21. The Ark on Mount Morriah; or, God's Presence Perpetual

Chapter 21 - The Ark on Mount Morriah; or, God’s Presence Perpetual THE close of David’s life evinced the steadfastness of his veneration for the ark. Assembling the princes of Israel, he gave them a charge, saying, "Now set your heart and your soul to seek the Lord your God; arise therefore, and build ye the sanctuary of the Lord God, to bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and the holy vessels of God, into the house that is to be built to the name of the Lord." And in a yet larger convocation sub­sequently gathered, he commenced his address by an allusion to his favorite but frustrated project, "Hear me, my brethren, and my people: As for me, I had in mine heart to build an house of rest for the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and for the footstool of our God." Then explaining to them that the work had been reserved for his successor, he delivered to Solomon "the pattern of all that he had by the spirit; a pattern of the porch, and of the houses, and of the treasuries, and of the upper chambers, and of the inner parlors, and of the place of the mercy seat;" he also "gave of gold by weight for things of gold," and among them "for the pattern of the chariot of the cherubims that spread out their wings, and covered the ark of the covenant of the Lord." The charge thus solemnly and publicly be­queathed, Solomon failed not to obey. A magnificent temple was erected on Mount Moriah, where the Lord had appeared unto David, and where the site of the intended edifice had long been marked out. The build­ing was fashioned after the plan of the taber­nacle, though on a larger scale, with a court, for the people, and holy place for the priests, while the Holy of Holies was still reserved for the coffer which contained the tables of the law. "The oracle he prepared in the house within, to set there the ark of the covenant of the Lord." 1 Kings 6:19. This inmost recess of the temple was "garnished with precious stones for beauty, and the gold was gold of Parvaim, six hundred talents." Here also were made two additional cherubim, of gilded olive-wood, colossal in stature, being ten cubits (or about fifteen feet) in height, whose outspread wings filled the entire width of the most holy place, while the position of their faces, toward the interior of the chamber, marked that they were not set up as objects of adoration, but placed there as memorials of the adoration due to the Lord of hosts.

During the long years of preparation requi­site for this great work, we are not left to ima­gine that the symbol of God’s residence on earth was forgotten, or the appointed shrine of divine worship neglected. We know that the opening of Solomon’s reign was marked by a special recognition of its value. When the Lord had appeared to him at Gibeon, in a dream by night, and had promised him the grant of that wise and understanding heart which he had chosen in preference to length of days, abun­dance of wealth, or assurance of conquest over his foes, "he came to Jerusalem, and stood before the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and offered up burnt-offerings, and offered peace offerings." He dreamed not that his projected temple would add any glory to that significant emblem; he knew well that the presence which that emblem betokened was what alone could give transcendent worth to the splendid fane he was about to rear. At length the costly edifice was "finished throughout all the parts thereof, and according to all the fashion of it." Naught was wanting to its completion save the bringing in of its sacred contents. "Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel, and all the heads of the tribes, the chief of the fathers of the children of Israel, unto Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord out of the city of David, which is Zion." And "all the elders of Israel came, and the priests took up the ark; and they brought up the ark, and the tabernacle of the congregation, and all the holy vessels that were in the tabernacle, these did the priests and the Levites bring up," Solomon and the people meanwhile sacrificing "sheep and oxen, which could not be told nor numbered for multitude." And "the priests brought in the ark of the covenant of the Lord unto his place, to the oracle of the house, into the most holy place, even under the wings of the cherubims" which Solomon had made. "For the cherubims spread forth their wings over the place of the ark, and the che­rubims covered the ark and the staves thereof above," thus overshadowing likewise the mercy seat and the smaller cherubim of Moses. Having fixed the ark in its appointed place, the priests "drew out the staves, that the ends of the staves were seen from the ark before the oracle, but they were not seen without;" thus partially drawn out, though not protruding beyond the veil, the poles marked (as Jewish writers tell us) the standing-place of the high ­priest, who took his station between them on the great day of atonement. When the priests had retreated from the holy place, "the trumpeters and singers lifted up their voice, with the trumpets, and cymbals, and instruments of music, and praised the Lord,"---not improbably in the words of the hundred-and-thirty-second Psalm, which was evidently composed with a view to this occa­sion. It opens with a commemoration of the ark’s past history. It tells how David had vowed to give no sleep to his eyes nor slumber to his eyelids, till he had "found a place for the Lord, an habitation for the mighty God of Jacob." It records the necessity for such an act on David’s part; "Lo, we heard of it at Ephratah," in the Ephraimite city, namely, of Shiloh; "we found it in the fields of the wood," literally, "in the regions of Jair," Jairim, or Kirjath-jearim. It invites the Divine presence and pleads the Divine promise, while it seeks a blessing for David’s sake to rest on David’s son. This would seem to have been followed by one or more of the Psalms which had been composed or chosen to celebrate the ark’s re­moval to Zion; for we read, that it was when the stanza was reached, "Oh, give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good, for His mercy en­dureth forever," that "the house was filled with a cloud, even the house of the Lord, so that the priests could not stand to minister, by reason of the cloud," but had to withdraw, as it would seem, to the temple-court, " for the glory of the Lord had filled the house of God."

"Thus while the minstrels sang and played, The mystic cloud of glory fell, That shadowy light-that splendid shade In which Jehovah pleased to dwell," The unwonted spectacle filled the beholders with awe; but Solomon reassured them with the words, "The Lord said that He would dwell in the thick darkness." That which ap­peared to them a terrific gloom, was only "dark with excess of brightness;" its appearance was a token of God’s inhabitation of His temple, and its obscurity was a sign of God’s merciful consideration for the feebleness of man. A personal and private dedication of the building to Jehovah’s service was then made by the king: "I have surely built thee an house to dwell in, a settled place for thee to abide in forever." To the people he gave a succinct account of the origin and history of the erection, ending with the important state­ment,---"and in it have I put the ark, wherein is the covenant of the Lord, which He made with our fathers, when He brought them out of the land of Egypt." This marked it a national temple, set apart for the national worship of Israel’s God.

Then, kneeling on his elevated brazen platform, he "spread forth his hands toward heaven," and poured forth the ardent and comprehensive intercessions which characterized his public dedication ­prayer. Amazed, yet encouraged by the condescension of Him whom "the heaven and heaven of heavens" cannot contain, the sup­pliant monarch ventured to entreat, that every earnest and penitent request, breathed forth to the God of the temple, might win a ready and responsive interposition of heavenly aid. Not content with generalizing, the subject is laid down in detail. Seven illustrative cases are selected,---reference being made first to private wrongs, then to public defeat, to drought, to pestilence, to military enterprise, and to possible captivity, while even the stran­ger from a far country had his name enrolled upon the list. In almost all these supposed instances, the same ideas substantially recur, though in language beautifully and expres­sively varied. The aptitude of man’s heart to sin,---the connection between sin and sorrow­ the design of sorrow in leading to repentance---the genuineness of repentance as evinced in confession, reformation, and entreaty---and the presentation of that entreaty toward the temple,---are as so many threads inwoven and more or less apparent in the tissue of each. The petitions also run parallel:---hear---forgive---and help. After the outpouring of this prayer, Solomon recited part of the hymn al­ready sung: "Now therefore arise, Oh Lord God, into thy resting place, thou, and the ark of thy strength; let thy priests, Oh Lord God, be clothed with salvation, and let thy saints rejoice in goodness: Oh Lord God, turn not away the face of thine anointed: remember the mercies of David thy servant!"

Then he pronounced a parting benediction on the assembly; and thenceforward, their first sacri­fices having been accepted by fire from heaven, the ordinary routine of temple-service com­menced, with this only deviation, that in con­sequence of the vast multitude now collected, and the special offerings which they presented, the large brazen altar proved insufficient, and it became needful to hallow for the occasion "the middle of the court that was before the Lord’s house," temporary altars being reared for the sudden emergency. The feast of dedi­cation was prolonged from the eighth to the fifteenth day of the month, and during the course of it was observed the "day of atone­ment," when the high-priest (Zadok if still alive,---if otherwise, Ahimaaz his son) had to enter the inner house alone, and stand with his waving and fuming censer before the sacred ark. On the fifteenth day, the week’s feast of tabernacles commenced; and thus it was after the protracted solemnities of a full fortnight, that on the three-and-twentieth day of the month the people were "sent away into their tents, joyful and glad of heart for all the good­ness that the Lord had done for David his servant and for Israel his people."

There is one point, on which we may do well to concentrate our attention. We refer to the petition which Solomon thus repeated: "Have respect unto the prayer of thy servant, that thine eyes may be open toward this house night and day;"---"and let these my words wherewith I have made supplication before the Lord be nigh unto the Lord our God day and night, that He maintain I the cause of his servant and the cause of his people Israel at all times, as the matter shall require." In strict accordance with this, was the answer graciously bestowed: "The Lord appeared to Solomon by night, and said unto him, I have heard thy prayer, and have chosen this house to myself for a house of sacrifice; and mine eyes and my heart shall be there perpetually." Not at stated seasons only, not at worship ­hours alone, was prayer to find acceptance at the mercy seat. It is true, that we have in­stances in Scripture of remarkable events which specially signalized the appointed time of evening-sacrifice; but it was not solely then that a blessing could be dispensed. At every hour, and by night as well as by day, was audience to be given. He that keepeth Israel, would neither slumber nor sleep. And thus it is still. Needful it is for earthly potentates to limit their reception hours; but the King of kings knows no such necessity. Fatigue can never dull His ear, or paralyze His arm. At any and at every moment, the earnest heart is welcome at his footstool. Nehemiah acted on the knowledge of this; so did Heman the Ezrahite ; so did the widowed Anna; so did the Apostle Paul; and so do the elect of God, "which cry day and night unto him."

Such liberty of constant access to God is an unspeakable advantage. To be permitted an approach to His throne at rare and distant intervals---to be granted one day in the week, or one hour in the day, wherein to spread our case before Him---to be able to present at His feet a long list of petitions, and to lay in a store of grace to meet our foreseen exigencies---this were much! But how much more is it, to have access as frequent as our neces­sities---to go with each separate want, as it first arises---to take to Him, as the margin reads it, "the thing of a day in his day"---to be under no necessity of keeping one single anxious thought pent up within to corrode our peace and to canker our spirits---to have free opportunity of giving immediate vent to our surcharged hearts, by an instant rolling of the burden on Him who careth for us! Such is the amazing privilege accorded. It were well, if we availed ourselves of it aright.

Why do we go mourning, why are we bowed down with heaviness? Is it not, because "the grass has grown over our path to the bush"? Is it not, because we are waiting for the Sabbath’s return, or for some "time of refreshing," or for some special call to the throne of grace, instead of going again and again, as occasion may require? And shall it evermore be thus? Shall we continue to groan beneath a load of which we might at once be lightened? Are the divine eye and ear "attent unto the prayer of His people night and day"? and shall we wait the live-long day till the time of evening devotion arrive, or wet our pillow with tears at night till the season for our matin-supplications shall have come? For all who are in Christ, for all who come to Christ, for all who plead the name of Christ, the golden scepter is forever stretched out. There needs no three days’ preparation, like that of Esther before she ventured into the presence of Ahasuerus,---no concerted fast---­no putting on of costly apparel---no standing afar off in uncertainty---no waiting for a token of favor. There needs only the contrite heart that feels its destitution, the earnest heart that craves a blessing, the believing heart that will, with holy boldness, step forward to prefer its petition and request. Fre­quency of prayer here will be the best training for incessancy of praise above. A sense of God’s perpetual presence on earth is the best preparation for the full enjoyment of His eternal presence in the world to come.