Was the Ark of the Covenant an Idol?
The whole tabernacle and ark of the covenant thing is hard for many. The core of the issue is with how showy and unhumble this seems. In Exodus, God commands the Israelites not to worship idols and then had them make this big building that seems like… an idol. It’s so different than all of the humility surrounding Jesus. Jesus was born in a manger! God uses shepherds, tax collectors, prostitutes. I just don’t get why that same God would have this showy, intricate temple.
The Importance of Culture and Identity
To resolve this problem, remember to read your bible in the right order. The only reason why we think it’s superior to have an inconspicuous God who values personal relationship over religious observance and showy ceremony and “bigness”, is because a people named Israel survived. How did the Jews survive? The answer to that is this: God gave the Israelites a culture.
Think about it: they had no culture at the time they left Egypt. Where did they belong? After the Exodus, how do you hold a ragtag band of homeless ex-slaves together? How do you give them an identity? How do you give them the kind of cohesion and purpose that would help them survive for 15 centuries until Jesus? Culture gives identity. People bind around culture.
The Role of the Ark and Tabernacle
When you read Exodus, Leviticus and Deuteronomy, here’s the subtext of all that law and ritual, along with the directions for building the Ark of the Covenant and the Tabernacle: “I’m giving you, my people, a culture of your very own.”
What part do the Ark and Tabernacle and ‘showy rituals’ play in bequeathing a culture? Lots! They provide several key functions for the people:
- Physical Icon: The Ark gives them a physical icon with spiritual center of gravity. It is the physical emblem of God’s spiritual presence in their midst. God is with us, see, here’s the Ark.
- Holiness and Distinction: It said, we are a special people – this is the meaning of the word, “holy”. They were a unique and distinct people in the world, with a special purpose.
- Shared Rituals: The rituals, the cleansing, the sacrifices, the special words and special clothing, the special food, they all said the same thing, “we are Israelites.“
Culture as Glue for Survival
The result of all this was a culture that bound them together so that they would not be assimilated into the other tribes of the world. Culture is always bound to religion and everything we think of as culture, like language, dress, music, rituals is bound to things like values and worldview. Through these showy elements, the Jews survived. They made it out of the Ancient world with their story and their view of God intact, transferring all their insights and revelations down to us through Jesus whom that nation also brought to us.