The Ark of the Covenant, Holiness, and Jesus
The Ark of the Covenant is depicted in Raiders of the Lost Ark as a powerful artifact, that has the power to kill Nazis, but in real life its purpose was to act as a bridge between heaven and earth, it was a throne but also a kind of device so that God in His holiness could dwell on earth among human beings.
You see, God’s holiness is dangerous to impure human beings, much more dangerous than high voltage electricity or nuclear power, and before the incarnation, the Ark of God’s presence had to be kept in the Most Holy Place in the Temple, where only the High Priest was allowed to go once a year to offer a sacrifice to God — it was such a dangerous job that a rope had to be tied to the High Priest’s leg in case he died while he was in there and had to pulled out.
In the time of the prophet Samuel the Israelites had suffered military defeats at the hands of the Philistines; this was because of their unfaithfulness and lack of repentance. Treating the Ark as a lucky charm, as it were, the Israelites carried the Ark into battle to protect them against defeat. However, they were roundly defeated and the Philistines captured the Ark of the Covenant and took it to their own temple of Dagon. What follows is quite comical, really.
After the Philistines had captured the ark of God, they took it from Ebenezer to Ashdod, carried it into the temple of Dagon, and set it beside his statue.
When the people of Ashdod got up early the next morning, there was Dagon, fallen on his face before the ark of the LORD. So they took Dagon and returned him to his place.
But when they got up early the next morning, there was Dagon, fallen on his face before the ark of the LORD, with his head and his hands broken off and lying on the threshold. Only the torso remained. That is why, to this day, the priests of Dagon and all who enter the temple of Dagon in Ashdod do not step on the threshold.
Now the hand of the LORD was heavy on the people of Ashdod and its vicinity, ravaging them and afflicting them with tumors. And when the men of Ashdod saw what was happening, they said, “The ark of the God of Israel must not stay here with us, because His hand is heavy upon us and upon our god Dagon.”
So they called together all the rulers of the Philistines and asked, “What shall we do with the ark of the God of Israel?”
“It must be moved to Gath,” they replied. So they carried away the ark of the God of Israel.
But after they had moved the ark to Gath, the LORD’s hand was also against that city, throwing it into great confusion and afflicting the men of the city, both young and old, with an outbreak of tumors.
So they sent the ark of God to Ekron, but as it arrived, the Ekronites cried out, “They have brought us the ark of the God of Israel in order to kill us and our people!”
Then the Ekronites assembled all the rulers of the Philistines and said, “Send away the ark of the God of Israel. It must return to its place, so that it will not kill us and our people!”
For a deadly confusion had pervaded the city; the hand of God was heavy upon it. Those who did not die were afflicted with tumors, and the outcry of the city went up to heaven.1 Samuel 5
A great bible study on bible.org about this passage, by the way:
https://bible.org/seriespage/5-hands-dagon-and-hand-god-1-samuel-51-717
Eventually the Ark was returned to Jerusalem, and it was King David who brought it back. However this venture was not without ill-effects and problems; you see, there was a proper way to transport the Ark of the Covenant, just like with high voltage electricity or nuclear power, there were rules for this, priests had to carry the Ark on big poles, so that they did not have to touch it, and the rules were essentially there to protect those who were dealing with this very dangerous physical mediator of the Presence of a Holy God.
David again assembled the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand in all. And he and all his troops set out for Baal of Judah to bring up from there the ark of God, which is called by the Name— the name of the LORD of Hosts, who is enthroned between the cherubim that are on it.
They set the ark of God on a new cart and brought it from the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill. Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, were guiding the new cart, bringing with it the ark of God.c And Ahio was walking in front of the ark.
David and all the house of Israel were celebrating before the LORD with all kinds of wood instruments, harps, stringed instruments, tambourines, sistrums, and cymbals.
When they came to the threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah reached out and took hold of the ark of God, because the oxen had stumbled. And the anger of the LORD burned against Uzzah, and God struck him down on the spot for his irreverence, and he died there beside the ark of God.
Then David became angry because the LORD had burst forth against Uzzah; so he named that place Perez-uzzah, as it is called to this day.
That day David feared the LORD and asked, “How can the ark of the LORD ever come to me?” So he was unwilling to move the ark of the LORD to the City of David; instead, he took it aside to the house of Obed-edom the Gittite. Thus the ark of the LORD remained in the house of Obed-edom the Gittite for three months, and the LORD blessed him and all his household.
Now it was reported to King David, “The LORD has blessed the house of Obed-edom and all that belongs to him, because of the ark of God.”
So David went and had the ark of God brought up from the house of Obed-edom into the City of David with rejoicing. When those carrying the ark of the LORD had advanced six paces, he sacrificed an ox and a fattened calf.
And David, wearing a linen ephod, danced with all his might before the LORD, while he and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the LORD with shouting and the sounding of the ram’s horn.
As the ark of the LORD was entering the City of David, Saul’s daughter Michal looked down from a window and saw King David leaping and dancing before the LORD, and she despised him in her heart.
So they brought the ark of the LORD and set it in its place inside the tent that David had pitched for it. Then David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD.
When David had finished sacrificing the burnt offerings and peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the LORD of Hosts. Then he distributed to every man and woman among the multitude of Israel a loaf of bread, a date cake, and a raisin cake. And all the people departed, each for his own home.
As soon as David returned home to bless his own household, Saul’s daughter Michal came out to meet him. “How the king of Israel has distinguished himself today!” she said. “He has uncovered himself today in the sight of the maidservants of his subjects, like a vulgar person would do.”
But David said to Michal, “I was dancing before the LORD, who chose me over your father and all his house when He appointed me ruler over the LORD’s people Israel. I will celebrate before the LORD, and I will humiliate and humble myself even more than this. Yet I will be honoured by the maidservants of whom you have spoken.”
And Michal the daughter of Saul had no children to the day of her death. 2 Samuel 6
Now, many years later, the presence of God came to earth in a different way: God Himself was incarnate as a human being, as Jesus Christ. This time, God was present in compassion and mercy, healing people with His touch, and speaking His word to them.
But people did with Jesus what they wanted: the mockery of those who crucified Jesus was exactly the way many of us treat God I believe, when we want something from God and He doesn’t deliver what we wanted. Many, many people are angry at God, but God sent His Son to reconcile us by taking our sins upon Himself.
And when they came to a place called Golgotha, which means The Place of the Skull, they offered Him wine to drink, mixed with gall; but after tasting it, He refused to drink it.
When they had crucified Him, they divided up His garments by casting lots. And sitting down, they kept watch over Him there.
Above His head they posted the written charge against Him:
THIS IS JESUS,
THE KING OF THE JEWS.
Two robbers were crucified with Him, one on His right hand and the other on His left.
And those who passed by heaped abuse on Him, shaking their heads and saying, “You who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross!”
In the same way, the chief priests, scribes, and elders mocked Him, saying, “He saved others, but He cannot save Himself. He is the King of Israel! Let Him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in Him. He trusts in God. Let God deliver Him now if He wants Him. For He said, ‘I am the Son of God.’”
In the same way, even the robbers who were crucified with Him berated Him.From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land. About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”
When some of those standing there heard this, they said, “He is calling Elijah.” One of them quickly ran and brought a sponge. He filled it with sour wine, put it on a reed, and held it up for Jesus to drink.
But the others said, “Leave Him alone. Let us see if Elijah comes to save Him.”
When Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, He yielded up His spirit. At that moment the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth quaked and the rocks were split. Matthew 27
At this very moment, the Most Holy Place in heaven, where God the Father dwells, was opened up for anyone who puts their trust in Jesus.
Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way opened for us through the curtain of His body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
Let us hold resolutely to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to spur one another on to love and good deeds. Let us not neglect meeting together, as some have made a habit, but let us encourage one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching. Hebrews 10 :19-24