Day 43: The Ark of the Covenant

Exodus 25:1-22 The contents of the Ark of the Covenant, which were the tablets of the Lar, Aaron’s rod, and some manna, are types (TYPOLOGY!!) of some aspects of the New Covenant definitively established by Christ. (CCC 128,2130)


Ch 25:16 The tablets on which the Law was written is called “the testimony.” They contained the entire written covenant between God and Israel that was agreed to at Mt. Sinai. (CCC 2058-2059)


Ch 25:22 The “mercy seat” of the Ark is where God is present. Centuries later, when the first Temple was built and the Ark was situated in the Holy of Holies, the high priest would sprinkle the mercy seat with blood from an animal sacrifice once a year to atone for the sins of Israel. Cherubs: Contrary to erroneous interpretations of the commandment against “graven images,” sacred images are ENCOURAGED as a way of nourishing and strengthening faith in God and his providence. (CCC 433, 1192)


Exodus Chapters 26-31 These chapters give detailed instructions on building the Tabernacle, or tent, that would house the Ark of the Covenant. They also describe rules for priests, use of vestments, modes of offering sacrifices, and prescriptions for ceremonies and rituals by which the Israelites were to worship God. The dimensional proportions of the sanctuary resemble those of the Temple that will eventually be built in Jerusalem, complete with the veil that represents the entrance to the Holy of Holies, the room where the Ark would be kept. The dare and detail assigned to the Tabernacle of God’s presence is likewise reflected in the design and splendor of temples and churches built today. (CCC 1181)


Leviticus (Today, is mostly a recap of things we’ve already learned in Exodus)


Psalm 119 This psalm, the longest psalm written in Hebrew, was composed of twenty-two stanzas, each of which was comprised of eight verses. Moreover, the first letter of each stanza spells out the Hebrew letters IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER using the words from the Torah. Some of these words include LAW, WORD, WITNESS, JUDGEMENT, SAYING, DECREE, PRECEPT, and ORDER. This psalm is a prayer of thanksgiving for God’s many blessings and manifestations of love, especially expressed in his gift of the Mosaic Law, which serves as a roadmap to eternal life. 


God’s Law is likened to a light that dispels darkness and confusion and leads to the fullness of joy and peace. The darkness represents ostensibly the dangers, persecutions, and attacks of Israel’s enemies On a deeper level, darkness is intimately linked to sin and the wiles of the Evil One, who is called the Prince of Darkness. It is vital then, for the faithful to keep their eyes fixed on the light of God’s Law. (St. John Paul II, General Audience, July 21, 2004, January 15, 2003, and November 14, 2001)

(*The Didache Bible RSV-CE Ignatius Edition, 2006)


The Significance of Sinai 



(*Walking With God: A Journey Through the Bible by Tim Gray and Jeff Cavins)


The Blessed Virgin Mary, The Ark of the New Covenant

TYPOLOGY!!!!

* Michal E. Hunt, "The Blessed Virgin Mary, The Ark of the New Covenant."  AgapeBibleStudy.com, 2002, Revised 2006.

The Ark of the Covenant

The Virgin Mary
The Ark of the New Covenant



Prayer by Fr Mike: “Father in Heaven, we give you praise. We give you thanks right now. Lord God, we praise you not only for your future deliverance for us. We also praise you for what you have done for us in the past. We praise you for all the good that you have brought into our lives. The fact that you have made us into your children through the gift of your Holy Spirit given to us at Baptism, we thank you for the gift of worship. We thank you for revealing your heart to us and how we are to approach you, Lord God. Without revealing how we are to approach you, we would be lost. We would have no idea how you desire us to come to you. We would have no idea how you desire us to live truly in freedom and in holiness. You are holy, you call us to be holy, and you make it possible by your Grace for us to be holy. Help us to choose holiness today. Help us to choose you today. Help us to glorify you today. We make this prayer in the mighty name of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.”

ANDREW'S PARALLELS

As we read about God's design of the tabernacle, I'm reminded of both Christ and his holy Church.

As the Law continues to be laid out in Leviticus 19, I'm picking up a few that sound pretty familiar to passages from several epistles in the New Testament. Christ's Covenant may be new and superior, but it is built on it's pre-exisiting prototype, the Old Covenant.