Just a Box?

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Exodus 25:10-22

TO CHEW ON: "There, above the cover between the two cherubim that are over the ark of the covenant law, I will meet with you and give you all my commands for the Israelites." Exodus 25:22

The first piece of furniture God told Moses to make for the inside of the portable church (Tabernacle) was just a box. But what a box! God told Moses how to make the box (or ark) to the last detail. Using today’s reading, choose the right answers below:

God told Moses to use 1. (pine, mahogany, acacia) wood.

He told Moses exactly how big to make this box. It was to be 2½ cubits long(3¾ feet or 1.1 meters), by 1½ cubits wide (2¼ feet or .7 meters), by 1½ cubits high (2¼ feet or .7 meters). This would make it a 2. (square, rectangle, pyramid) shape.

Moses was to cover the wood with 3. (gold, tin, silver).

God told Moses how to make the ark easy to carry – with rings on each side. Gold-covered poles would fit through these rings. Priests were to carry the ark on their shoulders.

The cover for the box was to be decorated with gold 4. (palm trees, cherubim, apples).

Finally, God told Moses that inside the box he should put 5. (the Testimony*, a jug of water, a pair of sandals).

*The Testimony was the Ten Commandments written on stone tablets.

Here is one artist's idea of what the ark looked like.

The Ark - Artist unknown

Why do you think God was so particular that this ark be made right?

One reason could be that it was going to be the special and holy place where God Himself would speak with Moses. There He would tell him how to lead the Israelites. The ark was a place where Moses would come close to God.

At the same time the special things about it – the gold, the beautiful decorations, the things that were inside it – reminded the people to respect God and think about how God had helped them in the past.

PRAYER: Dear God, You are a holy God Who loves me. Help me to understand what that means. Amen.

MORE: How well can you follow instructions?
Suppose you were Moses and had to make the ark. Draw your own picture of the ark or make a model with play clay using the instructions God gave Moses in Exodus 25.

Answers

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Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.


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