El arca

From: El significado espiritual del Tabernáculo, del sacerdocio levítico y de las ofrendas del pueblo de Israel

Narrator: Luis Genthree

Duration: 3min

Exodus 25:10‑16; Exodus 37:1‑5 • 2 min. read • grade level: 12

Éxodo 25:10-16; 37:1-5¹⁰And they shall make an ark of shittim wood: two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof. ¹¹And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, within and without shalt thou overlay it, and shalt make upon it a crown of gold round about. ¹²And thou shalt cast four rings of gold for it, and put them in the four corners thereof; and two rings shall be in the one side of it, and two rings in the other side of it. ¹³And thou shalt make staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold. ¹⁴And thou shalt put the staves into the rings by the sides of the ark, that the ark may be borne with them. ¹⁵The staves shall be in the rings of the ark: they shall not be taken from it. ¹⁶And thou shalt put into the ark the testimony which I shall give thee. (Exodus 25:10‑16)
¹And Bezaleel made the ark of shittim wood: two cubits and a half was the length of it, and a cubit and a half the breadth of it, and a cubit and a half the height of it: ²And he overlaid it with pure gold within and without, and made a crown of gold to it round about. ³And he cast for it four rings of gold, to be set by the four corners of it; even two rings upon the one side of it, and two rings upon the other side of it. ⁴And he made staves of shittim wood, and overlaid them with gold. ⁵And he put the staves into the rings by the sides of the ark, to bear the ark. (Exodus 37:1‑5)

El único mueble dentro del Lugar Santísimo era el arca con el propiciatorio. Era un cajón o cofre hecho de madera de Sittim, revestido por dentro y por fuera de oro puro. Tenía una cornisa o franja de oro alrededor arriba, un anillo de oro en cada una de sus cuatro esquinas, y dos varas de madera de Sittim revestidas de oro, mediante las cuales podía ser llevada por el desierto. Dentro de esa arca estaban las dos tablas de la ley, más la urna de oro con el maná y la vara de Aarón que reverdeció (véase Hebreos 9:4⁴Which had the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron's rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant; (Hebrews 9:4)).

En el oro y la madera de Sittim vemos al Dios-hombre (Cristo). El oro nos habla de Su divinidad y la madera de Su humanidad.

Las tablas no quebradas dentro del arca nos recuerdan la obediencia perfecta de Cristo. “El hacer Tu voluntad, Dios Mío, Me ha agradado; y Tu ley está en medio de Mis entrañas” (Salmo 40:8⁸I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart. (Psalm 40:8)).

Las dos tablas de piedra grabadas con los diez mandamientos

Se recuerda que las primeras dos tablas fueron quebradas al pie del monte por Moisés cuando vio al pueblo adorando al becerro de oro (véase Éxodo 32:15-19¹⁵And Moses turned, and went down from the mount, and the two tables of the testimony were in his hand: the tables were written on both their sides; on the one side and on the other were they written. ¹⁶And the tables were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, graven upon the tables. ¹⁷And when Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said unto Moses, There is a noise of war in the camp. ¹⁸And he said, It is not the voice of them that shout for mastery, neither is it the voice of them that cry for being overcome: but the noise of them that sing do I hear. ¹⁹And it came to pass, as soon as he came nigh unto the camp, that he saw the calf, and the dancing: and Moses' anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his hands, and brake them beneath the mount. (Exodus 32:15‑19)). ¿De qué utilidad a ellos podía haber sido tal ley? Su primer mandamiento demandaba lealtad completa a Dios; el segundo prohibía el hacer imágenes o esculturas para inclinarse delante de ellas y el tercero prohibía tomar el nombre de Dios en vano.

Mientras Moisés venía de Dios al pueblo con estos mandamientos, ¿qué estaban haciendo? Habían hecho “un becerro de fundición” y hacían homenaje delante de él, declarándolo ser el dios que los había redimido (véase Éxodo 32:4⁴And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. (Exodus 32:4)). Se ve que el corazón rebelde del hombre está enajenado de Dios —no está sujeto a Su ley, ni puede estarlo—. Las tablas fueron quebradas, y con el hombre caído jamás pueden ser renovadas. ¡Cuán insensato, pues, es el hombre que piense que por observar fragmentos de una ley violada pueda satisfacer a Dios o justificarse! Pero cuántos hay que buscan alcanzar el reino de Dios por este camino, mezclando la ley y la gracia (véanse Romanos 7:4,7⁴Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God. (Romans 7:4)
⁷What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet. (Romans 7:7); Gálatas 3:1-3,11,13,24-25; 5:1,4¹O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you? ²This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? ³Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh? (Galatians 3:1‑3)
¹¹But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith. (Galatians 3:11)
¹³Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: (Galatians 3:13)
²⁴Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. ²⁵But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. (Galatians 3:24‑25)
¹Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. (Galatians 5:1)
⁴Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace. (Galatians 5:4)).

La salvación no es una cosa compleja hecha de ley y gracia; de otro modo la gracia ya no sería gracia. El pecador ha quebrado la ley de Dios, y así ha perdido todo derecho a la justicia sobre esa base. Además está bajo la maldición de la ley en espera del castigo. Pero, gracias a Dios, hubo Uno distinto de todos los demás —en cuyo corazón las demandas de Dios tenían su lugar de honor—. Él era “Jesucristo el Justo” (1 Juan 2:1¹My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: (1 John 2:1)).