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The history of the Ark and the tabernacle is a prefigure of church history, giving us a full portrait of the course and situation of the church from the very beginning to the present time; there are five main aspects of this history:
A
The first situation is that of the church with Christ in it; this is typified by the Ark in the tabernacle, with the Ark as the content and the tabernacle as its expression; this is a picture of the first stage of the church in an absolutely normal condition of Christ being the content of the church and the church being the expression of Christ—Exo. 40:34-38; Eph. 3:16-21.
B
The second situation is that of the church without Christ in it; this is typified by the Ark being captured and separated from the tabernacle because of the failure of the people of God; the tabernacle becoming empty portrays the failures of the Christians that caused the church to lose the reality and presence of Christ—Rev. 2:4-5; 3:20.
C
The third situation is that of Christ without the church; this is typified by the Ark being without the tabernacle; first, in the house of Abinadab at Kiriath-jearim for twenty years (1 Sam. 7:1-2) and then in the house of Obed-edom the Gittite for three months (2 Sam. 6:10-12), the Ark was apart from the tabernacle; church history reveals that from the second century to the present time there have been many Obed-edoms.
D
The fourth situation is that of Christ with an inadequate church; David had prepared a tent for the Ark in Jerusalem, but it was not according to the pattern revealed by God to Moses; many Christians have the Ark—Christ—with an inadequate church—v. 17; 1 Chron. 15:1; 2 Chron. 1:4; Exo. 25:9.
E
The fifth situation is that of Christ with a proper church; this is typified by the Ark with the proper tabernacle that has been enlarged and increased to be the temple; it is in this situation—Christ as the reality with a proper church as His expression—that we feel completely at home—Psa. 90:1-2; 91:1-16; 92:12-15; 132:5, 8; 1 Chron. 28:11-20; 2 Chron. 3:1.
Morning Nourishment
Exo. 40:21 And he brought the Ark into the tabernacle…and screened the Ark of the Testimony…34…And the glory of Jehovah filled the tabernacle.
Eph. 3:16-17 That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit into the inner man, that Christ may make His home in your hearts…
The history of the [Ark with the tabernacle] is a prefigure of church history, giving us a full portrait of the course and situation of the church from the very beginning to the present time. There are five main aspects of church history.
In the beginning the tabernacle contained the Ark. As God’s dwelling place, the two were one…. This prefigures the first stage of the church…. The church was the expression of Christ, and Christ was the very content of the church…. On [the day of Pentecost] Christ was the Ark, and the church was the tabernacle. That is the absolutely normal condition. (CWWL, 1964, vol. 4, “The Vision of God’s Building,” pp. 255-256)
Today’s Reading
Because of the failure of the people of God, the Ark was separated from the tabernacle, and the tabernacle became empty. This portrays the failures of the Christians causing the church to lose the reality and presence of Christ. This is the second aspect…. Christ as the very content was separated from the church, and the church became an empty vessel, merely an outward expression with no inward reality…. Even today, many so-called Christian churches are empty tabernacles without Christ in them as the reality.The third situation prefigured in the Old Testament is that of the Ark without the tabernacle. First, in the house of Abinadab…for twenty years (1 Sam. 7:1-2) and then in the house of Obed-edom…for three months (2 Sam. 6:10-12), the Ark was apart from the tabernacle. The blessing of God came upon Obed-edom’s house because of the Ark’s presence, yet the tabernacle was still in Shiloh, separated from the Ark. This third condition… is much better. However, it is still not normal. Church history reveals that from the second century to the present time…there have been many persons [like Obed-edom] with the reality and presence of Christ in their personal lives. The Ark was with them, but this was not the normal state.
The fourth position is that of the Ark in an improper, inadequate tabernacle. King David had prepared a tabernacle in Zion, but it was not according to the pattern revealed by God on the mount. It was a tent pitched according to David’s opinion. Church history is full of such incidents. So many faithful Christians do have the Ark—Christ alone. Then, later, they sense the need of the church life to express Christ, just as David sensed the need of a tabernacle to contain the Ark. Thus, they “pitch a tabernacle”; they set up a meeting according to their own understanding…. It was good, but it was inadequate…. The fourth condition—Christ in an improper “church”… is only half right…. Most people in this poor condition do not have full peace or satisfaction, because in fact they have fallen short of the full purpose of God concerning the church life.
The fifth condition is that of the Ark with the proper tabernacle, enlarged and increased. It is in this situation, of Christ with a proper church to express Himself, that we feel completely at home.
The first [position] is completely right, whereas the second is completely empty; the third position is good but abnormal, and the fourth position is one of half-satisfaction; the fifth position is that of Christ as the reality with a proper church as the expression…. I believe that in these last days the Lord is not only going to recover the original, normal condition, but He is also going to enlarge the church life and make it more solid…. Let us praise Him! (CWWL, 1964, vol. 4, “The Vision of God’s Building,” pp. 256-259)
Further Reading: CWWL, 1953, vol. 1, “Knowing Life and the Church,” ch. 10