September 23

“The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming – not the realities themselves.” —HEBREWS 10:1

In the Old Testament, there are many foreshadowings of Christ, but contained in the Ark of the Covenant are three essential ones which encompass the full orb of God’s dealings with humankind.

The Ark of the Covenant represents the Lord Jesus Christ. It was the presence of God among His people and the place where they would meet with Him, and God would speak to them. Later the Tabernacle was replaced by the temple built by Solomon. This was God’s home, and was designed by God as a “shadow of the good things that are coming.” God has abolished the temple as His home and now lives in the heart of every Christian. Paul writes, “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). 

As the down payment of God’s gift to us, the presence and “sealing” of the Holy Spirit is the deposit, assuring us of what is to come. God’s purpose is to lead us into fullness and fruitfulness. It is the contents of the ark that represent the nature of true spiritual experience as they portray what we have received in the Lord Jesus Christ. There was the golden jar of manna, Aaron’s staff that budded and the two tablets of stone with the Ten Commandments, written by the finger of God. 

The reality of God’s presence is portrayed in His gift of manna to the people. It sustained them in the desert, but did not satisfy, because God did not plan to satisfy them outside of Canaan. The supernatural life in Aaron’s staff that budded, blossomed and produced almonds, portrays the supernatural life of God in every Christian. It is only as we live in obedience to Him and dependence on His power that we will see His life expressed in fruitfulness. The law on the two tablets of stone was God’s revelation of His own character in which He created us. The law exposes our failures, but the end product of the work of Christ is that He fulfills the law in our own experience by restoring to us the godliness we were originally created to express.

Entering the land of Canaan is symbolic of entering into the fullness of Christ, where we are not only satisfied, but richly provided for with all the resources of Christ. The manna typifies the presence of God in every true Christian. Aaron’s staff that budded demonstrates the power of God, which is to be at work through every Christian, and the law reveals the purpose of God that He has determined for every Christian.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, I know that I am incapable of expressing your character, and thank You for your indwelling presence and power that enables me.

TO REFLECT UPON: How do I most experience the power and presence of Christ in my life?