SO WHAT DOES THIS MEAN TO YOU AND ME?

Image result for clip art of ark of covenantI am presently reading in Exodus 25.  God has given to Moses the specific design of the Tabernacle which was where God promised to make Himself known to Israel while in the wilderness.   Perhaps, you, like me might wonder what is the Ark of the Covenant and WHAT does it mean to you and me?  First some information about the Ark for them, Israel.

It was a box of acacia wood about 3 3/4 feet by 2 1/2 feet in size.  It was to be placed in the area of the Tabernacle called the Holy of Holies. It was to contain the Ten Commandments, a bowl of the manna which God provided for them to eat, and a small branch of Aaron, the priest, staff.  It was the most holy of the altars.  The box was overlain with "pure gold" inside and out with a gold edge or mold around it.  It had four gold rings through which poles of acacia wood and overlain with gold could slip through  to transport the box.  On the top of the box was placed a lid or cover of pure gold.  A cherub was on one end and a second cherub was on the other...all of hammered gold.  This cover became known as the Mercy Seat.  The box/ark was symbolic of the Presence of God and the lid was symbolic of the Mercy Seat, the throne of God.  The Mercy Seat was also symbolic of the spiritual covering for all of Israel's sins. 

Again, I run back to the question before I forget to address, what does this Ark of the Covenant mean for you and me.  For us: It is the foreshadow, a picture before the fact, of the Supreme Sacrifice of the Lord Jesus for all of the sins of human beings of all times in ALL ages.  The Cross, the heinous and cursed instrument of death of the Lord, is also the  symbol of His grace  lavished on you and me who have made the choice to receive the Lord as our Savior and Lord. This act of the Lord Jesus is the atonement, the perfect, highest, and purest sacrifice provided by God Himself in Jesus and just provided for the totally flawed, the imperfect, the finite, and the frail....that be you and me!  Once we choose to become Christ followers, the Atonement provides for you and me HIS perfect righteousness placed into our spiritual account.  2 Corinthians 5:21, "God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God." We are righteous because He made a promise and His promise is kept.  We who were spiritually bankrupt of ourselves can now experience His righteousness and eternal life.

You wonder, how does grieving for a loved one who has died fit into all this?  Outside of heaven, there is NOT posted signage that says Entrance of the Perfect Only.  The entrance into the home of heaven is for those of us who KNOW how imperfect, flawed, finite, and fragile we are. We have the luxury of making the choice to receive the Lord as Savior as all who make the choice, and we get to bask in His righteousness. We are accepted and loved forever belonging to the Lord God.  Grieving, yes, longing for David's physical presence, but at peace knowing because David made a choice at six years of age and grace has been given!  A promise made; A promise kept.  (Lengthy, I know.  Forgiveness, please) #IHAVETHREESONS

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

THOSE SEEING CAN BECOME BLIND

Image
John 9 is the story of the healing of the blind beggar.  Not only is it a marvelous story of the miraculous healing of the man as he is given his sight, but a sad story of the religious of whom Jesus said, "For judgment, I have come into this world, so that the blind will see, and those who see will become blind ." The religious have seen the miracle, even though it has taken place on a Sabbath, and they interview the man and his parents for their stories and understanding. I find it so thrilling that the healed man speaks so articulately and logically with the religious in their "interview" with him.  His statement, " Now that is remarkable!  You don't know where HE comes from, yet HE opened my eyes.  We know that God does not listen to sinners.  He listens to the godly man who does His will.  Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. If this man were not from God, He could do nothing." What truth he has spoken to the religious wh
Read more

REHEARSALS

Image
  I wonder how much time do I give to rehearsing God's goodness and how He has intervened in my life to "save" me from myself?  How alike the Israelites I can be, complaining about what goes wrong, how it affects me, and what I lack.  As a Christ follower, I have the Indwelling Holy Spirit to give me remembrance NOT of my complaining and grumbling, but of a recall of God's faithfulness to me.  It is recorded in Psalms 78 and 106 that " They forgot what He had done, the wonder He had shown them", "They did not remember His power--the day He redeemed them from the oppressor...", "They did not remember Your many kindnesses, and they rebelled by the sea, the Red Sea.", "But they soon forgot what He had done and did not wait for His counsel.", and "They forgot the God who saved them, who had done great things in Egypt...". Contrast with me, God's remembrance: Ps. 106:44-46, "But He took note of their distress
Read more

ORDER AND DESIGN

Image
    I do not have OCD, but I do confess that I like order in my home.  Now that I am retired, I am not so much into spotless, but "picked up" and "kinda" clean. (Do not open drawers and closets!) I might go to more trouble when I know I am having company, but otherwise, I remove the clutter that seems to reproduce on its own.   When I began the reading in Genesis in January, I was again taken with the with the orderliness and design of God in creation, and have seen Him use Moses and Aaron to ORDERLY marshal the Israelites to move out of Egypt. How do you move some 600+ males and that is not even wives and children? Animals also?  They have been one year+ out of Egypt, and have been camped at Mt. Sinai where God has given them laws for their spiritual and physical welfare.  God gives Moses the design of the Tabernacle and Moses is able to bring together the workers to complete the Tabernacle.   The clip art at the top is the positioning of the 12 Tribes and the
Read more