MONDAY 9TH JULY 2018 MORNING PRAYER DEVOTION
SCRIPTURE READING:- EXODUS 25:10-22
TOPIC:- YOU ARE THE ARK OF GOD [1]
TEXT:- 1 SAMUEL 5:1
The Ark of God denoted the presence of God amongst His people in Old Testament. It was also the power of God to deliver His people Israelites from their battles and enemies. It was also the glory of God manifesting among His people and it was also referred to as the Ark of Covenant, the Ark of testimony or the Ark of the Lord.
According to God’s instruction to Moses when making the Ark, it was made of acacia wood and overlaid inside and outside with gold. It had rings on the sides through which two acacia rods were inserted never to be removed. The purpose of these rods was for the purpose of carrying the Ark from one place to another as the Israelites cross the deserts. On the cover of the Ark were two cherubim facing each other with their wings touching one another. See Exodus 25:10-22; 31:1-10; 37:1-9.
The Ark contained sacred items such as the stone tablet upon which the Ten Commandments were inscribed, a jar of manna. The rod of Aaron and the first torah scrolls written by the hand of Moses. It must be kept in a tent called tabernacle, until the Solomon’s Temple was completed and moved therein. It must also be covered with pieces of cloths which were used in making the tabernacle, so as not to be visible to everyone other than the priests who cared for it.
How powerful and glorious the Ark was demonstrated by God to people shall be seen in its movement to Jerusalem as followings:
1. As they carried the Ark as instructed by God through Moses during the leadership period of Joshua, the river Jordan parted into two as the feet of the priests who bore the Ark touched the river. See Joshua 3:15-17; 40:10-18.
2. God instructed them on how to conquer Jericho which had fortified her soldiers and built an unbreakable wall round the city. Marching round the city thirteen times for seven days with the Ark being carried by the Priests, and shouting at the fourteenth time on the seventh day, the city was defeated and the wall sank by the miraculous power of God. See Joshua 6:1-20.
3. After the Israelites had settled down from their journeys in the desert, the Ark was finally seated in the tabernacle of Shiloh i.e. where Eli and his two sons (Hophni and Phinehas) where Priests of the Lord, I Samuel 1:3. But at that time, God wanted to transfer the leadership of Israel from Eli and his two sons to be headed by Samuel because of their evil deeds. As Samuel a young boy was lying down before the Ark, he heard the call of God. See I Samuel 3:1-14.
4. When the Philistines captured and took away the Ark at the battle which led to the death of Hophni and Phineas, [the two sons of Prophet Eli], Eli himself slummed and broke his backbone and he died when he heard that bad news of the defeat of Israel’s army by the Philistines. One of Eli’s daughter-in-law who was pregnant also delivered prematurely on hearing of this sad news, [capture of the Ark, death of her husband and sudden death of her father-in-law]. And she named the baby Icabod, [meaning, the glory of God has departed/taken away]. All these evil events took place because the Ark was snatched away from Israel.
5. The next destination was the Ark staying in the land of the Philistines for Seven months. During this period, the Philistines knew God to be the true and only God as the Ark caused many hazard, destruction, affliction and death to them. Even their god [dragon], was disgraced and destroyed, and many also lost their lives for housing the Ark of God in the wrong place. With this strong hand of God bring evil upon the Philistines, they made arrangement for the Ark to leave their land with special sacrifices. See I Samuel 5:1-8,15.
Have A Beautiful Monday!
