Giving orders to the people: “When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, and the Levitical priests carrying it, you are to move out from your positions and follow it. Then you will know which way to go, since you have never been this way before. But keep a distance of about two thousand cubits between you and the ark; do not go near it.” Joshua 3:3-4 (New International Version, NIV)

The Ark of the Covenant was a beautifully crafted box covered with gold and topped with a gold lid upon which were fashioned two golden cherubim. The Ark represented God’s presence; the fact that God was with them. The lid was called the Mercy Seat and inside the box were the stone tablets upon which the Ten Commandments were inscribed, Aaron’s rod that had budded, and a jar of manna.

Israel was entering new territory, going a way they had never gone before. When they saw the priests move out carrying the Ark of the Covenant, they were to follow. In essence, they were following the ten commandments since they were inside the Ark. We must also be led by God based on His Word and His commands. In addition, they were following spiritual authority, since Aaron’s rod represented those placed over them in authority. We, too, must submit to spiritual authority. Manna reminds us that we must feed on fresh manna daily, which represents the Word of God.

As we do these things, we are able to follow God consistently into what He has for us. He leads us by His Word and his Spirit, along with guidance from spiritual leaders. By these things, we know which way to go, and we will go on to know God better.

They were to keep a distance from the Ark. We are not to get ahead of God and His timing. Instead, we must follow His lead. They were not to get near the Ark, meaning we are to follow God with respect and reverence because He is holy. There will always be a part of God that we don’t understand. We can know Him, but there is a mystery about Him as well.

The transportation of the Ark shows us many things about how we follow God. As we follow Him with the proper amount of reverence and with a heart to obey, He can take us to the place He has promised us.