April 2025 The Ark of the Covenant

The Ark of the Covenant

One of the great joys of traveling back to N.J. was getting a chance to reconnect with some dear friends. I remember I had a very insightful conversation with one of those friends. We were talking about self-care, a topic that surfaces more often as we mature (aka grow older). I wish I could put faces in this release as we do in text to relay the humorous way this story was shared.

She tells me, “I was running to CVS a few blocks away and chose not to bother with the seat belt when a stern warning was given to me from the Lord. No kidding!!!!! He sternly said, “What do you think you are doing, not protecting yourself? Have you forgotten who you are? “Now you have to know my friend and her precious walk with the Father to really enjoy her as she responded, “O My, what about who I am?” “You are the ark that carries my Glory, take care of it!!!!. “Yes, sir, yes sir, of course, so sorry.”

She began then to talk to me about the importance of being an ark in this season. My first thoughts went to Noah’s ark, and we are to be a place or provide a place of safety in the tumult of the day. However, as she went on, I realized she was talking about the ark of the covenant. Immediately, my mind went to what was in the ark and the structure of the ark and I told her thank you for giving me the talking points for my next Joanie’s Jots.

This conversation was many years ago, but as I am reviewing articles for our website hidden in my computer, I felt this study bears much weight for this season in our history with the Father.

Those of you who have walked with me a while know I believe what God put in the Old Testament, or as I call it, the foundational Testament, are the writings of a model or picture book of God’s heart, God’s ways, and God’s Son. So, let’s take a look at the Ark as a reflection of us. What was it made of that reflects how God sees us and or created us, and what did it contain as a reflection of what we carry for His glory? Always remember the word is ever unfolding and this is what God showed me today. Consider reading the scriptures and tell us what He is revealing to you. Send me your comments at joanie@joanmasterson.com

Building the Ark of the Covenant

Exodus 37:1 Next Bezalel made the Ark of acacia wood—a sacred chest 45 inches long, 27 inches wide, and 27 inches high. 2 He overlaid it inside and outside with pure gold, and he ran a molding of gold all around it. 3 He cast four gold rings and attached them to its four feet, two rings on each side. 4 Then he made poles from acacia wood and overlaid them with gold. 5 He inserted the poles into the rings at the sides of the Ark to carry it. 6 Then he made the Ark’s cover—the place of atonement—from pure gold. It was 45 inches long and 27 inches wide. 7 He made two cherubim from hammered gold and placed them on the two ends of the atonement cover. 8 He molded the cherubim on each end of the atonement cover, making it all of one piece of gold. 9 The cherubim faced each other and looked down on the atonement cover. With their wings spread above it, they protected it.

What an incredible picture of God’s creative ability to reveal His heart to us. First of all, He chose to make the sacred chest of acacia wood. Now, if that chest represents a structure to represent us in a form of one of our purposes here on earth as His representation of the Kingdom of God, He purposefully chose a wood whose characteristics are as follows: Acacia has been said to be the hardest of all hardwoods. It has a high density and is resilient. Interestingly enough, it has a reddish -brown color with dark veins. He chose a material to show us that He has made us strong and resilient. He even chose a material of reddish brown color with dark veins which makes me think of the blood of our redeemer running in our veins.

Inside and out, the container is covered with pure gold. Pure gold speaks of the purity of the Messiah, the light of the world. It reveals the heart of God that demands purity in the vessels created to be a carrier of His Glory. Gold, as a precious metal, is subject to the refiner’s fire seven times, and it is reported that the refiner continues his processes until he sees his reflection in it. It is the most malleable metal and can be pressed into shapes without breaking. If we are to be the carriers, we must, inside and out, reflect the truth that we have been subject to the refiner’s fire and remain malleable to be pressed into the purposes of our calling by our trustworthy Father.

Recently, as I have been studying the tabernacle in the wilderness, I have come to a new understanding of how precise God is when He specifies measurements for something He wants constructed. He is often giving us clues to His thoughts on timing for some future events. I have heard the statement, “A measure of a man.” Now I as I contemplate our measurement in the ark concept, my thoughts go to the measure of a believer.

So, did you notice that 45 inches and 27 inches are both multiples of the number 9? Nine is the value of the Hebrew letter tet and has the meaning of the word foundation. It appears first in the Torah in the word tov, which is translated good or better stated as beneficial. Biblically, the number 9 is said to symbolize divine completeness or finality. Scholars back that up with the fact that Jesus died at the 9th hour of the day. Other scholars point to the 9 Fruits of the Spirits and the Nine Gifts.

To obtain the measurements God required for the ark of the covenant, 9 is either multiplied by the number 5, symbolized as God’s grace or the number 3, which is symbolized as completeness. God works many times with the three-day concept, a study we have done several times in my Monday night classes.

So, if God is pointing us to those numbers I have highlighted, is He saying as the measure of the containers of His Glory, are we to have a beneficial foundation of completeness? Is He asking us also to have our structure include the fruits of the Spirit and the operations of the nine gifts?

We embrace the picture that we are the temple of the Holy Spirit. Can we broaden our understanding of what God has for us in this hour, which is also the picture of the ark of the covenant?

Now let’s look at what is in the ark God has designed.

What is in the ark

The most complete inventory of what is in the ark of the covenant is in Hebrews 9:

[3] and behind the second veil, the part of the tabernacle, which is called the Holiest of All, [4] which had the golden censer and the ark of the covenant overlaid on all sides with gold, in which were the golden pot that had the manna, Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tablets of the covenant; [5] and above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat. Of these things we cannot now speak in detail.

Here is the biblical significance of each item in the ark:

The Tablets.

Exodus 25: [16] When the Ark is finished, place inside it the stone tablets inscribed with the terms of the covenant, * which I will give to you. NASB

The tablets represent the Law or Instructions of God, which He promises to write on our hearts that we may know Him. That promise of the New Covenant is what Jesus points to at His last Passover on earth. The promise given first to Israel and then to every other nation for the individuals who embrace the truth of the Cross. In my book “Dwelling Place,” I go into great detail expressing the importance of this understanding.

Jer. 33:31. [33] “But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” declares the LORD, “I will put My law within them and on their heart, I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. [34] “They will not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them,” declares the LORD, “for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.”

Within our lives, we must carry the truth of the Whole Council of God based on the Hebrew scriptures, which God promises to write on our hearts so we will know him.

The Manna

Exodus 16:[33] Moses said to Aaron, “Get a container and put two quarts of manna into it. Then store it in a sacred place * as a reminder for all future generations.” [34] Aaron did this, just as the LORD had commanded Moses. He eventually placed it for safekeeping in the Ark of the Covenant.

Manna is a sign of God’s provision. His picture of meeting the most basic of our needs. Manna is also a picture of the bread of Heaven, Yeshua Jesus, sent from the Father to give us a way for an eternal relationship with the Lord Almighty. So, we too are to carry provision and the good news of the Gospel to point the way to “the Truth, the Way, and the Light of our pathway

Aaron’s Rod

Numbers 17: [6] So Moses gave the instructions to the people of Israel, and each of the twelve tribal leaders, including Aaron, brought Moses a staff. [7] Moses put the staff in the Lord’s presence in the Tabernacle of the Covenant. * [8] When he went into the Tabernacle of the Covenant the next day, he found that Aaron’s staff, representing the tribe of Levi, had sprouted, blossomed, and produced almonds!

Aaron Staff represents the priesthood.

Initially, the Nation of Israel was called to the role of a nation of priests.

Exodus 19:[5] Now therefore, if you will obey My voice in truth and keep My covenant, then you shall be My own peculiar possession and treasure from among and above all peoples; for all the earth is Mine. [6] And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests, a holy nation [consecrated, set apart to the worship of God]. These are the words you shall speak to the Israelites.

Always remember Israel is a model of God’s heart, His Ways, and His Son.

Through the cross, the Gentiles (the nations) also have that possibility,

1 Peter 2:[9] But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God’s OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; [10] for you once were NOT A PEOPLE, but now you are THE PEOPLE OF GOD; you had NOT RECEIVED MERCY, but now you have RECEIVED MERCY.

The almond branch has other indications as well, since the almond tree is the first to blossom in the spring, it is a picture of awakening that comes with a promise.

Jer. 1[11] Moreover, the word of the Lord came to me, saying, Jeremiah, what do you see? And I said, I see a branch or shoot of an almond tree [the emblem of alertness and activity, blossoming in late winter]. [12] Then said the Lord to me, You have seen well, for I am alert and active, watching over My word to perform it. AMP

Aaron’s Rod also had the application of warning

Num. 17[9] When Moses brought all the staffs out from the Lord’s presence, he showed them to the people. Each man claimed his own staff. [10] And the LORD said to Moses: “Place Aaron’s staff permanently before the Ark of the Covenant * as a warning to rebels. This should put an end to their complaints against me and prevent any further deaths.” [11] So Moses did as the LORD commanded him.

The vessels in the ark represent