Joyful

The Ark of the Covenant was also known as the Mercy Seat of God. A covenant is an agreement with a binding contract, or a promissory note. Therefore the Ark, or the holy box, of the promise was the reminder to the Israelites that God would demonstrate His mercy based on the promise in the box. When the Ark showed up, people got excited, and often in scripture, the word used to describe the Israelites' attitude when the Ark was brought in was “joyful.”

As the age of the judges was drawing to a close and before Samuel anointed Saul to be king, the Ark of the Covenant was taken by the Philistines. But once the Philistines sent it back to stop the plagues in their towns, the Israelites “rejoiced” to see it again. Later, when David wanted to bring the Ark back to Jerusalem the city danced with “joy” to see it back home. When Solomon built a special house, or a temple, just for the Ark, the people “sang songs of praise” because the Ark would finally be honored the way it should be. Then many generations later, after the release from captivity and the return to Jerusalem, the people rejoiced when the temple where the Ark once stood was rebuilt.

David wrote many songs and psalms about the joy that having God’s promises brought to his life. Today, under the authority of Jesus Christ, we still have the promise. Although the holy box isn’t necessary in order to be joyful of God’s promises. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 3:16, “Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” Remember the words of Peter to the anxious crowd on the Day of Pentecost. He told them the solution to their quandary was to “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.” (Acts 2:38-39) We are the temple where God’s promises are stored today.

For that reason, Paul can write to Christians everywhere giving them hope and just as much reason for “joyful celebration” about their relationship with God as the Israelites had when the Ark showed up. The Ark was a treasure worth having, and those same promises are also worth having today, regardless if they’re kept in a golden box. Peter describes that the cost may be big at times but always worth it.

He said in 1 Peter 1:3-9, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great MERCY has caused us to be born again to A LIVING HOPE through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, TO OBTAIN AN INHERITANCE which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, RESERVED IN HEAVEN FOR YOU, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. IN THIS YOU GREATLY REJOICE, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that THE PROOF OF YOUR FAITH, BEING MORE PRECIOUS THAN GOLD which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ; and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, YOU GREATLY REJOICE WITH JOY INEXPRESSIBLE AND FULL OF GLORY, obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls.”

There is a connection between the promises God gives us today and the joy it should bring our life, and the joy the Israelites experienced when God’s promises contained in a golden box showed up to their home. There’s a cost that comes by neglecting to honor those promises, and there’s a cost associated with preparing a place in our hearts for those promises. But as Peter reminds us, the temporary distress is nothing compared to the everlasting joy that comes through trusting in Jesus Christ and his promises.