The priests positioned the Ark of the Covenant in the Holy of Holies, and upon their exit, the glory of the Lord filled the Temple (1 Kings 8:6-11). This is the moment that the Temple became the House of the Lord. It was no longer just a beautiful edifice built by the hands of men, it was now the dwelling place of the Most High God.
The Ark represented God’s power, presence, and mercy. Before God’s presence could fill the Temple, the Ark had to be in its rightful place. This same phenomenal event took place at the inauguration of the Tabernacle in the Wilderness (Ex. 40:34-35). Much time had passed since the initial erection of the Tabernacle, and consequently the Ark had moved around quite a bit since the time of Samuel. David, in the interim, had erected a tabernacle-like structure for the Ark to dwell in while he was king of Israel (2 Sam. 6:17). By the time the Temple had been built there was nothing in the Ark save the two tablets of stone upon which the Law was inscribed (1 Kings 8:9). Previously, a pot of manna and the staff of Aaron were included in the Ark (Heb. 9:4). But let’s consider what was missing in the Ark – the pot of manna and Aaron’s budding rod.
Israel had been complaining about not having anything to eat in the wilderness, so the Lord gave them manna from heaven (Ex. 16:1-30). A portion of the manna was to be placed in a pot and included in the Ark (Ex. 16:32-33). The pot of manna would serve as a reminder to future generations, when they came to worship, of God’s faithfulness in caring for His people.
Later during Israel’s wandering through the desert, Korah rebelled against the leadership of Moses and Aaron (Num. 16:1-50). After God’s judgment upon Korah, the Lord had Moses take a rod from each of the twelve tribes of Israel. Moses was to take those twelve rods and place them in front of the Ark inside the Tabernacle. God said that the rod of the man He had chosen would blossom over night. The next morning Aaron’s rod had not only blossomed, but it had yielded ripe almonds (Num. 17:1-13). The budding rod indicated that Aaron was God’s choice for the office of High Priest. Following this amazing miracle, Moses was to place Aaron’s rod inside the Ark. Aaron’s rod in the Ark served as a reminder of God’s sovereign choice in leadership, and His judgment upon those who rebelled.
In the Old Testament there came a time when the manna ceased to be given (Josh. 5:11-12). When we get to the New Testament, Jesus is the True Bread that has come down out of heaven to fulfill humanity’s hunger (Jn. 5:26-51). Moreover, the Aaronic and Levitical priesthood would become obsolete. What’s more, is that Jesus is our chosen High Priest perpetually, and He has taken our judgment upon Himself (Heb. 7-9)! Therefore, Jesus is the fulfillment of the pot of manna, and Aaron’s rod that budded.
Beloved, do you see the significance of what remained in the Ark? What remained was the Word of God! John recorded in his gospel, that Jesus Christ is the Word of God made flesh (Jn. 1:1-5,14). He is the sum and substance of the Word of God, revealing God’s will and His very Person. As the glory filled the Temple when the Ark was positioned in its rightful place, Solomon said, “The Lord said that he would dwell in the thick darkness” (1 Kings 8:12). God no longer dwells in a thick darkness, instead He has shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 4:6).