God's Ark of Divine Providential Preservation
The Dean Burgon Society's 1999 Annual Meeting
Dr. Robert Barnett, Vice President of The Dean
Burgon Society, Inc.
Copyright 1999 by the author, reproduction and distribution rights assigned to the Dean
Burgon Society.
Did God promise providential preservation of His Holy Scriptures? ()
"The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth,
purified seven times. {7} Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this
generation for ever." () "As for me, this is my covenant with them,
saith the LORD; My spirit that is upon thee, and my words which I have put in thy mouth,
shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth
of thy seed's seed, saith the LORD, from henceforth and for ever." () "The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are
revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this
law." () "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not
pass away." () "For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth
pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be
fulfilled." The Holy Spirit has led Bible believers in every generation to exercise
faith in all these divine promises along with many, many more.
Scholars taking a naturalistic approach to Bible preservation, support a critical text
approach. To be consistent, they are forced to deny and/or misrepresent a literal
interpretation of many of God's promises of Bible preservation.. Having rejected God's
supernatural preservation of His Holy Scriptures, they are open to believe the scholarship
claims of textual errors in the Bible. Having replaced God's promises of divine
preservation with the theories of 19th century naturalistic scholarship their
future hope is to correct and restore what they now believe to be a corrupted Bible. Such
a Biblical philosophy of preservation is totally inconsistent with the eternal salvation
of God's saints. For if God cannot, or did not keep His Holy Scriptures intact as He
promised, what assurance do we have that we can trust His promises to keep our souls for
all eternity? A generation without faith in God's promises to keep His holy Scriptures on
earth will surely reproduce a new generation without faith in God's promises to keep their
own souls in Heaven.
God's
first Ark of Preservation
God's first ark of , pictured Noah's faith in God's preserving covenant .
() "By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet,
moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he
condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith."
The entrance of Noah and his family into the ark put their faith in God's preserving
promises into practice. () "But with thee will I establish my
covenant; and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy
sons' wives with thee."
After the flood, in , God's promise of an everlasting covenant was given to
Noah and confirmed by God's token of a rainbow: () "And I will
establish
my covenant with you; neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a
flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth. {12} And God said,
This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living
creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: {13} I do set my bow in
the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth."
The rainbow God gave to Noah and his family remains unto this day as visual proof of God's
faithfulness as a covenant keeping God.
So also the ark is a Biblical symbol reminding us of God's plan and practice of divine
providential preservation of His Holy Scriptures here on earth. Every time we see a
rainbow in the sky, it should reassure us that God's promises of divine providential
preservation make our Bible an even greater tangible witness to God's faithfulness than
His ancient rainbow.
God's first Ark protected God's people from God's judgment upon the world. The ark was
God's place of safety from the world. Being outside of the ark brought death and
destruction. This is still true today. The Ark still pictures God's haven of safety, the
incarnate Word, our Lord Jesus Christ. Safety from the world and God's judgment upon the
world is found only through personal faith and trust in Jesus Christ as our ark of safety.
And there is no ark of safety for salvation in our Lord Jesus Christ apart from personal
faith in the promises of His Holy Scriptures. () "He that hath the Son
hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. {13} These things have I
written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that
ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God."
God's
Second Ark of Preservation
God's second ark in , revealed the faith of Moses's parents in God's
preserving promises: () "By faith Moses, when he was born,
was
hid three months of his parents, because they saw he was a proper child; and they were
not afraid of the king's commandment."
The second Ark protected God's people from the World's judgment upon God's people.
() "And Pharaoh charged all his people, saying, Every son that is born ye
shall cast into the river, and every daughter ye shall save alive." Jochebed probably
remembered the account of Noah's building of the ark of . The God who had
preserved Noah in an ark would preserve Moses in an ark.() "And when she
could not longer hide him, she took for him an ark of bulrushes, and daubed it with slime
and with pitch, and put the child therein; and she laid it in the flags by the river's
brink."
God's Third Ark of Preservation
God's third Ark protected God's inscripturated testimony or Word. The preservative plan
and purpose for the ark is repeated over and over throughout Holy Scripture using terms
such as, the ark of the testimony, the ark of the covenant of the Lord, the ark of the
LORD and the ark of God.
A. God's plan for the ark of
the testimony was clearly revealed to Moses:
In , God gave Moses exact instructions for the construction of His Ark
and told Moses what to put in it. Verse 16: "And thou shalt put into the ark the
testimony which I shall give thee." God continued to connect His ark with His
Word or testimony. () "And thou shalt put the mercy seat above upon
the ark; and in the ark thou shalt put the testimony that I shall give thee. {22}
And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat,
from between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all
things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel."
() "And thou shalt hang up the veil under the taches, that thou mayest bring
in thither within the veil the ark of the testimony: and the veil shall divide unto
you between the holy place and the most holy. {34} And thou shalt put the mercy seat upon
the ark of the testimony in the most holy place." () "And thou
shalt make the staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold. {6} And thou shalt put
it before the veil that is by the ark of the testimony, before the mercy seat that
is over the testimony, where I will meet with thee." () "And
thou shalt anoint the tabernacle of the congregation therewith, and the ark of
the testimony," () "The tabernacle of the congregation,
and the ark of the testimony, and the mercy seat that is thereupon, and all the
furniture of the tabernacle," Notice also, the ark and testimony were
identified with God's tabernacle or house.
Moses heard God repeat at least 9 times that His testimony was to be preserved within
His ark. Moses had a personal revelation from God, and a personal responsibility to God to
see that God's Holy Scriptures were providentially preserved in God's ark as God had
repeatedly commanded him.
B. God's plan for the ark of the
testimony was not obeyed by Moses
1. Moses failed in preserving God's Word
() "And Moses turned, and went down from the mount, and the
two
tables of the testimony were in his hand: the tables were written on both their sides;
on the one side and on the other were they written. {16} And the tables were the work
of God, and the writing was the writing of God, graven upon the tables."
() "And it came to pass, as soon as he came nigh unto the camp, that he
saw the calf, and the dancing: and Moses' anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out
of his hands, and brake them beneath the mount." Because the nation was breaking
the truth of God's law, did not justify Moses breaking the tables of God's law. Moses
broke the only tangible thing God had gaven him to expose and correct the national
behavior.
2. Moses also failed in practicing God's Word
() "And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, {8} Take the rod, and
gather thou the assembly together, thou, and Aaron thy brother, and speak ye unto the
rock before their eyes; and it shall give forth his water, and thou shalt bring
forth to them water out of the rock: so thou shalt give the congregation and their beasts
drink. {9} And Moses took the rod from before the LORD, as he commanded him. {10} And
Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock, and he said unto them,
Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock? {11} And
Moses
lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice: and the water came out
abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts also. {12} And the LORD
spake unto Moses and Aaron, Because ye believed me not, to sanctify me in the eyes
of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land
which I have given them."
3. Moses failed in preaching God's Word
Moses striking the first rock in pictured the death of our Lord Jesus
Christ for our sins. Had Moses then spoken to the second rock as God had commanded him in
, it would have pictured Christ as our rock of living water giving eternal
salvation to all those who call upon Him. Because Moses disobeyed the practice of God's
Holy Scripture, he misrepresented the preaching of that beautiful symbol of grace God
intended for everyone who studies that portion of Holy Scripture.
Moses as a great prophet of God failed this one time to preach God's word because he
failed to practice it. How many so called famous preachers of God's word today have their
preaching weakened by their failure to preserve and practice God's Holy Scriptures as they
should? God will surely hold us personally accountable to Him concerning all three of our
dealings with His Holy Scriptures. God will judge our preaching of His Word alongside our
preservation, and practice of it! () "Beloved, when I gave all diligence to
write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you,
and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered
unto the saints."
Since Moses as Israel's greatest spiritual and moral leader in charge of God's first
original Bible autographs was found guilty of failure, then what human saint or system can
be trusted today to preserve God's eternal scriptures? God's first mention should always
remind us not to trust human wisdom and strength in Bible preservation. It was God's
sovereign work in spite of Moses' failure which providentially preserved God's Holy
Scriptures.
C. God's plan for the ark of
the testimony finally fulfilled by Moses
1. Moses technically preserved only apographs of the
Bible because they were copies of the words which were on the originals.
() "And the LORD said unto Moses, Hew thee two tables of stone like
unto the first: and I will write upon these tables the words that were in the first
tables, which thou brakest."
() "And he hewed two tables of stone like unto the first; and Moses
rose up early in the morning, and went up unto mount Sinai, as the LORD had commanded him,
and took in his hand the two tables of stone."
Technically the first original stone autographs though given by divine inspiration, and
inscribed by the hand of God were not infallible, because Moses broke them. However, God's
words on the original autographs were infallible, and God personally preserved them and
God gave us our first copy of apographs! God made sure the first copy of Bible apographs
were infallibly accurate. God is still much more concerned about His infallible words,
than the things with which or upon which they have been copied. God's divine precedent
gives us a great faith producing example. God is not only concerned with the accuracy and
authority of His divine originals, He has preserved the received text apographs or copies
which have come down to us to preserve His inspired, infallible authority..
2. The face of God's servant revealed God's Spirit, and
not his own anger, the second time he delivered God's Word.
() "And it came to pass, when Moses came down from mount Sinai with
the two tables of testimony in Moses' hand, when he came down from the mount, that Moses
wist not that the skin of his face shone while he talked with him. {30} And when
Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone; and
they were afraid to come nigh him. {31} And Moses called unto them; and Aaron and all the
rulers of the congregation returned unto him: and Moses talked with them. {32} And
afterward all the children of Israel came nigh: and he gave them in commandment all
that the LORD had spoken with him in mount Sinai. {33} And till Moses had done
speaking with them, he put a veil on his face."
If Moses who alone spoke to God mouth to mouth, (), did not handle God's
word properly in anger, how can you and I expect to do so? It is still the power of the
Holy Spirit which enables God's servants to properly handle God's preserved Word today
just as it was in the days of Moses. () "Howbeit when he, the Spirit of
truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of
himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to
come." This guidance of the Holy Spirit is clearly seen in the generation by
generation providential preservation of the received text of God's Holy Scriptures.
3. God's Holy Scriptures were to be preserved in the Ark
for God's witness against us
() "Take this book of the law, and put it in the side of the
ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, that it may be there for a witness against thee."
() "At that time the LORD said unto me, Hew thee two tables of
stone like unto the first, and come up unto me into the mount, and make thee an ark of
wood. {2} And I will write on the tables the words that were in the first tables
which thou brakest, and thou shalt put them in the ark. {3} And I made an ark of
shittim wood, and hewed two tables of stone like unto the first, and went up into the
mount, having the two tables in mine hand. {4} And he wrote on the tables, according to
the first writing, the ten commandments, which the LORD spake unto you in the mount out of
the midst of the fire in the day of the assembly: and the LORD gave them unto me. {5} And
I turned myself and came down from the mount, and put the tables in the ark which I
had made; and there they be, as the LORD commanded me." God's word still
remains unto this day as God's witness against us. () "He that rejecteth
me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken,
the same shall judge him in the last day."
4. Finally God's Word was preserved in God's ark, in
God's house, as God's place for providential preservation.
God's Ark was first completed in . () "And the LORD spake
unto Moses, saying, {2} On the first day of the first month shalt thou set up the
tabernacle of the tent of the congregation. {3} And thou shalt put therein the ark
of the testimony, and cover the ark with the veil." () "And
he
took and put the testimony into the ark, and set the staves on the ark, and put the
mercy seat above upon the ark: {21} And he brought the ark into the tabernacle, and
set up the veil of the covering, and covered the ark of the testimony; as the LORD
commanded Moses."
5. The care of God's Word preserved in God's ark, in
God's house, was restricted to God's chosen priesthood.
a. Even God's most trusted leaders were restricted in their contact with
the Ark
() "And the LORD said unto Moses, Speak unto Aaron thy
brother, that he come not at all times into the holy place within the veil before
the mercy seat, which is upon the ark; that he die not: for I will appear in
the cloud upon the mercy seat."
b. God prepared Levite priests to care for His ark
In Numbers, God made His Levite Priests responsible for the care of His Ark.
() "And their charge shall be the ark, and the table, and the candlestick,
and the altars, and the vessels of the sanctuary wherewith they minister, and the hanging,
and all the service thereof."
c. God chose Kohath from among the Levites for special care of the ark.
() "This shall be the service of the sons of Kohath in the
tabernacle
of the congregation, about the most holy things:" () "And
when Aaron and his sons have made an end of covering the sanctuary, and all the vessels of
the sanctuary, as the camp is to set forward; after that, the sons of Kohath shall come
to bear it: but they shall not touch any holy thing, lest they die. These
things are the burden of the sons of Kohath in the tabernacle of the
congregation." () "Cut ye not off the tribe of the families of
the Kohathites from among the Levites:"
d. God chose His N. T. priesthood in the local church to preserve His
Word
() "But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest
to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar
and ground of the truth." God never intended for His house to become the pillar
and ground for doubt and unbelief fostered by modern Bible perversions and confusion.
Bible believing members of local New Testament churches should be taught how to behave
concerning God's Holy Truth. Use of the authorized King James Bible should be advertised
on the Church bulletin board outside. Standing congregational Scripture reading should be
practiced weekly. The pulpit should carry a note reminding guest speakers to use only the
KJV. All memory work involving church ministries should be done using only the authorized
King James Bible. Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek work studies should be used to strengthen
Bible belief, not tear it down. We should be able to say with Paul: ()
"For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as
of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ."
6. God forbid the world or strangers from handling His
Holy things which included the Ark of His testimony.
a. They were to guard God's house on the outside from the stranger.
() "But those that encamp before the tabernacle toward the east, even
before the tabernacle of the congregation eastward, shall be Moses, and Aaron and his
sons, keeping the charge of the sanctuary for the charge of the children of Israel;
and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death."
b. They were to guard God's house on the inside from the stranger.
() "Therefore thou and thy sons with thee shall keep your priest's
office for every thing of the altar, and within the veil; and ye shall serve:
I
have given your priest's office unto you as a service of gift: and the stranger that
cometh nigh shall be put to death." Handling God's Holy things was a service of
gift, with a punishment of death for any stranger who came near these holy things. While
God told His people to love the stranger, (), they were never to let them
touch or alter the holy things committed to their care as a service of gift. So also, we
should not support Bible perverters, purveyors, or publishers of this world system who
massacre and market modern Bibles for profit. To do so is to violate God's revealed
standards of providential preservation.
7. God's preserved Ark of His covenant was given to lead
His people!
() And they commanded the people, saying, When ye see the ark of the covenant
of the LORD your God, and the priests the Levites bearing it, then ye shall remove from
your place, and go after it. () And Joshua spake unto the priests, saying, Take
up the ark of the covenant, and pass over before the people. And they took up the ark of
the covenant, and went before the people. Our nation desperately needs to be led today by
God's ark of the covenant. Let us pray that the Spirit of God will use us as instruments
of His grace to lift up His Holy standard to the enemies of our age. () So
shall they fear the name of the LORD from the west, and his glory from the rising of the
sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a
standard against him.
8. God's preserved Ark of His covenant did not deliver
God's people who handled God's covenant in unbelief.
a. The nation of Israel when being defeated by the Philistines, sent for
the Ark of the Covenant in hopes of bringing them victory:
() So the people sent to Shiloh, that they might
bring from
thence the ark of the covenant of the LORD of hosts, which dwelleth between the
cherubims: and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there
with the ark
of the covenant of God. {5} And when the ark of the covenant of the LORD came into the
camp, all Israel shouted with a great shout, so that the earth rang again. The
nation's priests had the right scriptures, but the wrong morality.
b. God's ark of the covenant did not protect those in unbelief.
() And the ark of God was taken; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and
Phinehas, were slain. () And when he came, lo, Eli sat upon a seat
by the wayside watching: for his heart trembled for the ark of God. And when the
man came into the city, and told it, all the city cried out.
() And the messenger answered and said, Israel is fled before the
Philistines, and there hath been also a great slaughter among the people, and thy
two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God is taken.
Eli had failed to pass his faith in God down to his sons.
c. Ichabod described Israel's loss of God's Glory with the loss of the
Ark of the Covenant.
In following the taking of the ark and death of Eli and his evil sons.
The wife of Phinehas giving birth just before her death named her son Ichabod to describe
God's judgment upon Israel's because of their loss of God's ark of the Covenant. {21} And
she
named the child Ichabod, saying, The glory is departed from Israel: because the ark
of God was taken, and because of her father in law and her husband. {22} And she said,
The glory is departed from Israel: for the ark of God is taken.
God's preserved Holy Scriptures in the Ark only bring God's glory to believers who
believe and practice it. Outwise Ichabod! God condemns unbelief! That should be the
warning preached across America today! If America does not repent and return to the
authority of God's Holy Scriptures in both precept and practice, surely God will write
Ichabod upon our nation!
God gave His prophets the warning of a famine of God's Words in the last days:
() Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land,
not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD: Most
of the religious denominations and organizations in America could have Ichabod written
upon them. Because of unbelief, they have abandoned the living bread and water of God's
infallible scriptures. Instead, they are offering corrupted bread and water from perverted
Bibles.
9. God's Ark of the covenant was sovereignly preserved
while in the world without any help from God's people.
a. God's Ark was preserved while in the idol temple of the Philistines.
(The world.)
() And the Philistines took the ark of God, and brought it from
Ebenezer unto Ashdod. {2} When the Philistines took the ark of God, they brought it
into the house of Dagon, and set it by Dagon. {3} And when they of Ashdod arose early
on
the morrow, behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to the earth before the ark of
the LORD. And they took Dagon, and set him in his place again. {4} And when they arose
early on the morrow morning, behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to the ground
before the ark of the LORD; and the head of Dagon and both the palms of his hands were cut
off upon the threshold; only the stump of Dagon was left to him. {5} Therefore neither
the priests of Dagon, nor any that come into Dagon's house, tread on the threshold of
Dagon in Ashdod unto this day. {6} But the hand of the LORD was heavy upon them of
Ashdod, and he destroyed them, and smote them with emerods, even Ashdod and the coasts
thereof. {7} And when the men of Ashdod saw that it was so, they said, The ark of the
God of Israel shall not abide with us: for his hand is sore upon us, and upon Dagon our
god. God did not allow a pagan idol or people to destroy God's ark of the testimony.
b. God's Ark of the Covenant was safe and successful in every city of
the world
(} They sent therefore and gathered all the lords of the Philistines
unto them, and said, What shall we do with the ark of the God of Israel?
And they
answered, Let the ark of the God of Israel be carried about unto Gath. And they
carried the ark of the God of Israel about thither. {9} And it was so, that, after they
had carried it about, the hand of the LORD was against the city with a very great
destruction: and he smote the men of the city, both small and great, and they had
emerods in their secret parts. {10} Therefore they sent the ark of God to Ekron.
And it came to pass, as the ark of God came to Ekron, that the Ekronites cried out,
saying, They have brought about the ark of the God of Israel to us, to slay us and our
people. God's Holy Scriptures result in judgment upon unbelieving sinners or salvation
to believing saints.
10. God's Ark of the Covenant was sovereignly, systematically
and safely returned to God's people and God's place in God's time.
1). God Controlled the false priests of the world system to preserve His
word.
() And the ark of the LORD was in the country of the Philistines
seven months. () And the Philistines called for the priests and the
diviners, saying, What shall we do to the ark of the LORD? tell
us wherewith
we shall send it to his place. {3} And they said, If ye send away the ark of the
God of Israel, send it not empty; but in any wise return him a trespass offering:
then ye shall be healed, and it shall be known to you why his hand is not removed from you.
2). God Controlled the dumb animals of this world system to preserve His
word
() Now therefore make a new cart, and take two milch kine,
on which there hath come no yoke, and tie the kine to the cart, and
bring
their calves home from them: {8} And take the ark of the LORD, and lay it upon the
cart; and put the jewels of gold, which ye return him for a trespass offering, in a
coffer by the side thereof; and send it away, that it may go. () And
the kine took the straight way to the way of Bethshemesh, and went along the
highway, lowing as they went, and turned not aside to the right hand or to the
left; and the lords of the Philistines went after them unto the border of
Bethshemesh.
When carnal unbelief characterized God's priest and people, God's word was still
providentially preserved by a sovereign God without any help from His people. Let us never
forget that our work in Bible defense is a privilege to glorify God. We are merely
instrument in Bible defense, because the promises of success were revealed by a sovereign
God who never fails.
3) God controlled access to His holy ark preserving it from carnal
curiosity
() And he smote the men of Bethshemesh, because they had looked into
the ark of the LORD, even he smote of the people fifty thousand and threescore and
ten men: and the people lamented, because the LORD had smitten many of the
people with a great slaughter. Curious disrespect for the presence of a Holy God and
His Holy Scriptures was a wicked sin in God's eyes.
() And they sent messengers to the inhabitants of
Kirjathjearim, saying,
The Philistines have brought again the ark of the LORD; come ye down, and fetch it up to
you. God's people didn't like God's judgment upon them for their handling of God's Holy
Word any more than the world or Philistines did.
4) God controlled the transmission of His Ark by His people to preserve
it from worldly methods.
() And David arose, and went with all the people that were with
him from Baale of Judah, to bring up from thence the ark of God, whose name is
called by the name of the LORD of hosts that dwelleth between the cherubims. And they
set
the ark of God upon a new cart, and brought it out of the house of Abinadab that was
in Gibeah: and Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, drave the new cart. {4} And
they brought it out of the house of Abinadab which was at Gibeah, accompanying the ark of
God: and Ahio went before the ark. {5} And David and all the house of Israel played before
the LORD on all manner of instruments made of fir wood, even on harps, and on psalteries,
and on timbrels, and on cornets, and on cymbals. {6} And when they came to Nachon's
threshingfloor, Uzzah put forth his hand to the ark of God, and took hold of it; for
the oxen shook it. {7} And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Uzzah; and God
smote him there for his error; and there he died by the ark of God. Mishandling God's
Holy Scriptures is still dangerous.
The world's ox cart methods for transporting or preserving God's ark were tolerated by
God in Philistia, but God did not tolerate this worldly form of transgression in Israel.
God committed much to His own people, so much was required. () God blesses those
who treat his ark of divine providential preservation respectfully and handle it
scripturally. Worldly printers and publishers may get away with using ox cart methods of
handling God's Holy Scriptures, but God's people won't. If God so judged His people for
unscriptural handling of His Holy Scriptures, how much more dangerous will God's judgment
be for those who alter the very text or content of His Holy Scriptures in the name of
Bible scholarship?
5) God's Ark of the Covenant brought blessings to obedient persons and
families.
{8} And David was displeased, because the LORD had made a breach upon Uzzah: and he
called the name of the place Perezuzzah to this day. {9} And David was afraid of the
LORD that day, and said, How shall the ark of the LORD come to me? {10} So David would
not remove the ark of the LORD unto him into the city of David: but David carried it
aside into the house of Obededom the Gittite. {11} And the ark of the LORD continued
in the house of Obededom the Gittite three months: and the LORD blessed Obededom, and all
his household. {12} And it was told king David, saying, The LORD hath
blessed the house of Obededom, and all that pertaineth unto him, because of the ark
of God. So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obededom
into
the city of David with gladness.
6) God honored the transmission of His ark of the testimony to His
chosen place by His chosen priesthood.
aa) God's ark was Transmitted by a Selected Priesthood
() Then David said, None ought to carry the ark of God but the
Levites: for them hath the LORD chosen to carry the ark of God, and to minister unto him
for ever. (So also, only God's spiritual believer-priests should handle the
transmission of God's Word today!)
bb) God's ark was Transmitted by a Sanctified Priesthood
() And said unto them, Ye are the chief of the fathers of the
Levites: sanctify yourselves, both ye and your brethren, that ye may bring up the ark of
the LORD God of Israel unto the place that I have prepared for it. {13} For because ye
did it not at the first, the LORD our God made a breach upon us, for that we sought him
not after the due order. {14} So the
priests and the Levites sanctified themselves
to bring up the ark of the LORD God of Israel.
cc) God's ark was Transmitted by a Separated Priesthood
{15} And the children of the Levites bare the ark of God upon their shoulders with
the staves thereon, as Moses commanded according to the word of the LORD. God's word
can only be honorably transmitted today by God's priesthood of believers honoring God's
revealed methods, and not the ox cart methods of this naturalistic world system.
The Importance of our yielded service toward protecting God's ark of
divine providential preservation today.
a) The need for priesthood guards as God's special doorkeepers.
() And Berechiah and Elkanah were doorkeepers for the ark.
{24} And Shebaniah, and Jehoshaphat, and Nethaneel, and Amasai, and Zechariah, and
Benaiah, and Eliezer, the priests, did blow with the trumpets before the ark of God: and
Obededom and Jehiah were doorkeepers for the ark. We should respond with the
Psalmist: () For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand.
I had
rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of
wickedness. The modern version crowd is dwelling in the tents of wickedness by using this
world systems in Bible preservation. There is a real need for doorkeepers in the house of
God to support divine providential preservation of God's ark of Holy Scriptures.
b) The need of priesthood guards to guard God's special message inside
the ark; which manifests the presence of God's person, work, and word
Our Savior Jesus Christ is pictured in the contents of the ark as our bread of God, our
resurrection of God, and our Word of God.
() Which had the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round
about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron's rod that
budded, and the tables of the covenant;
c) The need of priesthood guards to guard against the deceitfulness of
earthly blessings in this Laodicean age. ().
() And it shall come to pass, when ye be multiplied and increased in
the land, in those days, saith the LORD, they shall say no more, The ark of the
covenant of the LORD: neither shall it come to mind: neither shall they remember
it; neither shall they visit it; neither shall that be done any more. Apathy is a sign
Bible believers today are mesmerized by affluence just like the Jews of old.
d) The need of priesthood guards to guard God special place for the
preservation, practice, and propagation of His Ark of the Covenant on earth today:
() But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to
behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and
ground of the truth.
e) The hope of priesthood Guards from God's special place of
preservation, practice, and propagation of His ark of the Covenant in Heaven.
The ark of divine providential preservation is forever
settled in heaven. (Psalms 119:89) LAMED. For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in
heaven. () And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and
there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were
lightnings,
and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail. () For the hope
which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the
truth of the gospel; We need never fear, God's word is eternally preserved. God is
still sovereignly preserving His Ark of the covenant both upon earth and in heaven
forever. Let us who are dedicated to Bible defense yield our selves to be instruments of
God's grace! To God be the glory!!
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