Sandyford Henderson Memorial Church

WHAT impression are you left with after reading the account of the making of the Ark? Remember that this wasn’t an ark along the lines of the one Noah built, but more the size of a blanket box or an ottoman today. It was made by the chief craftsman because it was the point of focus in the Tabernacle. It was to contain the most precious reminders of God's dealings with His people during their time in the wilderness, namely the stone tablets which God gave Moses on which the Ten Commandments were inscribed. The Jews were to respect them, not to worship them. They were to be obedient to the Law and to keep it in their daily lives.

The table was for holding the Bread of the Presence, twelve loaves, one for each tribe to be an offering to God to dedicate all the outcome of their labour to Him and to acknowledge that God alone was the giver of everything. The lampstand with its seven lamps was to remind the people of the glory of God which should be seen in their lives. The altar where the incense would be burnt was to help the worshippers to concentrate on God and to shut out the pressures of the world outside.

Our present day practices of worship are usually quite different from these, but we should not dismiss these rituals out of hand. They were commanded by God and He knew what would help the people then to learn to know Him. There is the danger, of course, that ritual can become an end in itself, but we mustn’t get so proud of our own simplicity that we lose sight of the almighty majesty and wonder of the Creator who has seen fit to stoop down to lift us up. He is worthy of all our praise and nothing should ever be thought too good or too valuable to be put to use in His worship.