Why is the ark of the covenant in Auburn, Wash.?
This is a question craftsman Jesse Ferguson hears frequently as he constructs a full-scale replica of the wilderness tabernacle.
This tabernacle was commissioned by Idaho's Meridian Church as an evangelistic outreach to their interested community. The exhibit is intended to be available for Pacific Northwest tours as well. The artistic project is expected to be completed in June 2020.
The ark of the covenant is the fourth tabernacle piece of furniture to be built after the laver (wash basin), the altar of incense and the table of showbread.
“This is where the Shekinah Glory dwelled between the angel wings,” Ferguson says. “God wanted to dwell with us, to be known and to know humankind.”
All the furnishings are sculpted by hand from wood and are based off a cubit measurement from Ferguson’s own arm. For the specific designs for the furnishing, Ferguson read Scripture passages and Jewish writings for a basis for creating original designs for the ark panels that depict Old Testament Bible stories. These artistically represented stories include the tree of life, creation, the Flood, the ram of Abraham and more.
“God gave few details other than the size and materials,” Ferguson notes. “I prayed and let the Holy Spirit guide my imagination.”
The angels on top represent Gabriel and Lucifer. Gabriel’s hands are equally placed on the surface while Lucifer’s hands are offset and pulled back to give a visual representation of the Great Controversy.
“There’s 100 hours of artistry represented with the ark and three weeks of work alone on the wings,” Ferguson says. “This gave me a lot of time for thinking, meditating and listening to the Holy Spirit. Quite literally, the ark is a hearing aid for listening to God better.”
Soon after finishing the embossing and gold leafing process, Ferguson used the ark of the covenant for his own sermon teaching aid.
“The ark had two main functions: to move and to sit,” Ferguson explains. “It proceeded journeys, scared enemies, won battles, parted rivers and had many stationary times."
Ferguson shares, “We learned something wrong about God in Eden. When we begin to unlearn what Satan taught us, we discover a new and better picture of God, who is patient, gracious and loving. The lesson for us today is that we are God’s temple. He wants to live in and through us. The ark shows us God is good all the time and is pulling us out of our mess.”
From concept to reality, crafting the ark of the covenant is a lifelong dream for craftsman Jesse Ferguson.
Craftsman Jesse Ferguson holds one of the relief art pieces depicting Noah's ark and the Flood before it is filled with resin and installed on the ark of the covenant.
Conceptual drawings based on research and imagination start off the design process.
Angel Ogando, pastor, models the draping of angel robes to give craftsman Jesse Ferguson a reference for carving the ark's angels.
Angel Production: A real life model helps bring drawings and concepts to life before carving production begins.
An angel body for the ark of the covenant begins to take shape out of maple.
The intricate angel wings took three weeks to carve.
The Great Controversy plays out on top of the ark of the covenant as Lucifer pulls back from God's glory.
The carved angel represents Lucifer making the crucial decision to pull back from God.
The carving of Gabriel shows his choice to fully follow God.
Ark panels are in production.
Ark panels are in production.
May each of us choose to follow God fully in our lives and reflect His glory and grace.
