The ark of the covenant was the symbol of God’s presence. The ark was a wooden chest, covered in gold, which contained the two stone tablets of the Ten Commandments as well as Aaron’s rod (Numbers 17:1-13) and a pot of manna (Ex 16:4). When the Israelites were in the wilderness and travelling on only when the cloud by day or pillar of fire by night moved, the ark was transported by the Levites who carried it on poles; because the ark symbolised God’s presence, no one was allowed to touch it. God was so holy, so utterly different from sinful mankind, that no person could touch the ark and live; there was to be reverence, awe and obedience in how the ark was handled.
The ark played an important role as the Israelites crossed the River Jordan to possess the land of Canaan. During the crossing, the river grew dry as soon as the feet of the priests carrying the ark touched its waters and it remained dry until the priests left the river with the ark after the people had passed over (Josh 3:15-17, Josh 4:10, 11, 18). In the Battle of Jericho, the ark was carried around the city once a day for seven days, preceded by the armed men and seven priests sounding seven trumpets of rams’ horns (Josh 6:4-15). On the seventh day, the seven priests sounding the trumpets before the ark went round the city seven times and this time they gave a great shout and the walls of Jericho fell down flat (Josh 6:19-20). Later on, we see Joshua praying and lamenting before the ark (Josh 7:6-9); we see him reading the law to the people at the site where the ark was situated (Josh 8:33).
Later on, we see Phineas (grandson of Aaron) looking after the ark which the people would consult before battle, symbolising their dependence on God for guidance (Judges 20:26-28) and it was later moved from Bethel to Shiloh, where Eli’s sons looked after it. We then come to read one of the darkest periods of Israel’s history, when the Philistines captured the ark of the covenant and took it back with them (1 Sam 4-5).
David’s restoration of the ark to Jerusalem forms the theme of Ps 132. (Ps 132:2-5, 8-9) David was desperate for God’s presence, and returning the ark to Jerusalem for him signified the nearness of the Lord. The result of God’s presence being there and David’s obedience was God’s blessing (see Ps 132:15-17). When God is with us and we are obedient to Him, we can count on His blessing and provision and consequently are filled with awe and worship.