Introduction
1. The two stone tablets of the Law, Exodus 25:16 / Exodus 25:21 / Hebrews 9:4.
2. Aaron’s rod that budded, Numbers 17:10 / Hebrews 9:4.
3. The golden pot of ‘hidden’ manna, Exodus 16:33 / Hebrews 9:4.
Together these three items form the Testimony, hence the Ark is called the Ark of the Testimony.
THE STONE TABLETS OF THE LAW
The two stone tablets of the Law, were to be kept inside the ark, Exodus 25:16 / Exodus 25:21 / Hebrews 9:4. The Ten Commandments on the two stone tablets are the basis for God’s covenant with the children of Israel, Exodus 19:5-7. They stipulate what the righteous requirements of the law are, but there is nothing to help the children of Israel to obey the commandments.
Because the children of Israel didn’t continue with their side of the covenant agreement because it was impossible, Romans 8:3, God promised to make a new covenant, Jeremiah 31:32-34. This is the new covenant which Jesus has ratified by His blood, Luke 22:20. Jesus Christ has kept the law of God, Galatians 4:4, loving the Lord His God with all His heart, and His neighbour as Himself, Luke 10:27. This is obvious from reading the four Gospels.
Delighting to do God’s will, Psalm 40:8 / John 4:34 / John 5:30 / John 6:38, Jesus had the law of God, the Ten ‘Words’ of God, in His heart, just as the Ark of the Covenant kept the stone tablets of the Testimony.
The Word of God, John 1:1-2, had become flesh and tabernacled among us, full of grace and truth, ‘reality’, John 1:14. Through Jesus’ death on the cross, as a perfect offering, we are forgiven for our offences under the law and redeemed from slavery to it.
God undertakes to write His laws into our hearts and inscribe them on our minds, by sending forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, Galatians 4:6 / Hebrews 8:10-12. Thereafter, an inner working of life takes place, ‘Christ who is our life’, Colossians 3:4, ‘Christ being formed in you’, Galatians 4:19, that will result in at least the same testimony of God as the Ten Commandments.
The children of Israel broke the old covenant, and we still do too because of trying to keep it by self-effort in our flesh. In the new covenant, God undertakes to write His laws into our minds by His Spirit, providing we walk by the Spirit, Ezekiel 36:25-28 / Romans 8:4.
John is very economical in his writing, using one or two words to describe vast realities. But his focus is not on understanding so much as truly knowing, experiencing, for example, the Bread of Life, John 6:35. John refers to Jesus as, The ‘Word’ in his Gospel John 1:1. The ‘Word of Life’ in his first epistle, 1 John 1:1. The ‘Word of God’ in Revelation 19:6. In each case, John’s underlying thought seems to be the Ark of the Testimony.