The Ark Of The Covenant Essay Research

The Ark Of The Covenant Essay, Research Paper

THE ARK OF THE COVENANT

BY B.J. SCHULTZ

The Ark of the Covenant is presently one of the most sought-after objects in the

world. It is probably the most powerful, influential, and mysterious objects in the

history of the world. There are hundreds of theories as to the whereabouts of the ark,

everything from the Temple Mount to aliens, Elvis, and Roswell New Mexico. But

where is it today. Has it already been discovered, or will it remain a mystery,

shrouded in conspiracy.

The Ark of the Covenant was constructed with acacia wood and 24 karat pure

gold. The ‘mercy seat’ was made completely of pure gold only, and the two cherubim

were made of the same peice of gold as the mercy seat. All the wood was overlayed

with gold. The cherubim’s wings were outstreched over the mercy seat to cover it.

The posts to carry it were made of acacia wood also and overlayed with gold. The ark

had rings on each corner which were separately cast and attached. It was two and a

half cubits long, one and a half cubits wide and one and a half cubits high. This is

about three feet nine inches long, two feet three inches wide, and two feet and three

inches high.

The Ark of the Covenant was built at Mount Sinai by Bezalel ben Uri, which

means, “In the shadow of God, the son of my light”. He built the ark to the exact

specifications of God. The ark contained the tablets of the Ten Commandments,

a golden pot of manna, and Aaron’s staff, which had budded. It was used to carry

these objects and God himself said it was his dwelling place. The ark was also a

symbol of God’s power to the Israelites and a physical representation of His presence

and dwelling place. The Israelites carried the ark with them everywhere and to every

battleground because they knew God lived among them and would protect them. It

was also a symbol of his promise that they were his chosen people.

The ark played a significant role while the Israelites were wandering in the

desert. They built a tabernacle as God instructed them, and placed the Ark of the

Covenant in a separate room called the Holy of Holies. No one could enter the Holy

of Holies unless God called them to do so. After the ark was set there the glory of

God filled the tabernacle in the form of a cloud. When the cloud lifted, the Israelites

would travel, but if it didn’t lift they had to stay put until it did. At night the cloud was

filled with fire to guide them. God’s ark led them through the desert during Exodus.

After the exile the ark was taken with them to the promised land. All this time the

Levites were the only group of people who could move the tabernacle and the ark and

protect them. From then on the ark stayed with the Israelites.

In all, the ark travelled from Mount Sinai to Gilgal to Shiloh and to Jerusalem

where King Solomon began constructing a temple for it. It took him seven years to

finish it. The resting place of the ark, the Holy of Holies, was twenty cubits long, high

and wide, andf overlayed completely with pure gold. Solomon had also had two

cherubim carved, each ten cubits tall with five cubit long outstreched wings, made of

olive wood and overlayed with gold. These cherubim seem to match the description

of the cherubim on top of the mercy seat. They were placed in the Holy of Holies.

When the preists put the ark in the new temple, under the cherubim, the cloud of the

glory of the Lord filled the entire temple so the preists couldn’t even perform their

responsibilities. After Solomon’s death there were many evil kings, and during the

reign of these kings it is assumed that the preists hid the ark in a safe place. In 2

Chronicles 35:3 Josiah tells the Levite preists to put the ark back into the temple

Solomon built. That is also the last time the Ark of the Covenant is mentioned in the

Scriptures. Was it placed back in the temple. Who knows.

God had very specific instructions on how the ark was to be transported. Only

the Levite preists could carry it, and it was supposed to be carried by the posts only.

In one situation, the ark was being transported during the reign of David on a cart

pulled by oxen. When it starts to fall off a man walking beside the cart reaches out to

steady it and the fire of God consumes him when he touches it. I think God did this

because his ark and dwelling place was not being treated as he had instructed. He said

the ark could only be carried by the Levites and only by the poles. These poles could

never be removed from the rings they were originally placed in, which were on the

sides of the ark. Anyway, I think this man was struck down as a warning to obey

God’s commands.

THEORY #1: AXUM, ETHIOPIA

This is one of the more popular theories out there. Graham Hancock, who

wrote “The Sign and the Seal”, believes that the ark is currently in a small church in

Axum, Ethiopia called

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