Types of Christ: Ark of the Covenant
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The Ark of the Covenant, a central and sacred object within the Old Testament, serves as a profound type of Christ, symbolizing His divine presence, atoning work, and covenantal relationship with His people. Constructed under the direction of Moses as described in Exodus 25, the Ark was a wooden chest overlaid with pure gold, containing the stone tablets of the Law, Aaron's rod that budded, and a pot of manna (Hebrews 9:4). It was housed in the Holy of Holies within the Tabernacle and later the Temple, representing the very presence of God among the Israelites.

Divine Presence and Mediation

The Ark of the Covenant is a powerful symbol of God's presence with His people. In Exodus 25:22, God declares, "There I will meet with you, and from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim that are on the ark of the testimony, I will speak with you about all that I will command you regarding the Israelites." This divine promise of presence and communication foreshadows Christ, who is Immanuel, "God with us" (Matthew 1:23). Just as the Ark was the focal point of God's presence, Christ is the ultimate revelation of God, the Word made flesh (John 1:14).

Atonement and Mercy

The mercy seat atop the Ark, where the high priest would sprinkle the blood of the sacrifice on the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16:14-15), prefigures the atoning work of Christ. The mercy seat was the place of propitiation, where God's justice and mercy met. In Romans 3:25, Paul writes, "God presented Him as the atoning sacrifice through faith in His blood, to demonstrate His righteousness." Christ's sacrificial death fulfills the typology of the mercy seat, providing the ultimate atonement for sin and reconciling humanity to God.

Covenantal Fulfillment

The contents of the Ark further illustrate Christ's fulfillment of God's covenantal promises. The stone tablets of the Law signify Christ as the perfect embodiment of God's law, who came not to abolish the Law but to fulfill it (Matthew 5:17). Aaron's rod that budded is a symbol of Christ's resurrection and His eternal priesthood, as He is "a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek" (Hebrews 7:17). The pot of manna represents Christ as the "bread of life" (John 6:35), the sustenance and provision for His people.

Guidance and Leadership

The Ark also served as a guide for the Israelites, leading them through the wilderness and into the Promised Land (Numbers 10:33-34). This guidance is a type of Christ, who leads His followers as the Good Shepherd (John 10:11) and the "way, the truth, and the life" (John 14:6). Just as the Ark went before the Israelites, Christ goes before His people, guiding them through the trials of life and into the eternal rest promised by God.

In summary, the Ark of the Covenant is a multifaceted type of Christ, illustrating His divine presence, atoning sacrifice, fulfillment of the Law, and guiding leadership. Through these typologies, believers gain a deeper understanding of the person and work of Jesus Christ as revealed in the Scriptures.
Torrey's Topical Textbook
Exodus 25:16
And you shall put into the ark the testimony which I shall give you.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Psalm 40:8
I delight to do your will, O my God: yes, your law is within my heart.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Isaiah 42:6
I the LORD have called you in righteousness, and will hold your hand, and will keep you, and give you for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles;
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

Faustus Denies that the Prophets Predicted Christ. Augustin Proves ...
... be one flesh," some things in the ark which is ... This contrast between the explanations
which keep Christ in view ... point to the fulfillment of the types and figures ...
/.../faustus denies that the prophets.htm

The Ark of his Covenant
... through the bleeding person of the suffering Christ, do remember ... The old law dealt
with types and shadows, but the ... had the golden censer, and the ark of the ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 41 1895/the ark of his covenant.htm

Christ's Connection with the Creator Shown Many Quotations Out of ...
... be taken out of the Jordan, and set up for the ark of the ... which cannot be shown to
have been done by my Christ in connection (with preceding types). ...
/.../the five books against marcion/chapter xiii christs connection with the.htm

Blair -- the Hour and the Event of all Time
... You behold Moses and Aaron bearing the Ark of the ... the rites and ordinances, all the
types and symbols ... Without the death of Christ, the worship and ceremonies ...
/.../kleiser/the worlds great sermons volume 3/blair the hour and.htm

Covenanting Provided for in the Everlasting Covenant.
... contemplate them doing so, not as types of good ... The Ark of the Covenant, containing
the book of ... bread, representing the means of exhibiting Christ, the bread ...
/.../cunningham/the ordinance of covenanting/chapter vi covenanting provided for.htm

Interpretation of Holy Scripture. --Inspired Interpretation. --The ...
... and Joseph,"the wave-sheaf and the Paschal Lamb,"may well be types of Christ; and
that ... nothing to say about the Ark of Noah, and the waters of the Flood? ...
/.../burgon/inspiration and interpretation/sermon v interpretation of holy.htm

Index of Subjects.
... Cherubim over the ark, God's dwelling-place, 588. Christ, his person and advent
the central point of Christianity ... of, 618, seq.; in the historic types, 618; in ...
//christianbookshelf.org/barrows/companion to the bible/index of subjects.htm

The New Covenant.
... under the old Testament as "Christians before Christ." Judaism and ... spoke unto the
Jews in parables, in types and shadows ... into the mind, not in an ark of shittim ...
/.../chapter viii the new covenant.htm

Subject Index
... of his bonds, of the true doctrine concerning Christ against the ... the twelve, not
types of the twelve ??ons, [121]389. ... Ark of the covenant, [135]394, [136]570. ...
/.../irenaeus/fragments from the lost writings of irenaeus/subject index.htm

Scriptural Types.
... directly in front of the ark, and separated ... the characteristics belonging to the
types themselves, beginning ... which the Levitical priests typified Christ was in ...
/.../barrows/companion to the bible/chapter xxxvii scriptural types.htm

Resources
Why does the Bible speak against wearing clothing made of different types of fabric? | GotQuestions.org

What are the different types of psalms? | GotQuestions.org

What are the different types of prayer? | GotQuestions.org

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Subtopics

Types

Types of Christ: Aaron

Types of Christ: Abel

Types of Christ: Abraham

Types of Christ: Adam

Types of Christ: Ark

Types of Christ: Ark of the Covenant

Types of Christ: Atonement, Sacrifices offered on the Day of

Types of Christ: Brazen Altar

Types of Christ: Brazen Serpent

Types of Christ: Burnt offering

Types of Christ: Cities of Refuge

Types of Christ: David

Types of Christ: Eliakim

Types of Christ: First-Fruits

Types of Christ: Golden Altar

Types of Christ: Golden Candlestick

Types of Christ: Isaac

Types of Christ: Jacob

Types of Christ: Jacob's Ladder

Types of Christ: Jonah

Types of Christ: Joseph

Types of Christ: Joshua

Types of Christ: Laver of Brass

Types of Christ: Leper's offering

Types of Christ: Man

Types of Christ: Melchizedek

Types of Christ: Mercy-Seat

Types of Christ: Morning and Evening Sacrifices

Types of Christ: Moses

Types of Christ: Noah

Types of Christ: Paschal Lamb

Types of Christ: Peace offerings

Types of Christ: Red Heifer

Types of Christ: Rock of Horeb

Types of Christ: Samson

Types of Christ: Scape Goat

Types of Christ: Sin offering

Types of Christ: Solomon

Types of Christ: Tabernacle

Types of Christ: Table and Show Bread

Types of Christ: Temple

Types of Christ: Tree of Life

Types of Christ: Trespass offering

Types of Christ: Vail of the Tabernacle and Temple

Types of Christ: Zerubbabel

Types of the Saviour

Types of the Saviour: Abel

Types of the Saviour: Adam

Types of the Saviour: David

Types of the Saviour: Eliakim

Types of the Saviour: High Priest, Typical of the Mediatorship

Types of the Saviour: Jonah

Types of the Saviour: Manna

Types of the Saviour: Melchizedek

Types of the Saviour: Moses

Types of the Saviour: Noah

Types of the Saviour: The Bronze Altar

Types of the Saviour: The Bronze Laver

Types of the Saviour: The Bronze Serpent

Types of the Saviour: The Cities of Refuge

Types of the Saviour: The Curtain

Types of the Saviour: The Institutions Ordained by Moses

Types of the Saviour: The Mercy-Seat

Types of the Saviour: The Morning and Evening Sacrifice

Types of the Saviour: The Paschal Lamb

Types of the Saviour: The Red Heifer

Types of the Saviour: The Sacrifices

Types of the Saviour: The Tree of Life

Types: Miscellaneous: Bride, a Type of the Body of Christ

Types: Miscellaneous: The Sanctuary a Type of the Heavenly Sanctuary

Types: Miscellaneous: The Saving of Noah and his Family, of the Salvation Through the Gospel

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Types of Christ: Ark
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