The FOCUS vis a vis the Ark
was NOT to be on the box and the gold nor even the Cherubim.
The FOCUS WAS ON THE MANIFEST PRESENCE OF THE GLORY OF THE LIVING GOD VIBRANTLY 'RESTING' THERE--ON THE SHIKINAH GLORY OF THE ONE AND ONLY LIVING GOD.
Which word is so difficult in:
HAVE NO OTHER GODS BEFORE ME?
You are shouting. And you seem to be assuming some things that were neither said nor intimated.
Is there a difference between the Presence and the Ark? Well, duh, of course.
And yet is there an identification of one with the other? Well, duh, of course.
Why did God identify the ark and the tabernacle/temple that enclosed it with His Presence? And, corollary to that, how did so many in Israel misinterpret God’s stated intent and so begin to wander from the way of life?
Is there a danger here to us, “upon whom the ends of the ages have come”?
Is it possible that the fine line to be observed here is the very line that divided the Pharisees from the Sadducees, and so showed both to be out of line? Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the Son of God and Son of Man, did not contend with these two parties by chance. There is something very important here. The errant theology of each did not arise out of nothing.
Do you want to discuss and discover ... or just shout?