The ark of the Lord’s covenant
(A journey from Samuel to Chronicles)
The ARK, the symbol of the presence of the Lord himself in the wilderness, has atlast found its place in the inner sanctuary of the temple (2Chronicles 5:7)
๐ In 1Sam 4,5,6 the Israelites were defeated by the Philistines in a fierce battle, resulting the capture of the ARK of God. The Lord deals with the Philistines with severe plaque (“โฆ death had filled the city with panic.. ” v 11)
โ๏ธ After seven months the Philistines returned the ARK of God. Seeing the ARK the Israelites rejoiced but the celebration turned to mourning . Altogether 70 people died because they looked into the ARK (1Sam 6:19) .
โ๏ธ The men of Kiriath Jearim came and took the ARK and kept it in Abinadab’s house (1Sam 7:1)
๐ In 1Chronocles 13:3 David addressed the assembly and said, “Let us bring the ARK of our God back to us.. “.
๐ DAVID’S FIRST ATTEMPT : He led a large groups of people to bring the ARK. David and his men did not follow the God-given instructions (Ex 25:13-15; Num 4:5-6) . Uzzah was killed by God because of his irreverent act (2Sam 6:6-7; 1Chron 13:9-10). David was afraid and he took the ARK and kept it in the house of Obed-Edom (2Sam 6: 9-11)
๐ DAVID’S SECOND ATTEMPT : He was careful this time and followed all the rules (1Chron 15:14-15) . He engaged the Priests, the Levites and the Musicians.
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Finally the ARK of the Covenant entered Jerusalem, and David set it inside the tent (1Chron 15:29a ; 16:1)
๐ In 2Chronicles Chapter 5 it is written that when all the work of the Temple was finished, Solomon summoned all the Israelites, during the festival in the seventh month, for bringing the ARK of the Lord’s Covenant from the City into the Temple.
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The Priests brought the ARK and place it in the inner sanctuary of the temple – the Most Holy Place (v 5) . My NIV Bible states that, “There was nothing in the ARK except the two tablets.. ” (v 10). What about the gold jar of Manna and Aaron’s Budded Staff โThe writer to Hebrews gives a clear note on this fact (9: 4-5)
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After the Dedication of the Temple, Solomon sent the people to their homes with heart full of JOYFUL and GLADNESS (“โฆ joyful and glad in heart for the good things the Lord had done..” 2Chron 7:10)
๐ Beloved Church, let JOYFUL AND GLAD IN HEART be our principle.
Let us use wisely God’s provision : Time, Talents and Treasure, and remember, ” every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Fatherโฆ He chose to give usโฆ that we might be a kind of FIRST-FRUITS of all he created “.
๐ Let us worship the Lord with GLADNESS and come before Him with JOYFUL songs ๐ค๐ถ
Glory to God ๐
โ๐ป Mark Boje
Arunachal Pradesh, India ๐ฎ๐ณ