The Ark & The Tabernacle - August 20, 2005
T.F.S.
Three, five, and seven
3 5 7
By Ed Halpaus, Grand Lodge Education Officer.
Number 57 – August 20, 2005
This publication is issued with the permission of the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge A.F. and A.M. of Minnesota.
“Life is a study; a man’s duty is to learn.”
Brother Robert Davis [Understand Manhood in America.]
The Ark and the Tabernacle
In Blue Lodge Masonry we learn that a Lodge should be situated due East and West, because that was the way Moses set the Tabernacle that God had instructed him to build. The Tabernacle was a place for the Priests to worship, and for the people to offer sacrifices as well as a place to house the Ark of the Covenant.
We don’t hear much about the Ark of the Covenant in the Three Degrees of Masonry, except that it was placed in the Sanctum Santorum of King Solomon’s Temple. However, those who pursue other degrees will find the Ark of the Covenant mentioned more in those degrees.
As long as I mentioned other degrees I will comment that in Freemasonry we say there is no higher degree than that of Master Mason, which is true, however, there are other degrees such as the degrees contained in the Scottish and York Rites of Masonry, which will give the Masonic Student much more to learn and apply when it comes to studying Freemasonry. If you would like to know more about those degrees so that you can enjoy Freemasonry more, check with some of your Lodge Brothers about the York and Scottish Rites, I’m sure they will be pleased to tell you about them.
The Ark of the Covenant was constructed according to God’s directions by Moses, Bezaleel and Aholiab. The Ark of the Covenant is referred to in the Bible by other names as well; The Ark of the Testimony, The Ark of the Covenant of the Lord, The Ark of the Lord God of Israel, and The Ark of God, to name some of them. The various names applied to the Ark of the Covenant indicate the high veneration in which the Ark was held by the people.[i] Among ancient people an ark was thought of as a symbol of the receptacle of life, and the interior of the ark symbolized the place where life came into being, so the Ark of the Covenant, therefore, was held in great reverence as the Holy of Holies[ii] and it should be kept in a sacred place such as the Tabernacle or Temple.
When we think of the Ark of the Covenant and the Tabernacle in the Wilderness we will remember that there was a cloud called The Shekinah[iii]. It first appeared when Moses consecrated the Tabernacle and then it appeared upon the consecration of the Temple of Solomon. The Shekinah is a visible cloud of light; it is a symbol of Divinity or Divine Glory, but as the true glory of Divinity is truth and righteousness therefore Divine Truth is The Shekinah of Masonry.[iv] “As the disappearance of The Shekinah from the Ark of the Covenant of the Israelites signified the withdrawal of the divine presence, and was accompanied by disaster and destruction, so in like manner the disappearance of Divine Truth and Righteousness from Masonry would presage the same sad ending of this order.”[v] “Masonry is not a mere social institution. Its antiquity, its universality, and its active vitality under widely divergent conditions seem to prove that it was founded and continued under Divine Approval. It is for us to see to it that we do not, like the Israelites, become self-confident by reason of our strength and prosperity and wander away to strange gods and thus lose our Shekinah, our Divine Presence, and come to destruction.”[vi]
“Among all ancient races the ark was a symbol of salvation, its preservation implied safety, sanctifying the nation who honored it as the abiding place of Divine wisdom and power.”[vii]
To the Mason the word Ark suggests a mystery; an Arcanum or Arcana which are Latin words meaning secrets or mysteries.[viii] “The Ark symbolizes the Divine Presence manifesting in us. The ark of the living temple- Man – is the soul, and between the mystic Cherubim (will and intellect) the Most High reveals himself to the true initiate. The ark was made of Acacia wood and Acacia is the symbol of eternity. The ark was overlaid with plates of gold, and gold is the emblem of the Sun, and the Sun is the ancient symbol of Deity.”[ix]
“A smart man gets a lot of advice; a wise man evaluates all the advice he gets.” Zondervan
More Light – Mehr Licht ©, Masonic Matters © and T.F.S. ©, are sent out by E-mail at no charge to anyone who would like to receive them. If you enjoy these publications please share them with others. To subscribe to any one or all of these publications just send an E-mail to ed@halpaus.net with Subscribe and the Title in the subject line and you will be added to the list to receive the publication you want.
Au plaisir de vous revoir = [French] = Until I have the pleasure of seeing you again.
From the Great Light of Masonry: “David, wearing a linen ephod, danced before the Lord with all his might, while he and the entire house of Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with shouts and the sound of trumpets.” 2nd Samuel 6:14-15 NIV
With “Brotherly Love,”
Ed Halpaus
Grand Lodge Education Officer
“Be merry be wise.”
Brother Tom Hendrickson
Senior Grand Steward, Grand Lodge of Minnesota
[i] Masonic Concordance of the Holy Bible #5
[ii] ibid #13A
[iii] Meaning ‘Divine Presence:’ Catholic Encyclopedia
[iv] Masonic Concordance of the Holy Bible #7B
[v] ibid #7C
[vi] ibid #7D
[vii] ibid #13D quoting Elizabeth Goldsmith in “life Symbols,” page 283
[viii] In Minnesota there are Lodges with the name Arcana and Shekinah
[ix] Masonic Concordance of the Holy Bible #13F: Quoting Brother Henry R. Evans.
Three, five, and seven
3 5 7
By Ed Halpaus, Grand Lodge Education Officer.
Number 57 – August 20, 2005
This publication is issued with the permission of the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge A.F. and A.M. of Minnesota.
“Life is a study; a man’s duty is to learn.”
Brother Robert Davis [Understand Manhood in America.]
The Ark and the Tabernacle
In Blue Lodge Masonry we learn that a Lodge should be situated due East and West, because that was the way Moses set the Tabernacle that God had instructed him to build. The Tabernacle was a place for the Priests to worship, and for the people to offer sacrifices as well as a place to house the Ark of the Covenant.
We don’t hear much about the Ark of the Covenant in the Three Degrees of Masonry, except that it was placed in the Sanctum Santorum of King Solomon’s Temple. However, those who pursue other degrees will find the Ark of the Covenant mentioned more in those degrees.
As long as I mentioned other degrees I will comment that in Freemasonry we say there is no higher degree than that of Master Mason, which is true, however, there are other degrees such as the degrees contained in the Scottish and York Rites of Masonry, which will give the Masonic Student much more to learn and apply when it comes to studying Freemasonry. If you would like to know more about those degrees so that you can enjoy Freemasonry more, check with some of your Lodge Brothers about the York and Scottish Rites, I’m sure they will be pleased to tell you about them.
The Ark of the Covenant was constructed according to God’s directions by Moses, Bezaleel and Aholiab. The Ark of the Covenant is referred to in the Bible by other names as well; The Ark of the Testimony, The Ark of the Covenant of the Lord, The Ark of the Lord God of Israel, and The Ark of God, to name some of them. The various names applied to the Ark of the Covenant indicate the high veneration in which the Ark was held by the people.[i] Among ancient people an ark was thought of as a symbol of the receptacle of life, and the interior of the ark symbolized the place where life came into being, so the Ark of the Covenant, therefore, was held in great reverence as the Holy of Holies[ii] and it should be kept in a sacred place such as the Tabernacle or Temple.
When we think of the Ark of the Covenant and the Tabernacle in the Wilderness we will remember that there was a cloud called The Shekinah[iii]. It first appeared when Moses consecrated the Tabernacle and then it appeared upon the consecration of the Temple of Solomon. The Shekinah is a visible cloud of light; it is a symbol of Divinity or Divine Glory, but as the true glory of Divinity is truth and righteousness therefore Divine Truth is The Shekinah of Masonry.[iv] “As the disappearance of The Shekinah from the Ark of the Covenant of the Israelites signified the withdrawal of the divine presence, and was accompanied by disaster and destruction, so in like manner the disappearance of Divine Truth and Righteousness from Masonry would presage the same sad ending of this order.”[v] “Masonry is not a mere social institution. Its antiquity, its universality, and its active vitality under widely divergent conditions seem to prove that it was founded and continued under Divine Approval. It is for us to see to it that we do not, like the Israelites, become self-confident by reason of our strength and prosperity and wander away to strange gods and thus lose our Shekinah, our Divine Presence, and come to destruction.”[vi]
“Among all ancient races the ark was a symbol of salvation, its preservation implied safety, sanctifying the nation who honored it as the abiding place of Divine wisdom and power.”[vii]
To the Mason the word Ark suggests a mystery; an Arcanum or Arcana which are Latin words meaning secrets or mysteries.[viii] “The Ark symbolizes the Divine Presence manifesting in us. The ark of the living temple- Man – is the soul, and between the mystic Cherubim (will and intellect) the Most High reveals himself to the true initiate. The ark was made of Acacia wood and Acacia is the symbol of eternity. The ark was overlaid with plates of gold, and gold is the emblem of the Sun, and the Sun is the ancient symbol of Deity.”[ix]
“A smart man gets a lot of advice; a wise man evaluates all the advice he gets.” Zondervan
More Light – Mehr Licht ©, Masonic Matters © and T.F.S. ©, are sent out by E-mail at no charge to anyone who would like to receive them. If you enjoy these publications please share them with others. To subscribe to any one or all of these publications just send an E-mail to ed@halpaus.net with Subscribe and the Title in the subject line and you will be added to the list to receive the publication you want.
Au plaisir de vous revoir = [French] = Until I have the pleasure of seeing you again.
From the Great Light of Masonry: “David, wearing a linen ephod, danced before the Lord with all his might, while he and the entire house of Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with shouts and the sound of trumpets.” 2nd Samuel 6:14-15 NIV
With “Brotherly Love,”
Ed Halpaus
Grand Lodge Education Officer
“Be merry be wise.”
Brother Tom Hendrickson
Senior Grand Steward, Grand Lodge of Minnesota
[i] Masonic Concordance of the Holy Bible #5
[ii] ibid #13A
[iii] Meaning ‘Divine Presence:’ Catholic Encyclopedia
[iv] Masonic Concordance of the Holy Bible #7B
[v] ibid #7C
[vi] ibid #7D
[vii] ibid #13D quoting Elizabeth Goldsmith in “life Symbols,” page 283
[viii] In Minnesota there are Lodges with the name Arcana and Shekinah
[ix] Masonic Concordance of the Holy Bible #13F: Quoting Brother Henry R. Evans.
Labels: Symbolism