Seeing Jesus in the Ark of the Covenant

           So many times throughout the old testament we can see shadows of Christ. When we look at the ark of the covenant we can see the details and learn more about God. Israel had gotten the ark lost in battle. The ark was out of Israel’s possession for a long time. Yet it was David who eventually brings the ark back to where it was called to be.

           When we look at the details of the ark we can see that it was this golden chest which held three items inside. Those three items are the pot of manna which represents mans rejection of God’s supply, Aaron’s rod that budded which represents mans rebellion against God’s appointed leadership, and the second pair of the Ten Commandments which represents mans rejection of God’s law. God told them to then cover these items with the mercy seat.

           This mercy seat was one solid slab of gold representing God’s complete righteousness. This has two angels with wings called cherubim one each side facing the center of the mercy seat. God had their eyes pointed down to where the high priest would place the blood of an animal once a year during the Day of Atonement.

           The eyes of the cherubim are not looking at man’s rebellion, but they are looking at the blood. As believers in Christ, God is no longer looking to our sin, instead He sees the blood. Now I will also note that I believe that God is aware of our faults, He chooses to remember the no more. I do not believe that God forgets our sins like He is an old man. God loves us despite our faults. The point is this, God chooses to forgive our sin and bring it up no more. Because of the Cross God has cleansed our sins through the blood of Christ. Stop focusing on your faults and failures, keep your eyes on the finished work of Christ. Be like the two angels which eyes are constantly on the blood. When we fail, we are to remind ourselves of the cross. The blood of Christ is greater than all of our rebellion and sins.

           After Jesus died, they took His body and placed it in a tomb. On the third day Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and was filled with tears. The stone had been rolled away! Many times we can stop hear and think this was all that took place, but John 20:11-12 tells us, “¹¹ But Mary was standing outside the tomb weeping; and so, as she wept, she stooped and looked into the tomb; ¹² and she *saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and one at the feet, where the body of Jesus had been lying.” Notice how these two angels were sitting. They were sitting in the shape of the mercy seat. They are sitting on a flat surface one on the left and one on the right. I’m sure there was still blood where Jesus’ body had been lain. When Mary saw the empty tomb she also saw, the real mercy seat, Jesus! Yet He was not there, because the grave could not hold Him. All of our sin and shame was forgiven and punished at the cross! At the center of God’s heart is mercy!