Why were only the tablets placed in the ark according to 2 Chronicles 5:10? Setting the Scene 2 Chronicles 5 describes the enthronement of the Ark in Solomon’s newly built temple. Verse 10 notes a striking detail: “There was nothing in the ark except the two tablets that Moses had placed in it at Horeb, where the LORD had made a covenant with the Israelites after they came out of Egypt.” A Look Back: What Else Had Been with the Ark? Earlier passages record additional items associated with the Ark: • Golden jar of manna – Exodus 16:33-34 • Aaron’s staff that budded – Numbers 17:10 • The tablets of the covenant – Exodus 25:16; Deuteronomy 10:1-2 Hebrews 9:4 later lists all three. Yet by Solomon’s day only the tablets remained inside. Possible Locations of the Manna and the Staff Scripture never says these were lost; it simply stops mentioning them. Two reasonable possibilities: • Placed “before the testimony” (Exodus 16:34; Numbers 17:10) may mean they were stored in the same compartment—perhaps beside, not inside, the Ark, and thus not counted in Chronicles’ inventory. • During Philistine capture (1 Samuel 4–6) or the move to Jerusalem (2 Samuel 6), they may have been removed or destroyed; the text is silent, so we refrain from speculation beyond that. Why Only the Tablets Remained • Centrality of the Covenant ‑ The tablets bear the very words of God, the foundation of Israel’s relationship with Him. When the temple—Israel’s permanent worship center—was dedicated, the focus was appropriately narrowed to the covenant itself. • Transition from Wilderness to Settlement ‑ Manna and Aaron’s staff were wilderness signs: – Manna reminded Israel of daily provision (Exodus 16:35). – The staff vindicated priestly authority during rebellion (Numbers 17:5-10). ‑ With the people settled and the priesthood established, those reminders had served their purpose. The tablets, however, remained perpetually relevant. • Legal Emphasis of the Temple ‑ Solomon’s dedicatory prayer stresses obedience to God’s law (2 Chronicles 6:14-17). Housing only the tablets reinforced that legal emphasis. • Symbol of God’s Throne ‑ The Ark functioned as God’s footstool (1 Chronicles 28:2). A king’s throne room holds his covenant charter; likewise, God’s throne room held His law. Theological Takeaways • God’s Word Endures ‑ Isaiah 40:8—“The word of our God stands forever.” Temporary signs fade; the revelation itself remains. • Covenant Obligations Never Expire ‑ Deuteronomy 29:29—“The things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, so that we may follow all the words of this law.” • Christ Fulfills the Law ‑ Matthew 5:17—Jesus did not abolish the Law but fulfilled it. The tablets’ longevity points forward to Christ’s perfect obedience and the new covenant written on hearts (Jeremiah 31:33). Putting It Together When the chronicler notes that “nothing” but the tablets were in the Ark, he highlights what matters most: the enduring covenant Word of God. Wilderness provisions and disciplinary signs were temporary; the Law that reveals God’s character and standards abides, leading ultimately to its fulfillment in Christ. |
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