What’s in Your Ark?

In Exodus 25, God instructed the Israelites to build the Ark of the Covenant to house within the Tabernacle during their time in the wilderness. He provided detailed instructions for constructing the Ark:

Here are the specifications:

• Two and a half cubits in length
• One and a half cubits in width
• One and a half cubits in height (a cubit is about eighteen inches)
• Overlayed inside and outside with gold
• Rings on each side for the staves—wooden rods used to carry the Ark
• The mercy seat sat on top, and two cherubim covered the mercy seat with their wings

These specific instructions on the Ark’s outward appearance highlight the importance of external presentation. Similarly, Christians in the New Testament received guidance on appropriate dress and conduct.

People often make assumptions based on appearance—your hairstyle, attire, demeanor, or even whether you make eye contact. These are just a few examples of how outward impressions shape perceptions. What people see on the outside can influence how they will accept your witness about what’s on the inside. Right or wrong, most people will observe your actions before they listen to your words. It’s human nature.

God’s sole instruction for the Ark’s interior was that it must also be overlaid with gold. This detail raises important questions: Why did God instruct the Israelites to overlay the inside of the Ark with gold? What was eventually placed in the Ark? And why was it so important and holy that God didn’t want any of it touching ordinary wood?

The Ten Commandments

The first items placed in the Ark were the tablets upon which the Ten Commandments were written (Deuteronomy 10). These tablets served as a tangible reminder of the covenant God established with His people:

“And Moses called all Israel, and said to them: ‘Hear, O Israel, the statutes and judgments which I speak in your hearing today, that you may learn them and be careful to observe them’” (Deuteronomy 5:1).

If the Israelites remembered the covenant, things would go well with them:

“Therefore you shall be careful to do as the Lord your God has commanded you; you shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left. You shall walk in all the ways which the Lord your God has commanded you, that you may live and that it may be well with you, and that you may prolong your days in the land which you shall possess” (Deuteronomy 5:32-33).

The Pot of Manna

Also in the Ark was a pot of manna. Exodus 16:32-34 explains:

“Then Moses said, ‘This is the thing which the Lord has commanded: ‘Fill an omer with it, to be kept for your generations, that they may see the bread with which I fed you in the wilderness, when I brought you out of the land of Egypt.’” And Moses said to Aaron, “Take a pot and put an omer of manna in it, and lay it up before the Lord, to be kept for your generations.” As the Lord commanded Moses, so Aaron laid it up before the Testimony, to be kept.”

According to Hebrews 9:4, the golden pot was placed alongside the Testimony. This pot served as a lasting reminder of God’s provision during their time in the wilderness.

Aaron’s Rod

Aaron’s budding rod was also placed in the Ark, as noted in Hebrews 9:4. The story of its budding is recorded in Numbers, but before that event, Aaron’s rod played a pivotal role in demonstrating God’s power. In Exodus 7, Aaron cast his rod down before Pharaoh, and it turned into a serpent. When Pharaoh’s magicians did the same, Aaron’s rod swallowed theirs.

Aaron’s rod was stretched over the waters in Egypt, turning them to blood. Later, it brought forth the frogs and the flies. In Numbers 17, God used Aaron’s rod to confirm his leadership and silence the complaints of the Israelites. Each tribe’s leader placed a rod in the Tabernacle, and overnight, only Aaron’s rod budded, blossomed, and yielded almonds. This miraculous sign reaffirmed God’s authority, and the rod was placed with the Testimony as a “token against the rebels.”

Each item in the Ark served as a physical reminder of spiritual truths. They prompt us to ask: What reminders do we have today?

What’s in Your Personal “Ark”?

What have you placed in your prayer journal, tucked in your Bible, or noted in a file to remind yourself of all the things God has given you? Like the Israelites, we too often forget what God has done for us. We disregard His covenant, discount His provisions, and disobey His authority.

• God’s Covenant: What reminds you of God’s covenant or commandments? Where are your “tablets”? Are they written on a sign, inscribed on a keychain, or written on your heart? Do you pray over them? “Lord, help me to have no other gods before You. Forgive me when I place idols before You and help guard my tongue, so I do not use Your name in vain.”
• God’s Provision: What reminds you of God’s provision? Where is your “pot of manna”? Do you have a dollar bill on your fridge to remind you of times He blessed you financially? Have you kept a memento of a medical miracle? Is thanksgiving an indispensable part of your prayer life?
• God’s Authority: What reminds you of God’s authority? Where is your “budding rod”? Do you feel empowered to preach, teach, and testify of God’s mercy and grace? You should! The New Testament reminds us of this privilege:

“But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy” (1 Peter 2:9-10).

Woven through the Old Testament and confirmed in the New Testament are constant reminders of what happens to God’s people when they forget Him. Let us not forget. Let us not stumble off the path of salvation due to pride, arrogance, or neglect. Everything we have, everything we are, and everything we hope to be is because of His covenant, His provisions, and His authority.

What’s in your “ark”? Because you should have one.