The WOFOYO Podcast
The WOFOYO Podcast
What's In Your Ark? Part 1
We dive into the intriguing elements of the Ark of the Covenant, its significant symbols, and how these relate to our personal faith journeys. Listeners are encouraged to reflect on the promises they have made and the authority they carry in their lives.
• Detailed analysis of the elements within the Ark: manna, Aaron's staff, and tablets of the Law
• Insight into the relationship between authority and service in spiritual life
• Consequences of not adhering to personal and spiritual commitments
• Encouragement to seek a deeper relationship with God through the principles discussed
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Speaker 1:Hey everybody, welcome to the Wofo Yo podcast with C-Dub and Bones, if you see us giggling. There was an experience I had over in the walmart at perryville, missouri, and bones happens to think it's funny, it's just one of those. I was literally in disbelief. They had, uh, I was going through the checkout and they had two clerks and you know sure, um, you know, god bless them but one. But one's kidding. The other says I think you look like Timothy McVeigh and the dude looks nothing like Timothy McVeigh and the guy's like who's that Dude's younger? Oh man, you don't know who Timothy McVeigh is. He's like the Unabomber that tried to blow up the World Trade Center the first time.
Speaker 1:And I hear this in the back of my head and see it out the corner of my eye and I'm like I didn't hear that. I'm all the way down to the parking lot and I'm like that's exactly what I heard. I'm like, lord, did I hear that right? And he's like, yep, that's exactly what you heard. And I'm going oh boy. So you know, in true understanding and for forgiving, you know fashion, I went and posted that comment on social media. I'm like, nah, that's not something you hear every day.
Speaker 2:Since he didn't look like Timothy McVeigh, did he look like the Unabomber?
Speaker 1:You know, I could actually see. Now that you mention that, I can see. You know he didn't have the hoodie, but he did have a beard and glasses and I'm going I bet you he meant Ted Kaczynski. Yeah, but, but he did have a beard and glasses and I'm going I bet you meant take.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but even he didn't try and blow up the world trade center first time. That was. That was a shake, yeah, but try to do it. Yeah, but it was. It was like how many conspiracy theories can you run into a wrong sentence? That's the kind of things that just make you scratch your head, you know, and it also makes you understand why the scariest movie ever made wasn't the Exorcist. You know, it wasn't none of them slasher films of the 80s, but it was Idiocracy, because the whole premise of that had a lot of truth to it.
Speaker 2:That's what happens when you listen to too many conspiracy theory podcasts they just all start to run together.
Speaker 1:Speaking of, which coming up on a week or two from supposed to be some stuff released, government releasing. It Be interesting to see how that works Now. That being said, that ain't nothing at all what we're here to talk to you about here today on the Wofo Yo podcast. But, as you know, we've been known to take a rabbit trail or two. We're going to call this episode what's in your Arc. They always have those Capital One commercials about what's in your wallet. You know, reimbursing Samuel L Jackson to say that line, probably pretty handsomely so.
Speaker 1:Hebrews 9,. This would be verses 1 through 5. Now, even the first covenant had regulations for worship in an earthly place of holiness, for a tent was prepared, also called the tabernacle, the first section, in which were the lampstand and the table and the bread of the presence. It is called the holy place.
Speaker 1:Behind the second curtain was the second section, called the most holy place, having the golden altar of incense and the Ark of the Covenant covered on all sides with gold, in which was a golden urn holding the manna, king James's pot, an Aaron's staff that budded King James's rod and the tablets of the covenant. Above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat Of these things we cannot speak now in detail. One of the things that always confused me about this is somebody's obviously knowledgeable and I don't understand it. Not meaning to have a debate, but one of the interesting things in what the writer of Hebrews does is he puts the altar of incense in the Holy of Holies. Basically, now, it was definitely the closest thing to the Ark, but I always found that weird and I have no explanation.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's like he places it just inside the curtain.
Speaker 1:Yeah, which is interesting, and we know that scripture is God-inspired In Hebrews boy. It's definitely inspired.
Speaker 2:Well, I wonder and I haven't ran this rabbit trail yet but I wonder if there isn't something in the Greek wording that just doesn't translate directly over or is a little bit different, I don't know. Possible, Because we see in all the other places that the altar of incense is in the holy place just before you enter the most holy place.
Speaker 1:So yeah, if you, if you were looking at the Ark of the Covenant or at the Holy of Holies, it would have been. The lampstand would have been on the left, the altar of incense in the center and the table of showbread on your right. Yeah, but it's interesting and you know, I know you can get in trouble saying this, but C, dub and bones mix a word around or two Almost every podcast we do. When I'm editing I'm like yep, we said it. That's why I leave it as it is, so that way you get in the word for yourself, so you can pick us apart.
Speaker 1:So what's in your ark? The ark was covered with gold. It was meant to be carried. We've talked about the ark before. It had two cherubim or angels above the mercy seat, overshadowing Some people said that there was like a light. There was this kind of glory that emanated from the mercy seat, but some people described it as a light that could blind you and there was all these other things. The ark mistreated was instant death. The Ark disrespected what was instant death and sometimes plagues in the Old Testament, in the Old Testament. So, without getting into a deep dive on the Ark, the Ark of the Covenant, the best way I can put it is it's a physical representation of the throne of God and therefore the presence of God.
Speaker 2:I think the name Mercy Seat is indicative of that. Yeah, there's the Mercy Seat, which is often referred to as a name given to the lid of the Ark. There's so much detail and symbolism that can be pulled out of the Ark. It is a picture of the throne of God. It can also be a picture of Jesus as we look into it, if we look at it and where it sits in relation to the rest of the temple. It can be a picture of God's heart. It can be a lot of things. There's so much symbolism and everything that you know. It's just like an onion. The more you look into it and start peeling back, the more is there. There's so much.
Speaker 2:You could spend a long time studying the Ark and getting revelation from God on what this thing symbolizes. One of my favorite parts of the Ark is the mercy seat, that solid gold piece of furniture there. It's solid gold and it is called the mercy seat. It's also that word also means grace. It's the seat of grace. So there's the idea there that that's actually God's grace. That covers the things that are inside of this arc.
Speaker 1:It is, and also that's where the blood's applied, right when, where the, where the blood of the lamb of God is applied, that is where the mercy and the grace is going to come forth, and I would also say that the arc as a whole when it comes to us. Again, I'm calling this what's in your ark? You know, as the ark was where God was enthroned, the, you know, on earth, that's what it was supposed to represent. I think our hearts is where Jesus Christ, in a figurative sense, you know, we say he's enthroned Right Within our heart. So that's what I'm saying.
Speaker 1:What's in your ark? Yes, so there were three things listed. The first thing was a pot of manna, which is interesting because this is put in Exodus 16.32. So the manna represents God's provision. The instructions are from God, from Moses, to put a jar of this in the Ark of the Covenant in Exodus 16.32.
Speaker 1:In ex exodus 1632, the manna was something that would appear six days out of the week. On the sabbath or on the day before the sabbath, you would have a double portion, but it's, it was food, it was something you could live on, but you couldn't live on it forever, which really amazes me. That you know, and this is the power of God. But outside the ark, manna lasted a day. Right On that double portion it lasted two days. If you tried to collect it and hoard it, it goes to waste, it'll get wormy, it'll get foul. And when I'm looking at this, I'm seeing not only God's provision but the right now word of God. Some people would say it's rhema word, it's not logos, it's not the law law which is also supposed to be there. But there's a difference. And another interesting thing about this is people got tired of it, even though it's providing for them. But but I find it interesting that the manna within the ark lasts while the manna without the ark you know that wasn't put in there, does not, right? So it's almost like saying you know those rhema words, those words that are spoken. You could call them prophetic words, revelatory words. They're the things that are going to. You could call them prophetic words, revelatory words. They're the things that are going to sustain you for a time. But if they get in your heart then they'll last, but if they're just in your head, probably forget about them.
Speaker 1:Also a big reason I have a notebook because I can get so busy. I go back and check and a lot of times when the Lord speak to me. You know it's not uncommon for me to wake up in the middle of the night. It's not uncommon for me to be driving and all this stuff when it's very inconvenient to be spoken to. You know, you know in your flesh you're thinking that, but also you're focused in some ways on. In driving you can get focused on other things, just like when you wake up and he's start saying some things to you. You know, really, if you got to work the next day, you kind of want to go back to sleep and I know that doesn't sound very reverential, but that's also life.
Speaker 2:Yes, yes, I think timing is is kind of interesting here too, when we consider these, these items that are going into arc, going into the ark and whatnot. Where are the children of Israel at and what are they doing? They're not building a permanent temple, or getting ready to build a permanent temple just yet they're on the move. Temple or getting ready to build a permanent temple? Just yet they're on the move, uh, you know. So there's there's this idea that, um, you'll get revelation.
Speaker 2:Uh, you'll get, uh, provision and everything while you're on the move, whether it's in the wilderness or just going from point a to point b, um, but that's not your that's, that's not your main meal, that's not what's, that's not your main meal. Those aren't necessarily what's supposed to provide you sustenance. This is what's supposed to get you through. But the word that's in your heart from your first love and all that stuff, that's the thing that keeps you grounded and rooted in your faith. So there's kind of this idea that when you're on the go or just in the wilderness or whatnot, god is going to provide for you. Don't hoard anything. Take it day by day and you'll get there, you'll get there.
Speaker 1:As a matter of fact, there is nothing in the ark that is placed there after it gets put in the temple, it is all.
Speaker 1:All three of these things are in the wilderness, and I love that you bought that out, cause I was thinking about, you know, the mobility aspect of it, the fact that it was meant for mobility, it was designed for mobility, and you know, you and I have had discussions and there are people that will disagree with me wholeheartedly, that are more theologically trained than I am and you are. But at the same time, you know, I've said several times for the last 20 years, I'm not so absolutely sure that the temple wasn't man's idea rather than God's idea, because all of a sudden, as soon as it's established in Jerusalem, the mobility factor goes away. And thinking about the word, people trying to live on revelatory words and especially if it's not internalized man, how many denominations and non-denominations, how many local body of believers have received an accurate word? But they're trying to live off that word longer than they're supposed to and it turns to worms. All of a sudden it gets foul and some people want to keep on eating the wormy.
Speaker 2:The stale word, it's a good way to put it it's stale. That doesn't mean that God's word is void or anything, but that what was given to you at that moment has ran its course and it's time to move on. So so it creates this. This imbalance is what it does. It creates. Imbalance gets you, gets you out of balance. If we could, if we could, think of your digestive tract, it'd be very similar to eating the same thing every day, day after day. At some point in time, your digestive enzymes are going to become out of balance and you're either going to become malnourished in certain areas or whatnot. I think the same thing can happen with God's Word If you're living on the same revelation or that one revelation that you got when you were saved but you haven't went anywhere from there. For example, you're still walking circles around that salvation experience.
Speaker 1:Let me say it in a not-so-spiritual way, but it's accurate you get bored. Yeah, I know that's not the proper theological term to use, it's not. I know some people would view that as disrespectful and at the same time it's honest. It's true. That is, there are so many people that if you're trying to live on the past revelatory words, some past prophetic word, especially if you haven't internalized it again, there's a level of internalization where you're able to get the deeper truth from that of what God's intent for you is. That's something that can sustain you. But a lot of these prophetic words, a lot of these revelations that people get, if you're still trying to live off that, and that's the only thing you know, you can get bored and idle minds are the devil's playground.
Speaker 2:We get bored and it becomes difficult to go to church, it becomes difficult to worship, it becomes difficult to fellowship and all these things and basically we start church hopping, we start church shopping, we start shopping in general for different fellowship groups.
Speaker 1:It gets to doing all the makes us doing all these different things, looking for that next, for that next hit, that next revelation or revelatory high, if you will, if that's all you're chasing and when it comes to that high, if you will, if that's all you're chasing, and when it comes to that, we stop, we focus on that word, but we get our focus off the giver of the word and as we walk with him, you're going to find out there's going to be fresh manna on the regular. There's going to be fresh manna whenever you need it, right as you seek the relationship. And, once again, everything we're talking about here can be solved by developing your relationship. Go figure, anybody's listened to us for a minute might know where that's going to go, but but it's honest that that's your fix. You develop the relationship, receive correction, be willing to be obedient, and this will help develop wherever you're lacking.
Speaker 2:Exactly, it's not magic. No, it's not magic at all. Develop the relationship and all these things will follow.
Speaker 1:Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and all these things should be added unto you.
Speaker 2:Man, I felt like there was just a book, that that stuff was written down.
Speaker 1:Man, it would be really cool. So you have Aaron's rod or Aaron's staff. Most of it say Aaron's staff, most of it say Aaron's rod. Now, there are some schools of thought that a rod and a staff are different. Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me, psalm 23. One was meant for correction and defense. The other one was used for guidance. The big thing that I see whenever I see this, though call it a staff, call it a rod. The thing is, if you look at different translations, it's all over the place, and if you go back to their original Hebrew word stick, how are you using? It is going to be the biggest thing. Aaron's staff, though. Now if you've seen, like the movies, all the miracles seem to be done with Moses staff. Yeah, that's actually not the case.
Speaker 2:There's a certain Mandela effect coming there. Yeah.
Speaker 1:Because Aaron is actually the spokesman for Moses and yet one of two things is happening Moses gets to the point where he starts speaking to Pharaoh directly, but at first it's Aaron saying it. It's plain that it's so. They might have just condensed it in the narrative or there becomes a point where moses kind of no longer needs aaron as that crutch which is what he's originally needed as but aaron's rod turns into a snake, just just like Moses did. And the magicians of Pharaoh they're referred to as Janus and Jambres. They are able to turn their staffs, their rods, into serpents as well, but Aaron's staff swallows up the serpents of Pharaoh's magicians.
Speaker 1:So interesting thing here what I see here is I see that staff is and we were talking about this, but I know there's probably a deeper meaning but the bottom line is that authority and the power to walk it out. But the bottom line is that authority and the power to walk it out, that staff, if you're going to walk in authority, you're eventually going to have to confront evil and contrary authority. The other thing that I see that Aaron's staff does as far as miracles is it's Aaron staff that's dipped in the water and it turns to blood Right Now. One of the interesting things about this is these are the two miracles that the priest are able to mimic or duplicate. Right everything else that they weren't able to duplicate was done with Moses staff or just the word.
Speaker 2:Okay, Very interesting, as I was thinking about the rod or staff, the rod and staff. One thing I've noticed in scripture, especially in the Hebrew, when there is a very generic word used that usually ascribes a very broad meaning to something, and staff or staves we recognize that term for carrying the ark. So there's the idea or the connotation of putting in work. It can be used for work, you know, for carrying Walking steps, or staves are used for, you know, stability while you're walking, to help guide your steps and provide extra stability there. It provides that.
Speaker 2:You know, we know that a triangle is the most stable, provides the most stable base in geometric figures. Well, that staff does that for you. It creates that third leg and gives you a tripod as you're in connection with the ground. So there's all kinds of ways that the staff not only does it represent God's authority, probably in bigger picture, the Holy Spirit, because all those things can be found inside the person of the Holy Spirit, because all those things can be found inside the person of the Holy Spirit Power, authority, stability, light, all those things.
Speaker 1:When you're talking about that, as you were talking about carrying the ark with staves.
Speaker 1:Here's the thing that staff, again, if this is in your heart, this is what enables you to carry the glory of god with you, is, is, and, and you're authorized to do so.
Speaker 1:As you said, stability, you know recently, um, I went on a hike back in 23 up this thing called the Manitou Incline. I noticed this guy had these things called walking sticks or hiking sticks, but there they were using one for each hand and I just had just my regular walking stick and one of the things I noticed again, that triangle is the most stable, but with those walking sticks you used your whole body more and therefore it put less strain on merely your feet and lower back. And it's the same principle with your staff. It enables you that authority that you walk in, enables you to use all of your body more effectively and you could even say like if we were talking, a body of believers. If you're walking in true authority, if you're able to utilize everybody and not just have the lion's share of the work and responsibility put on one or two things, that keeps you from wearing out a lot more.
Speaker 2:Now, this is a load-bearing device or an assistive device, so now you're not carrying the entire load, the entire weight of everything. Very interesting Just one walking stick can make a difference when you're trying to go up an incline or traverse tough terrain.
Speaker 1:It allows you to stay upright, right Again, balance. The other thing that I found interesting with that turning the waters of blood that was a type of judgment Right At God's command God's command, not on your own accord. Moses found that out the hard way. You misuse the authority according to your own whims, your own passions. Was he right to be angry? Probably was, but it allowed him to get in a place where he was not doing things according to the command of God and violated. That Kept him from entering the promised land.
Speaker 1:Now you have this interesting thing that happened in number 16, that is, the rebellion of Korah, and it's all a big power grab. So over in number 16, you have Kor's Rebellion. Kor is the guy that kind of incites it. But then you have Dathan, and Abiram are also two main players in this. And then they have this challenge where they're saying, hey, you're doing too much, you're trying to get all the authority, all the glory, all the power, all this. It's you, moses, and you, aaron. Y'all power hungry. Moses falls on his face. So what happens is you have Dathan and Abiram. They offer the fire and these censers them and some others, and fire comes out and devours them, burns them up and then Korah and his whole lot are swallowed up. The ground opens up and then closes back up on them. So there was this challenge to authority and so to establish it, after all that is said and done in number 17,.
Speaker 1:Moses says under the direction of the Lord, tells every tribe to take a rod from one of their leaders. Could you had the 12 elders? Basically, aaron was the elder of, since he was high priest, he was the elder of Levi, for the Levites about who should minister in the tabernacle. And they put them all in the tent of meeting the tabernacle. They put them all in there and overnight they walk in and they had carved their names, the names of the tribe, on their sticks, and it's Aaron.
Speaker 1:Has not only bloomed but has almonds. It's done budded almonds as well, which is interesting because that means you're flowering, you're growing. Even though it might look like it's something that's dead, it's alive and it's bearing fruit and it's bearing fruit. One of the big things about that is this was really the one that got me thinking about the study, digging a little bit and going what's this message here? And the thing is, it's about priesthood. So what does the priest do? The priest is a minister to God first. What does minister mean serve? He's a servant, the. The priest is the minute. He serves god first and then, as he serves god, he also serves the people right now, people Now. So the message here is that to have true authority, it comes from being a servant.
Speaker 2:It's a little opposite of what we see today and that we have a, even amongst christians and in the church today we still fail to grasp that concept. We, we lip-sync it, sometimes we mouth it, um, but we're still getting, you know, power or authority in a linear type fashion from the top down, and God's economy it goes from the bottom up. So we're still missing it in some ways.
Speaker 1:And Jesus addresses this who's going to be the greatest in the kingdom? And he goes. It's the rulers of the Gentiles exercise authority over them, not so with you. He that be greatest among you must be servant of all.
Speaker 1:Now I will say that there are some cautionary tales here as well, that Aaron messes up and one of the ways he messes up. So this is something that you would use to kind of check yourself am I serving god first? Because the problem is and I see this a lot in especially churches like physical churches, you know, bodies of believers. Where it's in important, downtrodden areas, the other side of the tracks, you can have so much compassion that you neglect to do what God's telling you and where you end up taking the side of the people over the side of God. What he says is right and that right there gets you in hot water, and that's exactly what happens with Aaron. And well, twice that I can think of it.
Speaker 1:The golden calf, first and foremost people. I threw the gold in the thing. The people wanted me to do something. I threw the gold in and out came this calf. Sure, I'm reading in a little bit to this, but the thing that really hooks Aaron up him and Miriam. Both don't enter the promised land is due to them complaining about Moses and being in an interracial marriage, and so not so much the racism aspect of it although that's there, but just a general. As you begin to relate more and more with the people than you do, god and the people are murmuring and complaining. You can get into that yourself, right, and misuse that authority in that way.
Speaker 2:Right, I think there was a cultural aspect there that Aaron was playing to, cultural aspect there that Aaron was playing to, because I don't think that the interracial relations and stuff like that had really become an issue for Israel. Yet. That comes later. We see, god does tell Israel later to remain pure in some ways, but I don't think that was the case right then and there I think it was a little early.
Speaker 1:Well, you had some with the Levi specifically. We know without a doubt there were interracial marriages in Jesus' bloodline. There's interracial. There was an interracial relationship with Joseph and his wife. She's the daughter of the high priest of On, where they worship the sun. So there's that. But the Levites were strictly forbidden, for whatever reason. I'm not doing that deep dive here, correct, but that was there. But it was general, I think, more than anything, just the griping and complaining that everybody else is doing. So the last thing that's in there is the law, the Ten Commandments. Deuteronomy 31-26 is when they put that in there.
Speaker 1:So you think of the law you think of or the Torah the word, the parameters, the commandments and laws that God has given to establish you as a person as well as a society.
Speaker 2:Oh, I was going to add to Aaron's rod. Yeah, it's important to know whose authority are you carrying in your ark. Yeah, is it God's authority, aaron's rod, or is it your own? Moses is a man's authority because it can be very easy to grab the wrong rod from time to time. Moses did that when he struck the rock. The word says that God told him to wave Aaron's rod in the air and then that would cause water to flow and yada, yada. But the scripture says that Moses took his staff and struck it instead, and that word his in that scripture there was referring to his own, moses' own staff. So in that scripture there we see Moses using his authority rather than Aaron's authority, not only disobeying God's word, but stepping out on man's authority, and I think that added to his inability to enter the promised land as well. So, yeah, make sure you grab the right rod when you go to use authority, because you'll pay for it.
Speaker 1:Yep, never read it like that. Well, folks, tune in next week, where we will continue our discussion talking about the tablets of the law. You can always check us out at wofoyoorg or subscribe on Apple Podcasts, spotify or, all the more, check us out on YouTube. Remember, if you're going to grow, you've got to wofoyo. Get in the Word for yourself.