JEREMIAH 3:16

     "... in those days, when your numbers have increased greatly in the land", declares the Lord, "Men no longer will say, 'The ark of the covenant of the Lord.'   It will not be missed, nor will another one be made..."  (NIV)

Painting by Michelangelo, 1512

 The author of this book of the Bible is the prophet Jeremiah.  Jeremiah was known as "the weeping prophet", because his message was a very sober one, and people tended to disbelieve him.  His primary message was,  "Repent; turn away from sin and towards God; go back to Torah."  God sent His people another message through Jeremiah:  the coming destruction of Jerusalem and the temple.
     Jeremiah was delivering these messages from God to Judah during the reigns of the last five kings. These were not good times spiritually.  If you will refer back to I Chronicles, it gives you a sense of the moral climate of Jeremiah's day.   People really don't like to hear scary messages like Jeremiah's.  And, because of the content of his messages, Jeremiah wasn't a popular person. Even so, he continued to deliver God's message for forty years .When it was obvious that destruction was inevitable, Jeremiah urged the leaders to submit to the Babylonians, to accept the punishment they deserved. In this way Jerusalem would be spared. Delivering such a message branded Jeremiah as a traitor. People did not listen to his warnings.
     Jeremiah wept.   But, Jeremiah did not weep for himself; he wept for the loss he knew was coming;  he wept for his people who refused to listen to God's word, and he wept for the destruction of the city and its temple.

courtesy Crystalinks Metaphysical and Science Website

You may recall that the beautiful temple in Jerusalem was built under the direction of Solomon.  Inside was the Ark of the Covenant, which was the sacred symbol of God's presence among His people. The Ark of the Covenant is described in the Bible as a sacred container, which held the stone tablets containing the Ten Commandments as well as Aaron's rod and manna. The Ark was built per God's command, in accord with Moses' prophetic vision on Mount Sinai, and God communicated with Moses "from between the two cherubim" on the Ark's cover (Exodus 25:22).  The Biblical account relates that during the exodus of the Israelites, the Ark was carried by the priests. When the Ark was borne by priests into the  Jordan, the river was separated, opening a pathway for all the Israelites  to pass over (Josh. 3:15-16).  When carried, the Ark was always wrapped in a veil, in animal skins, and a blue cloth, and was carefully concealed, even from the eyes of the priests who carried it.
  

 But Jeremiah, through God, foresaw the day when God would be present among men through the Holy Spirit.  Much of the book of Jeremiah is about the Messiah.  The New Covenant would be a covenant of personal relationship with Messiah.  Today, we are living in that New  Covenant.  WE  ARE  LIVING  IN THAT  KINGDOM  WITH  GOD  AMONGST  US  THROUGH  THE  HOLY  SPIRIT!  The Ark of the Covenant was beautifully made of precious materials and with careful attention to every detail, as directed by the Lord.  But we have the New Covenant, which is Christ Jesus, whose beauty is unspeakable.









Jesus walks alongside me all the time.  If He is not walking with you, ask Him to.