👉🏾👉🏾👉🏾The #Ark and the #Name of #God
(Part 5)
By the grace of God and with the wisdom of the Holy Fathers, let us now enter into the divine mystery that surrounds the Ark and the Name of God, as taught in the Scriptures and illuminated by the holy teachings of the Church. Let the reader not approach this teaching with worldly reason, but with the reverent mind of faith, for the truths here are not carnal, but spiritual hidden in symbols, revealed through obedience.
The Ark Is Not a Mere Sculpture
Many today, in their ignorance or contempt, refer to the Holy Ark as a mere “sculpture”a lifeless form made by human hands. But they err gravely, for they fail to recognize the mystery God has woven into its form. The Ark of the Covenant, as commanded by God Himself, was to be fashioned not for artistic display, but to carry His divine name and presence. It was not man who devised this, but God who commanded Moses:
“Make it like the first” an instruction not born of Moses’ imagination but from the voice of the Lord (cf. Exodus 25:10, 26:33-34).
Indeed, the Ark bore the very name of God. A sculpture does not bear such a weight. A sculpture is mute and common. But the Ark is sanctified by the inscribed and indwelling Name. Thus, St. Paul never once diminished it by calling it a “sculpture,” but always revered it as the Ark of God.
The Name of God and His Angel
In the book of Exodus, the Lord speaks plainly:
“Behold, I send an angel before you... Do not provoke him, for he will not pardon your transgressions, for My Name is in him.” (Exodus 23:20–22)
The angel who led the Israelites bore the Name of God. He did not merely carry a mission but embodied the authority of the Lord. To rebel against him was to rebel against God Himself.
So too with the Ark. If the angel bore the Name, how much more could the Ark upon which the glory of God rested? For this reason, to disrespect the Ark was not a small thing it was to profane the Name of the Lord.
The Ark as a Witness to Worship
The inscription of the Name upon the Ark is a divine testimony:
It is not a man-made form we bow to, but the indwelling Name of the Lord.
Even as we kneel before the Ark in the New Covenant, we are not idolaters. We are those who, like Moses and the prophets, worship in spirit and in truth. We bow not to wood or gold, but to the mystery of God’s presence, as made manifest in His Name.
Just as the Israelites bowed before the Ark in the Tabernacle, so too do we today only now in the full light of the Gospel.
The Hidden Names and Mysteries
Our forefathers in the faith, instructed by the wisdom of the Holy Spirit, discovered divine names inscribed in sacred places even upon the wings of angels. Among these were names such as:
Alpha and Beta (symbols of beginning and word)
Yehuda, Yod, Ahia, Sherahia, El Shaddai names that carry rich theological weight
These names are not random utterances; they are divine titles, potent against demons, as referenced in the writings of Exodus 2:14 and Revelation 21.
To misunderstand or ignore them is to pray in vain. For how can one call upon a Name they do not know?
Thus, our prayers are only true when we recognize that these names are not of men or angels, but are of God Himself.
Continues 👇🏾