Until the ark of the covenant was placed inside the holy of holies, the temple was merely an elaborate building. But once the most holy piece of furniture in Israel’s history was installed, the house of worship became a dynamic venue for meeting with almighty God.
The ark of the covenant symbolized the presence of God among His people. However, throughout the Old Testament era, it rested in the inner sanctuary of the temple under the wings of the massive golden cherubim. No one but the high priest was able to gaze upon it. People knew it rested in the holy place, but most people had no hope of seeing it in their lifetime.
The ark eventually was lost to history. The temple was looted and razed more than once, and at some point, the ark was lost. Scripture never reveals what happened to it, but everyone knew it was gone. While king Herod would eventually build a dazzling temple upon the sacred mount, the holy of holies was vacant. Though a veil was constructed to prevent people from seeing in, the reality was that the holy place was empty. We can erect an elaborate facade to impress others with our spirituality within, but we, and eventually others, will know if we are empty inside.