The Ark of the Covenant – Carrying the Ark

[00:00:00] Turn to one verse in one chronicles, the first book of Chronicles, chapter 15 and verse 15. [00:00:18] One chronicles 15 and verse 15. [00:00:23] And the children of the Levites bear the ark of God upon their shoulders, with the staves thereon, as Moses commanded, according to the word of the Lord, so the children of the Levites bear the ark of God upon their shoulders. [00:00:53] I just want to share this morning with you a few thoughts that I believe come out of our time of prayer the other Thursday evening when we were particularly asking the Lord about coming upstairs here into this room and starting to use it, and particularly this matter of bearing the ark of the covenant upon our shoulders. [00:01:26] There are three things I just want to draw your attention to. The first is, what does the ark of the covenant signify? [00:01:40] What does it mean when the Lord says to us all, who among you can bear the ark of the covenant upon his shoulders? What does the ark of the covenant represent? What does it signify? If you turn to Hebrews and chapter nine, verse and verse four and five, we read this, having a golden altar of incense, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was a golden pot holding manna, an Aaron's rod, that budded, and the tables of the covenant, and above it, cherubim of glory, overshadowing the mercy seat of which things we cannot now speak. Severally, the ark of the covenant represents the presence of God. Wherever you look in the Bible, the ark of the covenant represents the presence of God. But it represents more than just the presence of God. In an abstract, vague way, it represents the very presence of God himself in Christ. [00:03:18] We have had that verse read to us from two corinthians five this morning, God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself. And the ark of the covenant represents just that phrase, God was in Christ. [00:03:41] Or we could say, God is in Christ. [00:03:46] The ark of the covenant represents the presence of God committed to us in our Lord Jesus Christ. So everything about the ark of the covenant speaks of the Lord Jesus. If you turn to Exodus and compare it with this, Hebrews chapter nine, verse four and five, exodus 25. [00:04:18] And verse ten and eleven, we read this, and they shall make an ark of acacia wood. Two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof and a cubit and a half thereof and a cubit and a half the height thereof. And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold within. And without shalt thou overlay it and shalt make upon it a crown of gold round about. [00:04:51] It speaks first of all of the absolute divinity of the Lord Jesus Christ. The gold speaks of the divine nature, and the wood speaks of his human nature. [00:05:07] And Christ is the amazing mixture of God and man. [00:05:16] Truly God, truly man. [00:05:20] So our Lord Jesus Christ was God, manifest in. In the flesh. And we see it first of all in the substance out of which the ark was made. It was an ordinary wooden box. [00:05:37] And our case, your word, chittim wood is not a very wonderful word. [00:05:42] It was just an ordinary box. [00:05:46] In other words, our Lord Jesus was an ordinary human being without sin, but an ordinary human being, just as God intended you and me originally to be. Flesh about flesh, bone about bone, yet without sin, absolutely human. [00:06:09] But the ark was not just an ordinary box of wood. It was overlaid withal, with gold, pure gold. Outside and inside. [00:06:24] It was the divine nature also that was present in Christ. [00:06:33] Now you will find that the ark is called again and again. The ark of the testimony. For instance, we read it in this chapter 25 of Exodus, verse 22. And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are upon the ark of the testimony of all things which I will give thee. And then again in verse 16, and thou shalt put into the ark the testimony which I shall give thee. And then again, verse 21. And thou shalt put the mercy seat above upon the ark. And in the ark, thou shalt put the testimony that I shall give thee. [00:07:21] In other words, there was a testimony in the ark. [00:07:27] And that's why one of the most common ways of speaking of the ark was not just the ark of the covenant, but the ark of the testimony. [00:07:36] And this testimony consisted of three things. [00:07:42] Three things. [00:07:44] The first was the unbroken law. [00:07:49] You will remember when Moses went first up and got the ten commandments. Because the people sinned, he broke them. [00:07:57] But then God gave again the ten commandments, and this time it was unbroken. [00:08:04] Man broke the law. But Jesus Christ fulfilled the law. And the unbroken law was put within the ark of the covenant. Who amongst us has not broken the law of God? Who amongst us, symbolically, has not taken the stones upon which the law of God were engraved by the finger of God and have smashed them into smithereens? By our sin, by our rebellion, by our faction. Not one single one of us, every one of us has broken the law. [00:08:40] But the Lord Jesus Christ is unique in this way. [00:08:46] That within his very being, the law of God was fulfilled and kept in every single point. He was tempted in all points, like as we are. Yet he was without sins. He did not break the law in one single detail. The law is unbroken. [00:09:12] Within that box of wood, overlaid with gold is the unbroken law. But more than that, there is Aaron's rod that budded. And what does that speak of? It speaks of divine authority. [00:09:29] And what does we know that cannot speak of us? It speaks of our Lord, Jesus Christ. The spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to preach good tidings and so on and so on. To bring people out of prison, to bring them out of the dungeons, to give the sight to the blind, and so on and so forth. [00:09:51] Divine authority. [00:09:54] Now, you will remember the occasion of that little rod. You will remember there was a rebellion. And everyone started. Started murmuring and saying, why should Aaron be the big noise? [00:10:06] So the Lord said to Moses, all right, you get every one of them to cut a little twig of almond, of an almond tree. And lay it up before the ark of the covenant in the tabernacle. And that's what they did. One rod for every one of the tribes. [00:10:25] And the twelve rods were placed before the ark. And the next day when they came back, the other eleven rods were just dried withered sticks. [00:10:36] But Aaron's rod had not only buddied and leafed, but fruited. [00:10:44] The whole cycle of the seasons had taken place within a night in that one little twig. Now, I think most of you know that the almond tree is the first tree that flowers. And therefore became a symbol in the bible of resurrection life. Now, what does it say in, I think it's Romans and chapter one. Where doesn't it say verse four? Who was declared to be the son of God with power according to the spirit of holiness by the resurrection from the dead. Even Jesus Christ, our Lord, he is declared to be the son of God by the resurrection from the dead. Divine authority. The ark of the covenant speaks therefore, not only of a law completely kept and unbroken, but it speaks of divine authority. Our Lord Jesus Christ has been entrusted with all authority and all power, not only in heaven, but on earth. He is king of kings and lord of lords. [00:11:59] He is head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him that filleth all in all. He has been declared to be the anointed one, declared to be God, the Son declared to be the one with all authority and power by the resurrection from the dead. [00:12:23] And when he went into heaven in glory to take his seat at the right hand of the Father, he obtained the promise for us and poured forth the Holy Spirit. [00:12:42] There is a sense in which that need never take place again. Every one of us must have our personal Pentecost. [00:12:49] But the obtaining of the promise is once and for all. [00:12:53] Never forget it. Our Lord Jesus Christ is not obtaining something for us now. As if he needs to work a work all over again on Calvary. He's done it. It's finished. It's completed. It's accomplished. He went up and took his place at the right hand of God and obtained the promise for us all. And then pour forth the Holy Spirit. [00:13:23] Divine authority. There is nothing our Lord Jesus cannot do. Nothing that he cannot settle. No issue that he cannot deal with. [00:13:35] He is invincible, indestructible, incorruptible. [00:13:41] Divine authority. [00:13:43] It doesn't matter if this whole world conspires against our Lord Jesus Christ. It doesn't matter if a false encounter feat church takes his glory away and makes him just a mere man or something else. Let them do what they will. They are all dry, withered sticks. [00:14:02] It is the rod, Aaron's rod. [00:14:08] And one day, the Lord Jesus Christ will be openly manifested for what he is. [00:14:17] King of kings and Lord of lords. That is what the ark of the testimony represents. First of all, and never, never forget it. First of all, not divine authority, but an unbroken law. [00:14:37] Because divine authority rests on incorruptibility. [00:14:44] That's why you and I are so weak, why we've got no authority when there's sin in our lives. When we regard sin, we have no authority. We're helpless. We're hopeless when it comes to it. But there is an unbroken law, a kept law, a fulfilled law, upon which rests the divine authority of Lord Jesus Christ. [00:15:07] He was anointed 30 years after he was born. [00:15:17] And the last thing we find in the ark of the testimony, the testimony which the Lord said, which I will give thee, that thou shalt put in the ark. And why the ark was called the Ark of the Testimony was the golden pot of manna. And this speaks of divine life, the bread of life. [00:15:35] Now, our Lord Jesus Christ is not only our savior and keeper. He is our food. [00:15:42] And if you and I could only learn what it is to feed on him, to enjoy him, to take him, our lives will be revolutionized. We don't just want to be surrounded with conflict and battles like old war horses, always sniffing for the smell of gunpowder and shot. [00:16:05] But some christians are like that. We've got so used to the battle, so used to it that we're like old war horses. We're all ready for the fray. [00:16:15] But how did we become old war horses, because we learned to feed on the Lord Jesus Christ. Woe betide anyone who goes out into the war, into the conflicts of this world who has not learned to enjoy the Lord Jesus Christ. First, the first thing you've got to learn as a young believer is how to feed on him, how to enjoy him, how to appropriate him, how to exploit what is yours in him. When you can learn that secret, you can grow up and then you can become a soldier in the battle. [00:16:53] Within that ark is the divine life of God. Oh, our Lord Jesus Christ. Listen to this. In him was life. [00:17:06] Think of it. In him it's just the ark. [00:17:11] In him was lie dead as the golden pot of manna. Divine life. I am the resurrection, the life, said the Lord Jesus Christ. I am the way, the truth and the life. He that hath the son hath the life. [00:17:31] In him was life, and the life was the light of men. [00:17:39] Well, there we are. That's the ark of the covenant, the ark of the testimony. I cannot help but associate that with the wonderful little phrase that we get again and again in the book of revelation, the testimony of Jesus. What is the testimony of Jesus? What is this testimony of Jesus? That John, as it were, underwrites the whole of that book of revelation. He underwrites it with this little phrase, the testimony of Jesus. Those that hold the testimony of Jesus, they overcame him by the blood of the lamb, and so on and so on by the word, their testimony. He says so much about it. The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. [00:18:19] What is it? What is it, this testimony of Jesus? I tell you what it is. It is that he is the only one in whom there is an unbroken law. [00:18:32] It is that he is the only one with divine authority resting on intrinsic worthiness. [00:18:39] And he is the only one who has got divine life in himself. [00:18:45] That's the testimony of Jesus. The presence of God committed, the ark of the covenant, the ark of the testimony. But there is one other piece of furniture about the Ark of the covenant that I've left deliberately to the last in this that we're looking at. And it is the mercy seat. Oh, the uniqueness of our Lord Jesus Christ. [00:19:14] The incomparable glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. [00:19:20] He is absolutely alone. [00:19:24] Everything and everyone pales into insignificance beside him. [00:19:30] And when we've got all this, the thing that is put upon the ark is a mercy saint. And the Lord says here in verse 22, and there will I commune with you. Isn't that wonderful? Dear child of God? [00:19:47] It would be a tremendous thing if we knew that the Lord Jesus Christ was God and man, God manifest in the flesh. It would be a tremendous thing if we knew that the law was unbroken and fulfilled in him. It would be a tremendous thing if we knew that he has divine authority. It would be tremendous if we knew that in him is divine life. But, my dear friend, why would we be? Where would you and I be if there was no mercy seat? If there was no blood sprinkled mercy seat, why, those cherubim of glory would just grimace at us. [00:20:22] They would grimace at us. [00:20:24] They would have no word of comfort, no word of consolation, no word of encouragement. It would just be like they used to be in the garden of Eden, with a flaming sword to bar the way to the tree of life. [00:20:39] But instead we're told above the mercy suit, two great cherubim with their faces turned towards the seat. [00:20:49] Glory, absolute glory. [00:20:54] The cherubim of glory, representing the whole creation, filled with the glory of God. [00:21:03] And a mercy seat beneath them. [00:21:08] There will I commune with thee. Do you know who is the mercy seat? It is the Lord Jesus Christ. [00:21:16] Do you know how to come to the mercy seat? [00:21:20] My dear friend, if there is any sense of defilement, if there is any sense of sin, if there is any sense of uncleanness, do you know how to approach the blood stained mercy seat? It is our Lord Jesus Christ. He is the mercy seat of God. [00:21:41] The ark of the covenant. Well, then, what about the men who bear who bore it? [00:21:49] What about the men who bore it? Well, let's just look. Deuteronomy, chapter ten. [00:21:56] Deuteronomy, chapter ten. [00:22:01] Deuteronomy, chapter ten. Verse eight. [00:22:09] At that time, the Lord set apart the tribe of Levi to bear the ark of the covenant of the Lord. Stand before the Lord to minister unto him and to bless his name unto this day. Set apart to bear the ark of the covenant. This is what the Lord desires amongst us. This is what he craves. For men who can bear the ark of the testimony upon their shoulders, set apart. [00:22:45] Set apart. Not eccentric people, but people. Set apart. [00:22:53] Sinners saved by grace, set apart to bear the arc of the testimony. In other words, what the Lord is saying is my presence. I want men and women who can be set apart, committed to my presence, committed to the things that I am doing now. It is a very interesting thing. Originally, the Lord required the firstborn of all of Israel as priests. [00:23:29] You will remember when the angel of the Lord struck dead the firstborn of Egypt, he should have struck dead the firstborn of Israel. [00:23:44] But he saw the blood. [00:23:47] And when he saw the blood, he passed over. And the firstborn of all Israel was preserved. But the Lord said, since I have saved that one with my blood, I claim him. [00:24:01] I claim him. [00:24:03] I claim every firstborn, some in Israel as priests. [00:24:10] Unto me have you been bought with the blood of the lamb. [00:24:16] Has the angel of death passed over you because of the blood of Christ? [00:24:23] Then do you know that you are bought with a Christ? [00:24:28] You are not your own. [00:24:31] Therefore you must glorify God in your body. [00:24:36] Do you know that? Do you know that when you live as you will, though you're a child of God, you're contradicting the very principle of your conversion, of your birth, of your salvation. God has saved you. [00:24:52] He died for all that they that live should henceforth not live unto themselves, but unto him who lived and died for them. [00:25:02] That's what it means. [00:25:04] The first thing about these men who bear the ark was that originally they were the firstborn saved by the blood of the lamb. And the Lord claimed them as priests. [00:25:14] But the second thing is this. [00:25:17] The Lord substituted the firstborn with Levi. [00:25:26] You remember after the. In Exodus and chapter. [00:25:36] I think it's 32. Exodus 32. You remember where they sinned? When Moses brought down the law from the mountain, and he broke it. And he called upon the people who this day will serve the Lord. Let him stand by me. And only the house of Levi rallied to him that day. The Lord said, I take the house of Levi in place of the firstborn. [00:26:06] And from that day, the tribe of Levi became the servants of the Lord. They became the ones who should bear the ark and handle the things of God. In other words, they were not only. They were not only saved by the blood of the lamb and claimed by God for himself, but secondly, they proved that they were absolutely utter for you remember what it says in 32, those terrible words. [00:26:40] And he said unto them, thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel, put ye every man his sword upon his thigh and go to him from gate to gate throughout the camp and slay every man his brother and every man his companion, every man his neighbor. And the sons of Levi did, according to the word of Moses, ottoman kinship, kith and kin, the deepest bonds in this world. [00:27:08] What does that mean? These men were prepared to give their loyalty to God above their loyalty to kiss and kin in such a way that the Lord said, very well, you shall be those who are in a peculiar relationship to me now our time is going. What can I say more about the Levites that might help you? Some of you have spoken to me about it. Let me tell you this. The Levite only could only enter his service when he was 30 years of age, but he could serve a probationary period of five years from when he was 25 to 30. And when he got to 50, he wasn't allowed to do any more. [00:27:56] Now, isn't that extraordinary? If you want to look that up, you will find it first in numbers, chapter four, verse three. [00:28:06] From 30 years old and upward even until 50 years old. All that entered upon the service to do the work in the tent of meeting. Now, this word service is a very interesting word in Hebrew. You will see in some of the margins of the revised version. Warfare. Warfare. Now, how on earth, may I ask, can carrying the ark of the Covenant be called warfare? [00:28:30] How can looking after the furniture of the tabernacle and the things to do with the house of God be called warfare? [00:28:37] Yet that's what it was called. Warfare. And if you turn to chapter eight and verse 24, we read this. [00:28:47] This is that which belongeth unto the Levites. From 25 years old and upward they shall go in to wait upon the service or to war, the warfare in the work of the tent. War, the warfare in the work of the tent of meeting. And from the age of 50 years, they shall cease waiting upon them and shall serve no more, but shall minister with their brethren and tent of meeting to keep the charge. Now, this is very interesting. First of all, the Levites served a period of probation from 25 to 30. Then he entered on the actual heavy work, the practical heavy work of keeping clean. Have you ever thought, have you ever thought, those of you who know your bibles, what a job it must have been to have kept the tabernacle clean, with all that blood sprinkled around, incense going up, all that brass had to be kept clean, gold had to be kept, swept, clean garment. [00:29:48] This was the job of the Levites. [00:29:51] Now, of course, we're not talking about that practical. We're talking about spiritually. [00:29:56] But the heavy work was done from when they were 30 to 50. [00:30:01] Then, when they were 50, they entered upon what was called keeping the charge, which was really supervision. [00:30:09] Supervision and worship. They were the ones who sang and worshipped the Lord. [00:30:19] There was a levitical service. [00:30:22] First you served probation in which you were tested thoroughly. Then you entered into the actual work. You were anointed, washed, ceremonially shaved, and sent on your way into the work, what was called the warfare. Warring. The warfare. And then when you were 50, you entered into a supervisory post and one of worship and prays in the house of God. Now all that has a lot for us, you know. Don't you ever think that the Lord, the Lord just says, as soon as you say, well now, we'll get you right in, straight away. Seems to be the general christian idea today. As soon as they say, rush them into a Bible college and then out onto the mission field fast as we possibly can. [00:31:11] That's not the Lord's way. The Lord's way is, first, test them, test them. Let them serve a probation. Then when it's clear that they. [00:31:20] There's something in them, there's a heart for the law, there's a character not complete, but it's there, and there's a spirit and an attitude, then let them enter into this warfare of the service and what a need there is for supervision. [00:31:45] I think sometimes some of those who got into the warfare after a while, they seem to think there's a time for retirement. There's no such thing as retirement in the work of God. [00:31:56] It's an interesting thing that the Lord at the end, he makes those who served him longest worship. [00:32:04] Isn't that wonderful? [00:32:06] Now you would have thought, let's have the young, strong, virile singers. [00:32:11] But the Lord said, I don't want them. I'd rather have the quotes of the over fifties, because that's precious to me. That represents something, it represents history, it represents experience, it represents something of a life given to the Lord and that's precious to me. And they must learn to keep the charge and pass on to the younger ones what they've learned. [00:32:41] But this is what so often happens as a retirement, you know, opt out. [00:32:46] Of course, I am not speaking of those older ones, and I am glad to say we haven't got here those older ones from forever hammering the younger ones on the head that we're not talking about at all. Those people have got nothing to give. They're empty drums. [00:33:06] They bang themselves and make a lot of noise. [00:33:08] But when someone's got something, every young person knows it, isn't that so? [00:33:16] Spiritually it should be even more so. Here then is levitical service. The Lord says, oh, for people who could bear the ark of the testimony upon their shoulders. [00:33:27] But they've got to go through this process, they've got to be tested, they've got to be proved, they've got to be tried. Are they ready for such a thing? Are they ready for the warfare of the servant? [00:33:44] The last thing I just want to draw your attention to this morning is this. It was dawn on their shoulder. [00:33:51] That was the verse we began with in one chronicles, chapter 15 and verse 15. [00:33:59] Verse 15. Oh, my dear friend, isn't there a capacity within us all, an inherent capacity for longing, that we could put the ark on a new cart and get some nicely groomed and washed oxen to draw it? This is exactly what happened if you turn one chronicles 13 and verse seven. And they carried the Ark of God upon a new cart and brought it out of the house of Abinadab. And Uzzah and Ahio drove the cart, and David and all Israel played before God with all their might, even with songs and with harps and with psalteries and with timbrels and with symbols and with torture. Marvelous. Absolutely marvelous. It was an absolute revival. [00:34:46] Marvelous time of worship. There was the ark on a new cart that had never been used for anything else. Now, couldn't that be. Could there be anything better than that? Sanctified. [00:35:00] Sanctified. And evidently it had got oxen pulling it that were, if it follows the other story earlier on, had probably never known the yoke before. [00:35:14] It's all absolutely perfect. [00:35:17] But you know what happened? Went over a cart rut. It shook. The ark slipped. Uzzah. The Levite. The Levite put his hand out to save the ark of the Lord being damaged and was struck dead. [00:35:32] And that's given a lot of people. [00:35:35] They wondered, why could God do such a thing? [00:35:43] Now, you see what David said in one chronicles 15 and verse 15. [00:35:51] And the children of the Levites bear the ark of God upon their shoulders with the staves thereon, as Moses commanded, according to the work of. According to the word of the Lord. [00:36:07] In other words, if you read through these chapters, you will find that David began to inquire, and he found out from the word of God that the ark was never, never to be carried on a cart or moved in any other way than on the shoulders of men. [00:36:28] My dear friends, some of us want revival cheaply. We would love to have things, spiritual things, that were, as it were. We could put on a kind of cart, a beautifully made cart, a cart that is a bit of machinery. It's not flesh and blood. It's not animate, but it can be pulled along. Oh, we'd love that. [00:36:48] Much of our christian work is built on the principle of the new cart, really. [00:36:54] It's built on that principle. Organization, machinery, something that we can just oil now and again, but which can rumble forward of its own accord. It's nothing to do with flesh and blood. God says, I will have nothing of it. [00:37:09] You can sing and you can dance. You can play your harps and timbrels and dance naked if you want to, but I will have nothing of it. [00:37:22] It is a stench. [00:37:26] Does anyone think that God wants his, as it were, to commit himself to a new cart, an oxen? [00:37:36] It is the symbolism of it. [00:37:39] God wants to commit himself not to things, not to an organisation, not to an institution, but to people. [00:37:47] To people. [00:37:48] And the thing must be born. Arm. The shoulder. [00:37:55] Nothing between. [00:37:57] Nothing between. [00:38:00] Isn't it a tremendous thing when you realize that arc of the covenant representing God, manifest in the flesh with the testimony of Jesus, as it were, the unbroken law, divine authority, divine light and the cherubim of glory and the mercy seat, all being carried upon the shoulders of sinners saved by grace. [00:38:31] That represents something very deep and very wonderful. Let me put it finally in a sentence or two. [00:38:40] God wants you. [00:38:45] Don't ever think that he just wants your money or he just wants your thing. [00:38:52] He wants you. [00:38:57] He wants you to bear the things himself. He wants to commit himself to you. Now, is there anything more wonderful in this world than an ordinary human being in whom we sense the presence of God? Isn't that the arc of the covenant? [00:39:15] So often a person can joke and laugh and it's just themselves. [00:39:20] So often a person can talk about spiritual things and it's just themselves. [00:39:26] Just themselves. But how wonderful it is when we sense behind that ordinary flesh and blood there is the presence. We sense it. We know it. [00:39:38] It's the ark of the covenant. [00:39:41] The ark of the testimony. [00:39:43] Surely that's what it's meant in the book of revelation where it speaks of those that hold the testimony of Jesus. Hold it. Hold it. They bear it. [00:39:55] They hold it. [00:39:57] May God forget from all of us such a spirit and such a character that he will be able to commit himself in an altogether new way in the days that lie. Surely it is not without significance that as we moved upstairs, the thing the Lord inquired of is who among you can bear the ark of the covenant upon his shoulders? [00:40:26] I wonder, in the final analysis, I wonder whether any of us can. [00:40:33] In the end, only God can do it. May he do it for his namesake. [00:40:44] Now, Lord, we bow in thy presence and we worship thee because thou art our mercy seat. And we thank thee for that blood of thine which has cleansed us from all sin and made us nigh unto God. O, what would we do without thee, Lord Jesus thy unique glory, thy unique beauty Lord, we just worship thee and praise thee that thou hast saved us. And we pray, Lord, that thou wouldst get somehow in us all, a character, a spirit, a heart for thyself. Which will mean, Lord, that thou art able to move ahead in a new way in all that is in thy heart to do. May it be so, Lord. We ask it in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.