What follows is the draft of the latest chapter of my forthcoming book: Priests of the Bible and relates to matters pertinent to priests and our own situation.

In the iconic 1981 film “Raiders of the Lost Ark”, the central plot was around the hero seeking to stave of attempts by the baddies to find and acquire the long-lost Ark of the Covenant in order to give them powers of invincibility. At the end, it appeared the baddies had prevailed in their quest but with terrible consequences when they opened and looked into the Ark. We find the good guy telling his companion NOT to look on. While the film was fiction and not altogether biblically accurate, there was enough in the film to demonstrate the significance of the Ark and, if not treated with the reverence that was warranted by this most holy of artifacts, there would be a heavy price to pay: one’s own life.

An Internet search will reveal much that has been said concerning the location of the Ark and attempts to find it. While this makes fascinating reading / watching, this is not the subject of this chapter. The last time the Ark, which God had commissioned Moses to make, is mentioned in the Bible was in the times of King Josiah, the last good king of Judah, at a time he restored the Temple that had hitherto been allowed to descend into ruin: “And said unto the Levites that taught all Israel, which were holy unto the Lord, Put the holy ark in the house which Solomon the son of David king of Israel did build; it shall not be a burden upon your shoulders: serve now the Lord your God, and his people Israel” 2 Chronicles 35:3. Less than 100 years after this, the Temple had been ransacked and destroyed by King Nebuchadnezzar and no further mention of the Ark of the Covenant, other than “And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail” Revelation 11:19.  

Regarding the construction, features and purpose of the Ark of the Covenant (Testimony) and the Mercy Seat with its two cherubims, which was in effect the lid laid on top the Ark, along with the other items of furniture that were placed inside the Tabernacle, I refer readers to Chapter 6. The Ark continued to play an important part in Jewish worship right up to the time when Solomon’s Temple was destroyed. While the God who inhabits the Universe and exists throughout eternity does not live in a box, that box (Ark) or just above it (between the two cherubims) was where God was believed to manifest Himself to His people. Concerning King Hezekiah’s prayer, when faced with the Assyrian threat, we read: “And Hezekiah prayed before the Lord, and said, O Lord God of Israel, which dwellest between the cherubims, thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; thou hast made heaven and earth” 2 Kings 19:15. This notion of God being between the two cherubim above the Ark of the Covenant is re-echoed in at least two other places: 1 Samuel 4:4 and 2 Samuel 6:2.

There are many references to the Ark following its construction and Israel’s journey in the Wilderness. Notably the Ark was carried by the priests when Israel crossed the River Jordan prior to entering the Promised Land (Joshua 3 and 4) and when encircling Jericho prior to the walls of the city falling and the Israelites taking the city (Joshua 6). If nothing else, it represented that it was God that was going before and with the Israelites ensuring their endeavours were successful. A huge error of judgment occurred when Eli’s sons, Hophni and Phinehas, took the Ark into battle against the Philistines, seeing it as a good luck charm, but the Ark was captured, the Israelite army was defeated and Hophni and Phinehas were killed, because they had been disobedient to God. But then the tables were turned on the Philistines who had placed the Ark in the Temple of Dagon, their God, and the idol was found on the floor, smashed in pieces. The Philistines were afflicted by a plague and quickly returned the Ark.

Later we read of events to do with the Ark coming to Jerusalem and God striking Uzzah dead for having the presumption of handling the Ark in order to steady the Ox cart, and God blessing the House of Obededom the Gittite in whose house the Ark remained for a period. We also have the image of David dancing before the Lord when the Ark finally ended up in Jerusalem. Later, under Solomon, David’s son, the Ark played a central part in the dedication of the Temple: “And all the elders of Israel came; and the Levites took up the ark. And they brought up the ark, and the tabernacle of the congregation, and all the holy vessels that were in the tabernacle, these did the priests and the Levites bring up.  Also king Solomon, and all the congregation of Israel that were assembled unto him before the ark, sacrificed sheep and oxen, which could not be told nor numbered for multitude. And the priests brought in the ark of the covenant of the Lord unto his place, to the oracle of the house, into the most holy place, even under the wings of the cherubims: For the cherubims spread forth their wings over the place of the ark, and the cherubims covered the ark and the staves thereof above. And they drew out the staves of the ark, that the ends of the staves were seen from the ark before the oracle; but they were not seen without. And there it is unto this day” 2 Chronicles 5:4-9. My point is that the Ark is related to my other main subject of the chapter, that relating to glory, specifically Shekinah glory.

The Hebrew word “kavod” (Hebrew: כָּבוֹד) has meant “importance”, “weight”, “deference”, or “heaviness”, but primarily kavod means “glory”, “respect”, “honor”, and “majesty”. There are 488 references to the word “glory” or related, such as glorify, in the KJV, many of which are not to do with God and more to do with more mundane man related matters. For example, the first time the word “glory” appears is “And he heard the words of Laban’s sons, saying, Jacob hath taken away all that was our father’s; and of that which was our father’s hath he gotten all this glory” Genesis 31:1. Our interest, however, is to do with God’s glory, sometimes referred to as “Shekinah glory”. It was what occurred in both the commissioning of the Tabernacle under Moses and the Temple under Solomon. In both cases, no-one was able to enter these places because these had been filled with God’s Shekinah glory. We read, for example, at the end of the Book of Exodus: “And Moses was not able to enter into the tent of the congregation, because the cloud abode thereon, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. And when the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the children of Israel went onward in all their journeys: But if the cloud were not taken up, then they journeyed not till the day that it was taken up.  For the cloud of the Lord was upon the tabernacle by day, and fire was on it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys” Exodus 40:35-38. 

My first Google hit trying to get a succinct definition of this term helpfully stated: “This concept is found in Judaism. The Hebrew Bible mentions several places where the presence of God was felt and experienced as a Shekhinah, including the burning bush and the cloud that rested on Mount Sinai. The Shekhinah was often pictured as a cloud or as a pillar of fire and was referred to as the glory of God”. There were other examples of Moses being exposed to God’s glory, before the Tabernacle had been built. We read, for example: “And he said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory. And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy. And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live. And the Lord said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock: And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by: And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen” Exodus 33:18-33.

It would be a fruitful exercise to go through our 488 “glory” references, even if only focusing on that which applied to God but, having thought about it, I decided not to go there, not just because of the time and effort needed but rather in knowing what instances to address or not, and still do the subject justice. Instead, I would like to focus on the here and now and reflect how on God’s glory might apply to our current situation. After all, many a prayer that is prayed e.g. on the lines “For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever” Romans 11:36 (and I include those prayed by me) includes words to the effect that whatever is done along with outcome is going to be, that it needs to be for God’s glory (alone), and as we yearn for and look forward to when “the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea” Habakkuk 2:14.

Some who read this have experienced the tangible presence of God that have similarities to what Moses experienced and have seen His hand at work in the area of the miraculous. Some like me have seen glimpses of this, but I long for more and look forward to life beyond the grave. My problem, and I suspect it is one many have, is when I am unwilling to pay the price, along the lines “Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit” John 12:24. Whether or not God shows His glory akin to what Moses experienced is up to God. Yet all of us who follow Christ have had a foretaste of God’s glory: “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth” John 1:14. Moreover, aspects of God’s glory is something all of us can see if we look for it: “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork” Psalm 19:1.

I would like now to turn our attention to the subject of revival before drawing this chapter to an end. It is a subject over the years that has been discussed by Christians on my theological wavelength, with varying conclusions on what is needed and many examples cited of past revivals. Sometimes that longing is matched by disappointment in the face of spiritual mediocrity. One helpful perspective on revival is it is to recover, repair or restore: “Sow to yourself in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground; for it is time to seek the Lord till He come and reign righteousness upon you” Hosea 10:12. Most would agree that revival is desirable and is something we should long for, but what is it in real terms? Examples may be given starting from the first Day of Pentecost after Jesus ascended into heaven up to the much publicised recent “Asbury revival”, although some will put that and other examples that may be cited down to hot air and emotionalism rather than the work of the Holy Spirit.

Besides drawing readers attention to books, I have found helpful, such as “Lectures on Revival” by Charles Finney and “Why Revival Tarries” by Leonard Ravenhill, I want to share my own thoughts:

1. I have little doubt there have been numerous examples of revival when God has been working in extraordinary ways, throughout church history (as well as in Old Testament Israel).
2. Real revival can take place in many different ways, involve people from many different theological perspectives and, since we are considering “glory”, it is God and not man glorified.
3. We cannot be prescriptive on the way God is to work, e.g. whether or not it is accompanied by sign gifts, when / where it takes place, the people He uses as His instrument (often it is with those men consider to be the least likely or qualified) in bringing about revival and how long any instance of revival lasts, ranging from a matter of hours to that of years
4. We should not despise the day of small things. As I have stated elsewhere, qualities like godliness, faithfulness and kindness are things the least of us can practice and so we must.
5. I agree with the writer who says the following are signs of revival happening, as seen soon after Peter’s sermon on that Day of Pentecost, and as recorded in the Book of Acts:
   • Emphasis on Jesus (Acts 2:36). …
   • Repentance (2:37-38). …
   • A passion for prayer (2:42). …
   • Hunger for the Word (2:42). …
   • A burden for the lost (Acts 2:40). …
   • Increase in salvations (Acts 2:41, 47). …
   • A surge in callings to ministry and missions (Acts 4:20). …
   • The manifest presence of God (2:40, 43)
6. It is right, proper and desirable (even essential) for the people of God to long and pray for revival, but in doing so they need to be prepared to count the cost and pay the price. Some of our brothers and sisters are already suffering for their faith and God has not forgotten them.

I would like to give a last word to Isaiah: “Oh that thou wouldest rend the heavens, that thou wouldest come down, that the mountains might flow down at thy presence, As when the melting fire burneth, the fire causeth the waters to boil, to make thy name known to thine adversaries, that the nations may tremble at thy presence! When thou didst terrible things which we looked not for, thou camest down, the mountains flowed down at thy presence. For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him” Isaiah 64:1-4. Surely, that should be something which resonates with all of us!?

Words are cheap but, notwithstanding, I would like to end with the words of two hymns, the first is a desire from the heart (which we do well to have) and the other is a prayer (which we do well to pray):  

Jesus, Thine all-victorious love

Shed in my soul abroad;

Then shall my heart no longer rove,

Rooted and fixed in God,

Oh, that in me the sacred fire

Might now begin to glow;

Burn up the dross of base desire,

And make the mountains flow.

He, who at Pentecost didst fall,

May He my sins consume;

Thy Holy Ghost, for Him I call;

Thy burning Spirit, come.

Refining fire, go through my heart,

Illuminate my soul;

Scatter Thy life through every part,

And sanctify the whole.

My steadfast soul, from falling free,

Shall then no longer move,

While Christ is all the world to me,

And all my heart is love.

And

Search me, O God, and know my heart today

Try me, O Savior, know my thoughts, I pray

See if there be some wicked way in me

Cleanse me from every sin, and set me free.

Search me, O God, and know my heart today

Try me, O Savior, know my thoughts, I pray

Listen, see if there be some wicked way in me

Cleanse me from every sin, and set me free.

Lord, take my life, and make it wholly Thine

Fill my poor heart with Thy great love divine

Take all my will, my passion, self and pride

I now surrender, Lord, in me abide.