In Similitude of Covenants

The Lord led the Children of Israel out of Egypt. Once they crossed the Red Sea (near the north end of what is now known as the Gulf of Suez) and were on the Sinai Peninsula, instead of turning northeast to go directly to the Land of Canaan, the land that had been promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Israel for an inheritance, the Lord led them southeast, taking them down the west side of the peninsula and bringing them finally to Mt Sinai, or Horeb, a distance of about 340 miles. This was the same mountain where Moses had seen the burning bush and received his call from the Lord to deliver Israel out of Egypt earlier in the same year.

On the trip to Sinai, the Children of Israel had witnessed and been sustained by several faith promoting occurrences. Miraculous things continued at Horeb, including receiving instructions on building a tabernacle (a precursor to the temple they would eventually build in Jerusalem) and several items that were to be kept in the tabernacle. After giving instructions on building the tabernacle itself, the first artifact the Lord instructed Israel to prepare, to be kept in the tabernacle, was the Ark of the Covenant (Numbers 10:33), also known as the Ark of the Testimony (Exodus 25:22).

The Ark continued with Israel for almost 900 years, with one brief interruption in about 1070 BC when the Philistines took it during a battle with Israel but returned it later the same year. In about 586 BC, the Ark passed out of Israel's hands again when Israel was conquered by Babylon. Although there are several theories as to the Ark's current location, the two most credible place it at sites considered sacred and therefore not available for archeological exploration.

We are told that many things in the Bible, particularly in the Old Testament, are types, symbols, or similitudes of Christ (2 Nephi 11:4, Mosiah 3:15). As suggested by its name, it seems to me that the Ark of the Covenant has its symbols as well. One of those is it being symbolic of the covenants we make with Christ.

The Ark was a chest of acacia or shittim wood, which is a beautiful wood.

Acacia trees are native to tropical and subtropical regions of the world, including the Middle East. It is a beautiful wood.

The wood of the Ark was overlaid with gold, 2½ cubits long, 1½ cubits broad and 1½ cubits deep. As the Lord described the manner in which the Ark was to be constructed, using the finest of materials, this seems symbolic of the nature of covenants; we are to give our finest efforts in making and keeping our covenants. They are not something to be entered into lightly, or treated lightly once made.

The handling of the Ark by Israel was a serious matter. Prayers were recited before it moved or rested (Num. 10:35–36), and during its progress it was treated with the greatest reverence. The Lord had said the Israelites were not to touch the Ark (Numbers 4:15), hence there were rings installed at the corners so that poles could be inserted and used to transport the Ark without actually touching it. There is the story of Uzziah being smitten for touching the Ark as the oxen pulling the cart it rested on stumbled (1 Chronicles 13:9-10). Likewise, our covenants are to be treated with great reverence and care.

When the Lord gave Moses the instructions on the Ark of the Covenant, He spoke of the purpose of the Ark and its role in their relationship with God. The Ark of the Covenant, or Ark of the Testimony, was the resting place of the scriptures, or record of the Word of God (Exodus 26:34, footnote b, Deuteronomy 31:26), which were kept inside the Ark, under the Mercy Seat. It is at the Mercy Seat that the Lord said He would meet us and commune with us (Exodus 25:22). This seems, to me, to be symbolic of the scriptures as a source of revelation

Israel was instructed to place the Ark within the temple, behind the veil (Exodus 26:33), which, to me, is symbolic of the sacred nature of covenants, not secret but not out on display for general view. Placing the Ark within the Holy of Holies seems akin to the additional level of preparation and worthiness required to enter the temple, a privilege reserved for those willing to make additional effort and give extra attention to qualify to enter the temple.

Another symbol the Ark represents is deliverance. After Joshua had been called to lead the Israelites they again came to a body of water that was separating them from the Land of Promise. This time it was the River Jordan. As the priests who were bearing the Ark stepped into the water, the water parted, allowing Israel to pass through on dry ground (Joshua 3:15-17). By bearing the Ark in the manner the Lord instructed, Israel was at last enabled to enter the Promised Land and possess it. Likewise, our covenants, kept as the Lord requires, will deliver us into all that the Lord has promised. 

I liked the similitude between the Ark of the Covenant and the covenants we make with the Lord. Keeping those covenants will result in some blessings, many of which are incomprehensible to me. But one of them I can understand, an eternal family. And so to help me remember the role covenants play in being able to have my family forever, I got something to remind me. Something made of acacia wood, like the Ark of the Covenant.

When John the Beloved was on the Isle of Patmos, he saw into heaven.  One of the things he saw there was the Ark of the Covenant (Revelations 11:19), resting in the temple. The message of John’s revelation is one of deliverance, of triumph, the victory of Christ. Our covenants, faithfully kept, will, by the grace of Christ, enable us to participate in that victory, and thereby I can keep my family into eternity.