies it fully as the living Word.