We have now arrived at Episode Six in our study of the Ark of the Covenant. As we have mentioned, all of the material that we go through is found in our book, "In Search Of The Lost Ark: The Quest For The Ark of the Covenant. It is a free download from our website educatingourworld under the heading of Bible Prophecy.
In this episode, we now begin to look at the journeys of the Ark. This chapter will take us from Mt. Sinai to the entrance of the people to the Promised Land some forty years later.
Basically, we looked at the fact that the Ark led the way to the Promised Land while being unseen by the people, since it was always covered with badger skins and a blue cloth.
It was the Levites who were responsible for the Ark, as well as for the tabernacle and its furniture.
Since the Ark was a temporary place of meeting, it never found a permanent resting place during the wilderness wanderings. However, it was the center of the camp. In other words, it was central to the people's worship of the Lord.
The most important day of the year, of course, was the Day of Atonement. It was the only time in the entire year that anyone entered the Holy of Holies and it was only one person who was allowed to enter, the Great High Priest.
He would put blood on the Mercy Seat, the atonement cover. First, blood from a bull for his and his families sins, and then blood from a goat for the sins of the people. It spoke of a future time when our sins would not merely be covered but taken away. This came, of course, from the death of Jesus Christ.
We also noted that God miraculously fed the people in the wilderness by "bread from heaven," or "manna." Consequently, a golden pot of manna was placed inside the Ark.
To show who the genuine High Priest would be, the Lord had one member from each tribe of the twelve tribes to put their staffs in the Temple before the Ark. In the morning, the staff that supernaturally budded would indicate whose family the High Priest would come from. Aaron was chosen. Therefore, his staff was laid before the Ark of the Covenant.
The Ark went before the people during their entire wilderness wanderings. As they were about to enter the Promised Land, Moses rehearsed the story of the Ark (Deuteronomy 10:1-5).
Moses died without being able to enter the Promised Land. The Lord secretly buried him. Though his exact burial place is unknown, as we shall see, this location has figured into modern-day searches for the Ark.
While it was now time for the people to enter the Promised Land, a seemingly impossible obstacle stood in their way.
As we shall see in our next chapter, this object was not too difficult for the Lord!