THE ARK OF THE LORD
I expect some of you will, like me, have wasted a couple of hours watching the film "Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark". It’s a fantasy adventure story loosely based on the fact that the Ark of the Covenant was lost without trace nearly two and a half thousand years ago. The land of Israel was invaded by the Babylonians. Jerusalem and its temple was plundered, and the Ark was never seen again.
In the film, the Ark was sought after because of its supposed magical powers. Now there’s hardly a grain of truth in the film, so the account in the biblical story we’re going to consider is hardly "the book of the film" - but the Bible story is true and it’s got a real message for us today because it tells us a good deal about God and ourselves.
This interesting if sad story was included in the Jewish scriptures to remind the people of Israel and ourselves of the fundamental need of mankind - first to be made right with God, and then to live rightly under him.
The people at that time when the historical books of the Old testament were written were confused and dispirited; they needed to be recalled to their faith so that they would be ready for the coming of the Messiah which had been confidently predicted by the prophets of Israel over the previous centuries. In the same way we, in the 21st Century, need to be ready for the Second Coming of Jesus. The storyteller outlines the events covering one of the most important features of early Hebrew religion:
THE ARK OF THE COVENANT
The first readers of the story would be familiar with its physical appearance although they had never seen it. In fact very few people had seen it in its seven or eight centuries of existence. This is because its location in the ritual worship of Israel was in the holy of holies in the tabernacle, and later the temple. This inner sanctuary was only entered by the high priest, and that once a year. But its description was detailed in the books of Moses. In fact it was a rectangular box made of wood, about 4 feet long and two and a half feet wide and high, covered with gold. The Ark was a beautiful piece of furniture because on its lid were two golden cherubs with outspread arms, but what was more important was:
THE PURPOSE OF THE ARK
Its physical appearance was nothing compared with its religious function, as it served as a receptacle for the two tablets of stone on which were written the Ten Commandments, the foundation of the Hebrew people’s relationship with their God. But of even greater importance was that it was designated as the meeting-place in the sanctuary where the Lord revealed his will to his servants.
Over the years there was a sad decline in Israel’s spiritual life. Religion became more of a form than a reality, but the nation hung on to its traditions believing that its outward ceremonies would take the place of a meaningful relationship with God. Of course God, although long-suffering, would have none of it, and allowed the nation’s enemies, the Philistines, to punish them in battle.
Some clever Israelite general thought he had the answer. "Let’s bring out the Ark, and take it with us in battle. God will be forced to fight on our side!" But God cannot be manipulated. Their scheme of using the Ark as a kind of lucky charm didn’t work and the Ark was captured by the infidels. What a warning to us: if our faith deteriorates into merely an outward symbol and we use religion only as a crutch it will surely let us down. After this sad episode someone whose family was involved in the sad drama named their child Ichabod, meaning, "the glory of the Lord has departed". Let’s beware. God is not someone to be taken for granted, to be used for our own ends, a type of "heavenly slot-machine" with a handle to pulled and out pops a blessing!
Strangely enough the Ark began to be an embarrassment to the Philistines, and they passed it from one city to another like a hot potato, and eventually they returned it to its homeland. The purpose of the Ark was to be blessing, but because of disobedience it became a bane, and so we come to the point where the storyteller takes up his story of how God taught the people an important lesson of the:
ABUSE OF GOD’S HOLINESS
King David was basically a godly man, but godly men and women are not infallible. He believed it was God’s will for the Ark to be brought back to Jerusalem. In fact he got very excited about the project and his enthusiasm ran away with him. It was to be a religious spectacular! His motive was good, but his method was wrong. He was right in his intentions, but wrong in his implementation. There were to be singers and dancers in the grand carnival procession in which the Ark would be transported in triumph. It was to be a real celebration. But in all the excitement, David forgot something of vital importance.
There’s something profoundly wrong when we fail to understand how holy God is and deliberately disobey his clear instructions. When God gave Moses commands as to the construction of the Ark he ordered that it should be carried only on the shoulders of the Levites. The Ark had been fitted with rings at each corner through which poles were passed so that it could be carried in safety and reverence. That’s the standard which God expects from his people when they are engaged in worship. It’s amazing how religious worship can swing between dead formality and irreverent jocularity - both are alien to God’s desire.
The story which follows is one of the more shocking events in the Bible. The precious golden box of the Ark was brought out of the house where it had reached after leaving the Philistines and it was placed on a new cart hauled by oxen in the same way as the Philistines had returned the Ark – and that’s where their plan went wrong. We might think that, although it wasn’t the way which God had instructed, well, they had gone to considerable trouble and expense in providing a new cart and a team of oxen. But it wasn’t what God wanted. Hadn’t he told David’s predecessor, Saul when he had followed his own whim, "To obey is better than to sacrifice" (1 Sam 15:22).
The outcome of David’s disobedience to God’s clear instructions was tragedy. As the procession reached a stopping place, somehow the oxen stumbled, the cart jolts, the Ark seems about to slide off, a man named Uzzah reaches out a hand to steady it - and the Lord strikes him dead! It seems almost unbelievable judgement on a man who, after all was only acting out of genuine concern for the safety of a piece of sacred furniture. It seems out of all proportion! But is it?
David’s immediate reaction was one of anger. It seems entirely understandable! There could hardly be a more effective way of quenching the joy of the occasion. But the fact is that the putting out of the hand was "the last straw" in an act of disobedience. What appeared on the surface to be act of concern, in God’s sight, was gross irreverence. This is a salutary reminder that what is called "worship" or "service" can sometimes be displeasing to God because it is done in a way which isn’t in keeping with his Word. God’s explicit instructions had been disobeyed.
We live in an age of informality. In the workplace it’s quite common for the boss to be known by his first name - and there’s nothing wrong with that if everyone knows his or her place so that when instructions are given it’s clear what is expected. Sometimes employees confuse liberty for licence and they’re likely to have to learn the hard way! The same principle applies in spiritual things. Jesus had people come to him who had an appearance of being his disciples but were far from it, and he complained, "Why do you call me "Lord, Lord," and do not do as I say?" (Luke 6:46).
The fate of Uzzah is a fearful warning against over-familiarity with God. As someone put it rather well, he is "the Almighty, not the almatey!" Uzzah should have known better because he was a member of a leading priestly family and so had known the Ark all his life. But somehow he had lost his regard for the sacredness of the Ark as the symbol of God’s presence among his people. He’d begun to take it for granted and, sad to say, familiarity had bred contempt. Thank God we can come freely into his presence, but our approach must be in humility and reverence, not careless presumption.
This tendency is especially dangerous for those of us who have been steeped in church life from childhood. Scripture abounds in warnings about the careless handling of spiritual things: partaking of the Lord’s Supper in an unworthy manner, tampering with the integrity of the Word of God, or our personal relationships and behaviour.
Uzzah’s lifeless form shocks us into the realisation that it’s dangerous to presume on God’s tolerance. Every now and then in Scripture, God acts in severe judgement on what appear to be small infractions of his commands and the rarity of these incidents makes us surprised, but the truth is that it’s only God’s remarkable longsuffering that prevents them happening all the time!
I’ve read this story many times, and I must confess that each time the thought comes again - it does seem hard of God to punish Uzzah with the death sentence. Surely, a comparatively minor indiscretion hardly deserves such a heavy-handed punishment? But one is forced to consider the awesome truth of the holiness of God. The Ark of the Covenant might be only a wooden box overlaid with gold - that was the surface meaning, but it was more than that because it was the point of contact between a holy God and his people. And it was because of its symbolism of the presence of God, men were forbidden to touch it. The Ark’s untouchability proclaimed the unapproachable holiness of God. And so the lesson had to be learned over again of:
BEARING THE ARK
Another name for the Ark of the Covenant is "the Ark of the Testimony" because it contained two copies of the Ten Commandments. This was to remind the people that just as the Lord was holy, they too were called upon to reflect his holiness. God had instructed that bearing the Ark would be a personal thing. Carrying it on the shoulders of the priests represented a personal commitment and a sharing of responsibility.
In the Christian era access to God is not restricted to a priestly class separate from ordinary believers, for all Christians are part of the Body of Christ, the church. They are declared to be "a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God" and for what purpose? "that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light" (I Peter 2:9). What a responsibility!
The storyteller makes a sad little statement in relation to David’s arrangement of bringing the Ark back which ended in tragedy: he writes, "The whole assembly agreed to do this, because it seemed right to all the people" (I Chron 13:4). Just because the people approved the plan, it didn’t mean that it was acceptable to God - when the opposite was the case. It’s so important that we discover for ourselves what is right in the current fashions of life, even church life. The majority perception is not necessarily the correct one. There’s such a thing as group dynamics where the masses are carried away by the "flavour of the month" excitement. The New Testament writers call upon us to "test the spirits" to see if indeed they are of God.
God’s work must be done God’s way. Under Old Testament law, only the Levites were qualified to carry the Ark, and even then, only after they had observed strict instructions for their personal purification. We must make sure that our motives and methods meet with God’s standards. The apostle Paul warned the believers at Corinth to build on the foundation of Christ, but not only that, but to be sure that they used materials that would stand the test of God’s fiery trial - "wood, hay or stubble" would be "burned up" (I Cor 3:13,14). Their salvation would be secure, but their reward for service would be lost.
The story was written for readers whose religion no longer possessed the Ark, so it’s a valid question to ask why the writer had painstakingly recounted this episode? It wasn’t as if the people could honour this sacred relic of the past. The fact that he did so surely points beyond the physical Ark to:
THE TRUTH ENSHRINED BY THE ARK
We have to ask, "What does the Ark stand for? What does it mean?" It’s whole focus was on the God who was their salvation - he was their covenant God. He didn’t have to love the people of Israel because so often they failed him so miserably, as we do. But he loved them simply because he loved them! There was no other explanation. It was all of his grace, his unmerited favour.
The Ark was the symbol of God’s grace. The Ark could only be approached on one day in the year - the Day of Atonement, when the blood of an innocent victim, an animal without any blemishes, was sprinkled on the Mercy Seat, the lid of the Ark. The blood was proof of a death on the altar of sacrifice. Here we are on holy ground for this sacrifice was a pointer to the Ultimate Sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ who, the gospel writer tells us, was "The Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" (John 1:29). It’s in Jesus that “we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins” (Eph 1:6,7).
The story of the Ark tells us in no uncertain terms that God and his work of grace cannot be trifled with. When the Philistines returned the Ark to Israel it came to a village. The people were delighted to see it again, and proceeded to celebrate its return, but they went too far. They saw the marks of blood sprinkled by successive high priests, witnessing to the never-failing mercy of God to past generations, but curiosity gave way to a reckless and fatal action. They lifted the lid of the Mercy Seat and were faced with the unbroken Law. It was as if they had rejected God’s grace and met the fearsome alternative which condemned them outright : over 70 of the villagers met with a sudden death (I Sam 6:19).
One of the warning passages of Scripture tells us that it is "a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God" (Heb 10;31). We can contrast this and the striking down of Uzzah with the blessing which came on the household where the Ark rested for three months before it was finally brought to Jerusalem. We’re told that "the Lord blessed (that person’s) household and everything he had" (IChron 13:14).
The Ark had served its purpose in pointing to the coming of Jesus as the Saviour of the world; the symbol gave way to the reality, the shadow to its substance. In fact it was appropriate for the Ark to be lost as it might have been a distraction. It was no longer required, for God would meet with mankind in the Lord Jesus. He is our propitiation, the means by which we come to God. But the Ark has one more piece of symbolism to offer: its measurements tell us that it was just wide enough for one person at a time to stand before it, but not wide enough for two. This tells me that there’s no such thing as national salvation or salvation by proxy - it must be an individual appropriation and experience.
The Ark is ancient history and, unlike in the fantasy film, is lost, but its abiding significance is real and will live for ever as it’s a prime illustration of the person and work of the Lord Jesus and our relationship to him. The story of the Ark is recorded for us to learn from its message. May we not fail to do so.
