“Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark” is a cultural icon for me from my youth. The movie came out right at the beginning of my college experience. It was exciting and well fashioned, introduced a hero I could ideally emulate, and was something you could easily re-watch numerous times (as I hope all of you have done). There is one particular moment in the movie when Indiana Jones is “schooling” some government agents who are clueless about the Ark, and Jones snarks, “Didn’t you guys ever go to Sunday School?” Iconic! His sarcastic retort reveals the ignorance of the agents regarding the biblical history and power of the Ark of the Covenant.
But, I would bet that for most of us, our knowledge of the Ark of the Covenant is formed more by this movie than by Scripture. Perhaps I am just being pessimistic.
Well, since I believe that is the case, it is a good thing that the movie in some ways does a rather faithful job of portraying the Ark—at least in its physical aspects. The Ark as pictured in the movie does appear to resemble the biblical description: a box four feet long, by two feet tall and two feet wide. Covered in gold plate, the acacia wood chest featured a solid gold lid, (called the “Mercy Seat”) with two cherubim (heavenly creatures) stretching their wings toward one another. The Ark was carried with wooden poles through ringlets at its corners, and probably weighed more than 300 pounds (perhaps significantly more depending on the thickness of the gold plate and lid).
The biblical authors use various terms to identify the Ark:
- “The Ark of God/the Lord” highlights the symbolic connection between the Lord God and the Ark, His ownership and identification.
- “The Ark of the Covenant” stresses the relational component—the Ark exists because God has made promises and formed a connection with the Israelite peoples.
- “The Ark of the Testimony” points to the contents of the Ark—that which witnesses to God’s presence, His love, and His faithfulness to His people.
However it is identified, the role of the Ark in the biblical narrative provides a tangible characteristic for the Israelites. God is spirit, and this is well known to His people. Yet, God graciously manifests His presence in various ways through the Bible. From the Shekinah glory of God, the “glory cloud” which led the Israelites through their wilderness wanderings through to the New Testament sacrament of the Lord’s Supper, God blesses us with these expressions of His presence.
So too the Ark as it functions as a “footstool” for the Throne of God. The Lord is said to “sit enthroned upon the cherubim” (1 Samuel 4:4); King David refers to the Ark as “the footstool of our God” and the psalmist encourages us to “worship at His footstool” (1 Chronicles 28:2; Psalm 132:7). This is in part because of the contents of the Ark—a pot of manna emphasizing God’s presence and provision for His people; the budded/blossomed staff of Aaron reflecting the priesthood of the nation; and, of course, the Ten Commandments, the ultimate picture of our covenantal relationship with God. King David had an intriguing encounter with the Ark, an encounter we do well to learn of and from. I encourage you to read 2 Samuel chapter 6 as we prepare for worship this week.
- If you have time, go back and read 1 Samuel chapters 4-6 for some background on the travels of the Ark. It will quickly bring you up to speed.
- Some forty or more years have passed since the Ark was taken by the Philistines, returned to Israel, and all that time it remained with Abinadab. Why would it have stayed in place for so long? What might that tell us about Israel’s perception of the Ark?
- Verse 5 indicates that the movement of the Ark from the house of Abinadab’s to Jerusalem was considered a big, big deal. Why so? What might have prompted the celebrations?
- What do you think was the motive for Uzzah reaching out and steadying the Ark? Assuming he was thinking anything at all, what was he thinking?
- Verses 8 & 9 work well together—they describe David’s fear and his anger. What is the basis of both? How do they help explain his actions?
By Henry Knapp