The ark of the covenant of the Lord is a reference to the ark of the covenant, a wooden chest overlaid on the inside and outside with gold, and with two winged cherubim on top (see Exodus 25:10–22). It was the most holy physical possession of Israel. It symbolized God’s presence (Exodus 25:22; Numbers 7:89; Numbers 10:35–36) with the space between the winged cherubim representing the royal throne from which the Lord invisibly reigned (1 Samuel 4:4; 2 Samuel 6:2; Psalm 99:1). The ark itself contained three symbols of Israel’s relationship with God: the stone tablets of the Ten Commandments, Aaron’s high priest rod, and a jar of manna (Exodus 25:16, Exodus 25:21; Exodus 40:20; Hebrews 9:4). The ark was to be carried by Levites on special poles and no one was permitted to touch it (Exodus 25:12–13; Exodus 37:3–5; Numbers 4:4–15). It was kept in the Most Holy Place (Exodus 26:33–34), a special part of the tabernacle which the high priest was allowed to enter but once a year on the Day of Atonement (see Leviticus 16:1–34). All in all, the ark represented God’s rule (cherubim), God’s revelation and actions in history for the sake of his people (stone tablets, rod of Aaron, and the jar of manna), and God’s forgiveness of sins (the mercy seat being sprinkled with blood on an annual basis, see Leviticus 16:1–34).1
3 And when the people came to the camp, the elders of Israel said, “Why has the LORD defeated us today before the Philistines? Let us bring the ark of the covenant of the LORD here from Shiloh, that it may come among us and save us from the power of our enemies.”