For how important the Ark of the Covenant was in ancient Israel, it seems odd that it just drops out of the narrative. Where did it go? Did God secretly rapture it up to Heaven? Did Indiana Jones discover it in the snake-ridden Well of Souls? Most likely, the Egyptian king Shishak stole it and destroyed it during the reign of David’s grandson Rehoboam. But before that, the nation of Israel revolved around it. Because through it the power and glory of Yahweh were present among his people.
This is why David wanted all the Israelites to be present for the event of bringing the Ark to Jerusalem. It was time to come back to God. It was time to come back to humble dependence on him and worship of his holy name. This is why the symbolic home of God’s earthly presence was worth this much attention. In fact, the entire book of Chronicles retells the history of Israel with the particular focus on the temple and the priesthood, because the welfare of the Israelites was only ever as good as their closeness with God was. David wanted the people to be close with God again. So it was time for a revival.
But even when the Ark had disappeared, God was always yearning to be close to his people. He was always inviting them to revive and come back to their relationship with him, the only source of their flourishing. Even in Malachi, the latest Old Testament prophet, God told his people, “return to me, and I will return to you.” But with the Ark gone and the temple then destroyed, in what would the presence of God dwell?
In answer, God sent his Son! In Christ, the fullness of God dwells, as Colossians says, and we have the opportunity to draw close with him. And the invitation remains open. Just as in the days of the Ark of the Covenant, our flourishing in this life is tied to our closeness with God, and so we cling tightly to the manifestation of his glorious presence among us. There is no better time than now for a revival. It is time to recenter our lives around King Jesus and devote ourselves to dependence on him and worship of him. Yes, the Ark of the Covenant still exists, and it is Jesus, the resurrected Messiah!
