God’s desire is for Christ to be the center and content of the church so that Christ would be expressed fully in the church; the history of the Ark and the tabernacle in 1 and 2 Samuel is a type of the church history until the recovery of the church life, where God can dwell and Christ can be fully expressed.
When Samuel was functioning as a Nazarite, a priest, a prophet, a judge, and a man of prayer, the Ark was in Shiloh with the tabernacle, but there was a time in which the Ark was captured by the Philistines.
The Philistines defeated the entire people of Israel, but the little Ark they captured defeated them, for they were subdued by God.
If you read the history in 1 Sam. 4, after capturing the Ark, they brought it in the house of their god, and the next day their idol was lying down before the Ark.
And God struck the Philistines with all kinds of diseases, to the point that they realized they had to send the Ark back, for God was fighting for the Ark.
So they sent the troublesome Ark back to the Israelites (6:1-6).
The Ark could indeed fight for itself, but for the people of Israel to presume that they could bring out the Ark to fight for them, was too much – they offended God to the uttermost, for they tried to usurp God for their benefit.
So the Ark went to Beth-shemesh, and the people there dealt carelessly with it, so God struck some of them.
They then sent it to the inhabitants of Kiriath-jearim, and they brought it into the house of Abinadab, where it remained for twenty years (1 Sam. 6:12-7:2).
This was an abnormal situation, for the tabernacle was in Shiloh without the Ark, and the Ark was in Kiriath-jearim.
The vessel – the tabernacle – was separated from its content and center – the ark; the vessel was left empty.
This shows us that, in the history of the church, many saw something of Christ and had fellowship with Him, taking Him as their Head and Lord, but there was no proper church life.
There is a need for the recovery of the church life.
The Ark must be in the tabernacle; if we want to have a normal church life, we must have Christ as the content and center of the church, typified by the Ark in the tabernacle.
The history of the people of Israel with the Ark and the tabernacle is a type of the history of the church; today the Lord has a recovery of the church life in full, where Christ is preeminent as the content and center of the church.
Some have the Presence of the Lord (the Ark) but not the Proper Church Life as the Expression of Christ (the tabernacle)
In 1 Sam. 6:2-7:2 we see that the Ark was recovered and brought first to the house of Abinadab at Kiriath-jearim, where it remained for twenty years.
Then, the Ark was brought to the house of Obed-edom the Gittite, where it stayed for three months (2 Sam. 6:1-11; cf. 1 Sam. 1:24; Josh. 18:1).
This signifies that, beginning from the second century, a number of “Obed-edoms” were raised up by God, some who had the Lord’s presence (the Ark) but didn’t have the proper church life as the expression of Christ (the tabernacle).
It was not a proper or normal situation, but it was better than before; some faithful ones were raised by God who saw the degradation of the church, and they had Christ in their lives and in their homes.
They were the faithful Obed-edoms, who were blessed by the Lord.
The way the Ark ended up in Obed-edom’s house was when David wanted to bring the Ark into the tent he prepared for it, and they put the Ark in a cart drawn by oxen; at one point the Ark was about to fall, and Uzzah stretched his hand to help, and God struck him down and he died.
Because of this, David was afraid and didn’t bring up the Ark but rather, put it in the house of Obed-edom.
God blessed the house of Obed-edom and all he had because of the Ark.
Many throughout history were blessed by God because they had Christ in their lives, in their homes, and in their living.
Many even among us in the Lord’s recovery of the church life do not want anything to do with formal religion and Christianity because it is Arkless, Christless, so we follow Christ and pay attention to Christ.
Some may be in the denomination and, instead of going to church, they stay home and fellowship with the Lord personally, because they see the degradation and just want Christ.
This is better than nothing, but still not a normal situation; there is a need for the recovery of the church life.
We need to be brought to the full recovery of the church life where Christ is everything in and for the church; we need to see a vision not only of Christ but also of the church.
May the Lord reveal the great mystery – Christ and the church (Eph. 5:32) to so many of His genuine seekers.
May we see not only Christ, the Son of the living God, but also the church built on Christ and the revelation of who He is (Matt. 16:18).
All the Lord’s children need to have an “also” moment, in which they see Christ, and He also reveals to them the church, which is the desire of God’s heart.
Yes, it is so good to fellowship with Christ, have Christ in our life, give Him the preeminence, and have Him in our daily life and living; however, we need to go further and have the church life, even the recovery of the church life, so that we may have Christ as the center and content of the church.
It really is a great mystery – Christ and the church; the more we enjoy Christ, know Christ, and experience Christ, the more He leads us to know the church and have the recovery of the church life in a proper way.
It is not flesh and blood that reveals this great mystery to us; it is the Father, so we need to pray that both us and many seeking ones see Christ and the church and be recovered to the proper church life with Christ as the center and content.
Lord Jesus, grant us to see a vision of Christ and the church, the great mystery. May we see not only Christ as the Son of the living God who saves us and causes us to become children of God in the process of being transformed and glorified. May we also see the church, the desire of God’s heart, and may we have a recovery of the church life where Christ is the center and content. Amen, Lord Jesus, may many be brought into the proper church life as the expression of Christ. Gain Your heart’s desire, the church with Christ as the center and content. Gain a proper church life in which Christ is everything and through which You can be fully expressed and manifested!
The need for the full Recovery of the Church Life with Christ as the Center and Content of the Church
When David heard that God blessed Obed-edom’s house because of the Ark, he moved it to a tent he had prepared for it in his own city, at Mount Zion, the choicest place in Jerusalem (2 Sam. 6:12-19; 1 Chron. 15:1 — 16:1).
This time he learned his lesson and didn’t use a cart drawn by oxen but the proper persons, the priests, to carry the Ark, for only the priests could bear the Ark (1 Chron. 15:1-15).
He prepared a tent on Mount Zion to contain the Ark; this was a good arrangement, but this was not God’s intention, for He wants the Ark in the tabernacle.
This was an improved situation, yet the Ark was in an improper place because it had not been returned to the tabernacle.
Throughout the centuries there have been some who have Christ in their homes and lives, but they realized there needs to be more; so they started to meet together.
The Lord’s seekers started to meet together and be grouped together in small groups.
And this is good, but still, there’s no tabernacle, though there is the Ark; there is a “tent” pitched in the “choicest spot” but there is no proper container, the proper church life.
Actually even among us today in the Lord’s recovery we know of situations and localities where such groups are being brought into the fellowship of the Body to be part of the local church in that locality.
Whenever the Lord’s seekers enjoy Him and experience Him, study His word and allow Him to speak to them, they realize there must be something more, and they yearn for the full recovery of the church life.
There are groups after groups of genuine believers in Christ who want nothing to do with organized yet fallen Christianity, and who are brought into the fellowship of the Body of Christ to be part of the local expression of the Body in that locality, the local church.
Many believers are like David who cared for God’s interest, yet attempted to practice the church life according to their own choice, not according to God’s revelation.
David had a good heart for the Lord and for His house, but he acted according to what he thought it was best, not according to God’s revelation.
Many have a good heart for the Lord, and they seek Him and study His word; however, they meet according to their own preference and choice, not according to God’s revelation.
These believers have Christ, but they have Him with an improper practice of the church life (typified by David’s tent in Jerusalem), as per 1 Kings 3:3-15.
In 1 Kings 3, we see how Solomon went to the Ark, not the tabernacle, and there he received God’s revelation; soon thereafter, the temple was built.
Many times we desire to do something for God, but in our first endeavour we are totally wrong; then, we learn our lesson and begin again, and in our second attempt we are only half-right, for fifty per cent of what we are doing is still wrong.
But God tolerates us, and eventually, He brings us into the full recovery of the church life to do something that brings both God and man full rest and satisfaction.
When we don’t have full rest and satisfaction after doing something for God, we did not act in an absolutely right way.
David desired to build God’s temple; his desire to do this was good, but God’s answer was NO.
Firstly, God wanted a man of peace (not a man of war like David) to build His house, and secondly, God wanted to build David a house, and from that house, He will raise up a son to build a house for Himself (2 Sam. 7:1-13; 1 Chron. 28:5-6).
Merely having the desire to build the house of God doesn’t qualify us to do this; we first need to be men of peace, not of war or arguments and criticism, and we need to allow God to build Himself into us before we can have something to build God’s house.
Man can do something for God only out of that which God has first done for him; it is only when we allow God to build Himself into us and work His element into our being that there is something in us that is suitable for the building up of the church. Amen!
So David didn’t build a house for God, but he prepared the materials (v. 2; 29:1-9) and the ground (21:18-30; 2 Chron. 3:1), and even Solomon, the builder, and all the helpers (1 Chron. 28:9-11, 20-21).
Finally, after Solomon finished the building of the temple in Jerusalem, the Ark was moved into the Holy of Holies in the temple for a full recovery of the normal situation; today in His recovery the Lord is working to restore the normal condition of Christ within the proper church as the reality of the Body of Christ for His expression (1 Kings 8:1-11, 48; Eph. 2:21-22; 3:16-21).
What the Lord is after today is the full recovery of the church life in this way, so that Christ would be the center and content of the church, and the proper church is the reality of the Body of Christ for His expression.
Lord Jesus, bring in the full recovery of the church life for You to gain Your corporate expression on earth. We pray for a full recovery of the normal situation in all the local churches, so that Christ may be the center and content of the church. Have a way, dear Lord, to restore the normal condition of Christ within the proper church as the reality of the Body of Christ for His expression. Save us from establishing our own meeting or church according to our desire and concept and not according to God’s revelation. Gain us and gain so many for the proper church life according to Your heart’s desire. Amen, Lord, we pray for a full recovery of the church life according to the divine revelation so that Christ may be fully expressed in and through the church!
References and Hymns on this Topic
- Sources of inspiration: the Word of God, my enjoyment in the ministry, a sharing by brother Ricky Acosta, and portions from, Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1964, vol. 4, “The Vision of God’s Building,” pp, 253-254, as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, Crystallization Study of 1 and 2 Samuel (2021 winter training), week 4, entitled, The History of the Ark and the Tabernacle.
- Hymns on this topic:
– In the church the sound of life upon our ear is falling, / Then we see the joy of Christ expressed on every hand; / Babylon and things of earth in vain to us are calling. / We are home forever in Christ our land. / We’re churching in the Spirit / On the church’s local ground; / We’re churching with our brothers, / Our family we have found. / Oh, yes, we’re churching with the churches, / And we’ll make the earth resound / With hallelujahs for Christ our land! (Hymns #1236)
– In the divisions He sought us, / Weary and famished for food; / Into the good land He brought us, / Oh, to our spirit how good! / Glorious church life, / Feasting from such a rich store! / Here where we’re dwelling in oneness / God commands life evermore. (Hymns #1221)
– Not the individual Christians, / but a corporate entity— / God must have it for His full expression now; / Not just individual churches but the Body corporately— / Hallelujah, we are in the Body now! / Hallelujah for the Body! / Satan trembles at the Body! / We’re victorious in the Body! / Hallelujah, we are in the Body now! (Hymns #1226)
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