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Good morning. It’s Saturday, March 14th, aka National Write Down Your Story Day.

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📖 Verse Of The Day

— Hebrews 9:4

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🧠 Devotional

The Ark of the Covenant is often considered one of the most mysterious and famous artifacts of all time. But what even is it?

The Bible first introduces it when God speaks to Moses and commands that it be built.

Exodus 25:10 (NIV)

“Have them make an ark of acacia wood—two and a half cubits long, a cubit and a half wide, and a cubit and a half high.”

The word “ark” simply means a chest or box. The Ark of the Covenant was a sacred chest made of acacia wood and covered with gold.

Exodus 25:11 (NIV)

“Overlay it with pure gold, both inside and out, and make a gold molding around it.”

It also had four gold rings attached to its corners with poles so it could be carried.

Exodus 25:12–13 (NIV)

“Cast four gold rings for it and fasten them to its four feet, with two rings on one side and two rings on the other. Then make poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold.”

On top of the Ark was a special lid called the atonement cover (also called the mercy seat).

Exodus 25:17 (NIV)

“Make an atonement cover of pure gold—two and a half cubits long and a cubit and a half wide.”

Two golden cherubim were placed on top of this lid.

Exodus 25:18 (NIV)

“And make two cherubim out of hammered gold at the ends of the cover.”

God then explains why the Ark was so important.

Exodus 25:22 (NIV)

“There, above the cover between the two cherubim that are over the ark of the covenant law, I will meet with you and give you all my commands for the Israelites.”

Inside the Ark were sacred items connected to God’s covenant with Israel.

Hebrews 9:4 (NIV)

“This ark contained the gold jar of manna, Aaron’s staff that had budded, and the stone tablets of the covenant.”

Deuteronomy 10:5 (NIV)

“Then I came back down the mountain and put the tablets in the ark I had made, as the Lord commanded me, and they are there now.”

So according to Scripture, the Ark of the Covenant was a gold-covered chest built by the Israelites at God’s command that held the tablets of the covenant and other sacred items, and it was the place where God said He would meet with His people.