6.
The ark of the covenant and its accompanying cap, or mercy seat symbolize in a beautiful manner the Godhead. The Lord consistently made manifest His being in all that He accomplished. It was here that the glorious presence of the Lord would appear, between the cherubim and over the mercy seat, as the high priest would make atonement on the Day of Atonement. The Ark was a box made of Acacia wood. It is described as a gnarled, thorny, hardwood tree with a hard grain. Its description immediately makes one think of the sufferings of the Lord Jesus and His subsequent crucifixion. This wooden chest was then covered with gold, inside and outside. Immediately we see one box with three layers. The middle segment of wood typifying the crucified Christ. The inside gold, the unseen Father. The gold covering on the outside representing the Holy Spirit who is our means of contact with the Lord. Ex. 25:10-11 Three sections, yet but one Ark. The golden crown is indicative of the eternal King.
The Bible gives us various names in reference to the ark. As the Ark of the Covenant it represented the purpose of the Lord to fulfill His redemptive work among His people. It was the assurance of His presence among His people. It led their way into the promised land by stopping the waters of Jordan so they could pass over. The Lord did not take them into the land during the dry season but waited until Jordan was flooding. Thus enhancing the miracle of the stopping of the waters. Josh. 3:6-17 Note also that the bottom of the river immediately became dry ground.
It is again called the Ark of the Covenant by the writer of the book of Hebrews. Heb. 9:3-5 The Ark was located in the third space of the tabernacle which consisted of, The outer court, the Holy place and the most Holy. Here we are confronted with another type of the Godhead. The tables of the Law, the golden pot of manna and Aarons miraculous budding rod. These were within the Ark, all in one place, yet three items. The tables of the Covenant signify the Father. The golden pot of manna, that One who is the Word made flesh, the Lord Jesus Christ. And Aaron’s rod which blossomed, budded and bore fruit all in one night, the Holy Spirit, the fruitful one. All three of these articles are vastly different and were for various purposes, yet stored in one place, the ark. There they were accounted to be as a witness and testimony of who and what the Lord is to His people.