#1540. MAKE THE ARK AND ATONEMENT COVER (29/6/26)
- Matt Beaney
- Jun 29
- 6 min read
Welcome to this Come to Jesus Daily Devotional (currently posted on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday) as we continue our series: I Will Dwell Among Them.
Today, we reflect on the truth:
The Tabernacle teaches us to put atonement through sacrifice at the heart of our worship.
To watch this devotional, please select the link below:
In the film Raiders of the Lost Ark, Indiana Jones races to prevent his enemies from seizing the Ark of the Covenant and using it as the ultimate weapon to win the war. The Ark has long captured people’s imaginations, inspiring countless theories, legends, and fanciful ideas. This week, we will look beyond the myths and consider what the Ark of the Covenant really was, why God commanded it to be made, and what it teaches us about His presence, holiness, and purposes for His people today.
Along with the Tabernacle structure, God commanded the people to make the Ark, which was to be placed at the very heart of the Tabernacle complex in the Most Holy Place (the Holy of Holies).
1. What was the Ark?
‘“Have them make an ark of acacia wood—two and a half cubits long, a cubit and a half wide, and a cubit and a half high. Overlay it with pure gold, both inside and out, and make a gold moulding around it. Cast four gold rings for it and fasten them to its four feet, with two rings on one side and two rings on the other. Then make poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. Insert the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark to carry it. The poles are to remain in the rings of this ark; they are not to be removed.’ (Exodus 25:10-15)
The Ark (Hebrew: ’aron) was a wooden chest measuring roughly 3.75 feet long by 2.25 feet wide and high - about the size of a large coffee table - completely overlaid with gold. It had a gold ring on each corner to hold the gold-covered poles used for carrying it.
They were also to make a top or cover for the Ark, according to God’s specific design:
‘“Make an atonement cover of pure gold—two and a half cubits long and a cubit and a half wide. And make two cherubim out of hammered gold at the ends of the cover.”’ (Exodus 25:17-18)
The name ‘Atonement Cover’ or ‘Mercy Seat’ (Hebrew: kapporet) means a place of atonement, propitiation, or to ransom by means of a substitute. Therefore, a place to make atonement by substitution sat at the absolute centre of the Holy of Holies. It was at the heart of how God's people were made right with a holy God.
The Tabernacle and the Ark teach us beautiful truths about the Gospel and how we can approach the presence of God. Too many people today think that God is casually available and automatically pleased with everyone. Their ‘gospel’ features a permissive, unholy god. However, the Tabernacle teaches us that the atonement provided by Christ - through His blood - is the only way we can stand right before the true, living, and holy God!
2. The Ark enabled atonement to be made
On only one day each year - the Day of Atonement - the High Priest alone could pass through the heavy veil separating the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place. Having washed and put on special priestly garments, he would approach the Ark to present the atonement offering for the sins of all the people.
God commanded:
‘This is to be a lasting ordinance for you: Atonement is to be made once a year for all the sins of the Israelites.’ (Leviticus 16:34)
The Day of Atonement began with the priest making atonement for his own sin. He sacrificed a bull and then sprinkled its blood seven times onto the Atonement Cover - on top of the Ark, beneath the wings of the two cherubim.
Having made atonement for his own sin, he would then make atonement for the people in the same way, using the blood of a goat:
‘He shall then slaughter the goat for the sin offering for the people and take its blood behind the curtain... He shall sprinkle it on the atonement cover and in front of it.’ (Leviticus 16:15)
Additionally, a second goat, often called the scapegoat, symbolically carried away the people's sins into the wilderness:
‘He is to lay both hands on the head of the live goat and confess over it all the wickedness and rebellion of the Israelites... and send the goat away into the wilderness.’ (Leviticus 16:21)
The Law placed inside the Ark revealed their sin. They needed atonement - and we do too - because we have sinned against God’s Word.
This annual ceremony pointed directly forward to Jesus Christ, who entered God's presence not with the blood of animals, but with His own blood:
‘He entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption.’ (Hebrews 9:12)
The Day of Atonement taught Israel that sin separates us from God, that forgiveness requires a substitutionary sacrifice, and that God Himself would ultimately provide the perfect atonement through Christ.
Israel that sin separates us from God, that forgiveness requires a substitutionary sacrifice, and that God Himself would ultimately provide the perfect atonement through Christ.
Response
The Tabernacle teaches us to put atonement through sacrifice at the heart of our worship.
Too often (and I looked at a few of the most popular books on prayer to confirm this), Christian teaching on prayer begins with our need to pray, how to pray, or inspiring stories of people who pray. Unfortunately, they rarely begin with the blood of Christ - the very atonement that makes prayer possible and ongoing prayer sustainable!
The Ark with its Atonement Cover reminds us that the Gospel - Jesus’ substitutionary death for our sin - must be the foundation of our faith and worship.
This is exactly why Communion, with its remembrance of Jesus’ body broken and blood shed, belongs at the centre of our worship. We no longer have a yearly Day of Atonement because we no longer need one; Jesus’ one sacrifice for sin made full atonement forever. Yet, we are called to remember and celebrate this constantly.
Let's close today reflecting on these words:
‘God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith.’ (Romans 3:25)
‘He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.’ (1 John 2:2)
This year we celebrate the 150th anniversary of the founding of CCP; to watch our anniversary video, please select the link below:
Community Group Study
(This week is ‘SIV’ (Serve, Invest and inVite) Week, so we’ll be focussing on this during our time together.
1. Notices
It might be good to begin with notices. Please share from this week’s Church News.
2. Worship together
Let’s begin our time together by lifting our eyes and hearts to worship our great God. Perhaps you have readings and songs that you would like to use together. Let’s be open to the gifts that the Spirit wants to give in order to encourage one another.
3. Study and pray together
(This week is ‘SIV’ (Serve, Invest and inVite) Week)
On Sunday, we continued our I WILL DWELL AMONG THEM series, reflecting on the significance of the Ark at the heart of God's Tabernacle. This week, as our Community Groups focus on our mission together, we'll remember that our calling is not simply to invite people to church, but to bring them into the holy presence of God, made available to us through Jesus Christ.
What is SIV?
SIV stands for Serve, Invest and inVite. This is our very simple strategy to help bring our community to Jesus. We believe that God has placed us in relationships and in specific locations to be 'salt and light.' and to ‘fish for people’. We can effectively bring people to Jesus by:
'Serving' them - Demonstrating the love of Christ in practical ways;
'Investing' - Investing in the ‘people of peace’ those whom we feel the Spirit is leading us.
'Inviting' - Inviting them into our homes by showing hospitality and inviting them to church events, to Alpha, and ultimately, inviting them to come to Jesus through the gospel.
In your groups:
Share stories – Have you had any recent opportunities to Serve, Invest in, or Invite someone toward Jesus? Let’s encourage one another by sharing stories of how we’ve seen God at work through simple faithfulness.
Think about practical next steps – Who might God be placing on your heart at this time? Are there any “people of peace” (see note) in your life—those who seem open, welcoming, or receptive to spiritual conversation?
Pray together:
Pray for courage, wisdom, and sensitivity to the Holy Spirit in our Serve, Invest, and Invite opportunities.
Pray specifically for the ‘people of peace’ in our lives - that God would open hearts and deepen relationships.
Pray for our Alpha ministry and Phil Mash who heads up this team
Pray for our mission in Roehampton - that He would lead us in reaching that community with the gospel.
General prayer: how do people want prayer at this time?
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