Why God Kept Israel’s Failures in the Ark of the Covenant: A Powerful Reminder of Mercy and Grace by Dr. Terry Harman
- Dr. Terry Harman
- 6 days ago
- 7 min read
Moving Beyond Our Sin
It is only natural to want to move on beyond our mistakes and our sins. How would you feel if someone wrote down when you rebelled against God's authority, or your behavior utterly smashed your covenant with him, or the times that you just complained about his provision? How would you feel if that were broadcast before the entire world? Probably not so good.
First Glance - Sins Remembered?
At first glance, the three objects inside or alongside the Ark of the Covenant are just another reminder of Israel's three weakest moments. The three incidents in which God's people rebelled against his authority, complained about his provisions, and utterly broke the covenant made with God. This was the covenant they made willingly.
Covenant of Words and Blood
And Moses came and told the people all the words of the LORD,
and all the ordinances; and all the people answered with one voice, and said:
'All the words which the Lord hath spoken will we do.'
Exodus 24:3 JPS 1917
And he took the book of the covenant, and read in the hearing of the people; and they said: 'All that the LORD hath spoken will we do, and obey.' And Moses took the blood, and sprinkled it on the people, and said: 'Behold the blood of the covenant, which the LORD hath made with you in agreement with all these words.'
Exodus 24:7-8JPS 1917
Second Glance - Reminder of Mercy and Grace
Upon first glance, it would be natural to view the three objects with the Ark of the Covenant as a reminder of Israel's worst moments. Aaron's rod, the pot of manna, and the tablets were not there to guilt-trip or shame Israel; they were placed there as a reminder of God's ever-loving compassion and grace toward a broken and sometimes rebellious people.
Family, friends, and people in general will throw things back in your face, but this is not the Lord's way of doing things. Maybe you do not see the forgiveness and restoration and ask, "Show me how you came to this revelation!" I'm glad you asked. Read on and please check out Numbers 17:10, Exodus 16:33, and Hebrews 9:4.
Wholeness and Brokenness: The Ark’s Paradox of Grace
If you could stand in the Tabernacle of Moses, you’d find the Ark of the Covenant in the Holy of Holies, a wooden chest overlaid with gold on the outside and inside. This is the most sacred object in Judaism. Inside, people say, there were three things according to the Book of Hebrews (9:4): the ten commandments on two tablets, Aaron’s staff that sprouted against all odds, and a mysterious jar of manna. Jewish tradition adds a fourth object for our consideration: the tablets Moses shattered in his anger after the Golden Calf (Exodus 32).
For most, those items look like terrible reminders from Israel’s lowest points; moments of broken trust, rebellion, and doubt. Yet by placing these reminders in the holiest ground within the Tabernacle, under the atonement cover (mercy seat), where blood was sprinkled seven times for forgiveness, God was displaying His mercy, not turning away from his broken, doubting, and flawed children.
The Broken Tablets: Holding Failure Side by Side with Hope
The Talmud says (Bava Batra 14b) that both the intact and the shattered tablets were kept together in the Ark. Those broken pieces weren’t tossed or buried and hidden out of sight. That's what we do when we have sinned. We attempt to cover up our failures or cast blame on others. No, the Lord required the broken tablets to be carried alongside the new set.
That’s a powerful picture for us to consider: our worst mistakes aren’t erased, hidden, or blamed on someone else. Our checkered past and failures become part of the story God tells with us. As the ancient wisdom in Reshit Chochmah puts it, the Ark is like the human heart, holding both brokenness and wholeness together. Real holiness isn’t about being flawless; it’s about letting our wounds find a place in God’s presence.
Aaron’s Rod: Remembering Rebellion, Affirming Redemption
After a bitter rebellion about who would be the spiritual leader of the nation, Aaron’s lifeless staff blossomed, proving God’s choice. That same staff stayed in the Ark as a sign. Not a sign pointing to a rebellious spirit, but an affirmation.
My life is a testimony of a dead life being brought to new life and purpose. From addiction, incarceration, failed relationships, and wandering hopelessly for years searching for God in all the wrong places, to a relationship with God and a mission to fulfill in this life. God can bring new life from places and people that look dead. It's not about covering up the past, but letting God use it. Even rejected leaders and failed plans can be redeemed under His mercy!
The Jar of Manna: Complaints and Constant Care
The Ark of the Covenant also held a jar of manna. The jar was not empty. It was filled with manna, a reminder that God provides, even when our faith falters and we complain about our circumstances. Even when our complaints roll off our tongues because we do not understand the bigger picture, God’s care keeps coming, teaching us to trust even when we are filled with doubt and the road is difficult.
The Blood on the Mercy Seat: Ultimate Statement of Mercy
On Yom Kippur, the High Priest sprinkled blood over the Ark’s cover “seven times” (Leviticus 16), right above those symbols of failure. The blood didn’t pretend the mistakes weren’t there; the blood covered (atoned) the failures with forgiveness, turning guilt and shame into hope and keeping the bond of covenant alive.
The Ark of the Covenant, filled with reminders of broken trust, now becomes proof and reassurance that God never gives up on us, even in our worst moments. He always offers atonement and fresh starts when we repent and turn from our ways.
If My people, upon whom My name is called, shall humble themselves,
and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their evil ways; then will
I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
2 Chronicles 7:14 JPS 1917
Failure as Part of the Sacred
There is hope for everyone with a sincere heart. Trust our brokenness with God instead of hiding it. Our failures and pain become the very ground on which mercy is given. Like the psalmist says in 51:8:
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
A broken and a contrite heart, O God, Thou wilt not despise.
The Blemish on the Diamond
A king once owned a diamond of greatest value. He was proud of it and kept it close to himself, never allowing it to be displayed; for fear that some ambitious diamond-thief might find a way to steal it. He handled it with great caution. Even the slightest move would injure its pure and perfect beauty. In fact, so fearful was he of injuring this diamond that his hands trembled as he turned it and turned it, feasting his eyes upon its perfection.
But sure enough, one day the diamond dropped out of his hand, right onto the beautiful mosaic floor of his secret private bedroom where he isolated this great jewel. Down went the diamond with a crash, right onto the hard tiles, and what was his dismay upon picking it up to see that there was a terrible blemish right in the middle of the diamond. A long, crooked line marred its center!
Then the king took the gem out of hiding. He lamented to all the disaster that had struck! He consulted with diamond cutters, jewel experts, and lapidaries. But they all told him the same sad story: even if they worked endlessly at polishing the stone, they would never be able to remove the imperfection.
“What can I do, what can I do?” mourned the king. “If only I had not been so selfish and kept the jewel to myself, it might be intact right now. My own selfishness was the cause of the destruction of the jewel.”For he now thought for sure that it was destroyed. “I will never hide my treasure. Let all my people see it.”
One time a jeweler from a distant land came to admire the diamond, which was now displayed in the public museum. Like all the others, he admired the splendid gem. “Why does not the king carve the stone and shape it into some carving which will beautify it?” It would be more beautiful if it was carved correctly!” One of the attendants heard him say so and informed the king. The king begged the diamond cutter to tell him what he meant.
“Why, I could make your gem look even more beautiful than it was before the accident,” said the diamond cutter, “If you let me try.” Eagerly, the king consented. With the greatest, most careful art, he began his work. He made the imperfection the center of his carving. Out of the crooked line, he cut out the roots and stem of a rosebud. In nature, roots are crooked. The great diamond carver imitated the way in which a crude root, sunk down into the earth, gradually unfolds, grows into the stem, and finally produces a perfect rosebud!
And when it was finished, the king once again put it on display. Everyone understood what the gem carver was saying: out of a blemish, out of crudeness, out of imperfection, there can come the most delicate and beautiful art. Out of a deep scratch - a rosebud! When the king, the diamond-cutters, and the viewers saw what had been wrought with so much ingenuity, they were filled with admiration. The worst fault in the diamond had been changed to a virtue!
This story was first given to me in the mid-1980s by Rabbi Minard Klein, of Blessed Memory. We were serving as Chaplains at the Shapiro Developmental Center in Kankakee, Illinois. I miss our Tuesday morning times of Torah study, discussion, and, of course, a little nosh!
The story is taken from an out-of-print book - 101 Jewish Stories for Schools, Clubs and Camp.
References
Aish.com. "The Broken Tablets." Aish, 2025, https://aish.com/the-broken-tablets/.
Certner, Simon. (Ed.). (1961), 101 Jewish Stories for Schools, Clubs and Camp. New York: Jewish Education Committee Press.
Chabad.org. "The Ark of the Covenant." Chabad.org, 2024, https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/4277479/jewish/The-Ark-of-the-Covenant.htm.
Mitchell, Jonathan. "Aaron's Rod And The Pot Of Manna Missing." Greater Emmanuel, http://greater-emmanuel.org/jm/manna.htm.
Harman, Terry. "Contents of the Ark of the Covenant: part 5, Torah Scroll ...", TheTabernacleMan.com, 2023, https://www.thetabernacleman.com/post/5-contents-of-the-ark-of-the-covenant-part-5-torah-scroll-deuteronomy-31-24-27-by-dr-terry-harman.
