Today's Favorite Verse: Exodus 25:16, 21-22

Today's Favorite Verse: Exodus 25:16, 21-22
"And thou shalt put into the ark the testimony which I shall give thee.
And thou shalt put the mercy seat above upon the ark; and in the ark thou shalt put the testimony that I shall give thee.
And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel."

What is the testimony? I'm thinking the stone tablets are the testimony but needed to look to see if that was correct.

"The ark of the covenant was a chest, or box, of shittim wood overlaid with gold. It was approximately three feet nine inches long, two feet three inches wide, and two feet three inches high. Staves, or poles, on both sides allowed the priests to carry it without actually touching the ark itself. Inside, the tablets of the law given to Moses on Mount Sinai were placed (see v. 16). Hence, it was called the ark of the testimony or ark of the covenant. Later, a pot of manna and Aaron’s rod, which miraculously bloomed, were also placed inside the ark (see Hebrews 9:4). The ark was placed inside the inner room of the tabernacle known as the most holy place, or Holy of Holies. The ark was viewed with the greatest reverence by the Israelites, and prayers were recited before it was moved or placed in position"
(Old Testament Student Manual, "Exodus 25-30; 35-40: The House of the Lord in the Wilderness")

"There was nothing in the ark save the two tables of stone, which Moses put there at Horeb, when the Lord made a covenant with the children of Israel, when they came out of the land of Egypt."
(1 Kings 8:9)

"Which had the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant;"
(Hebrews 9:4)

I guess I'm just hung up on why you would call the stone tablets containing the ten commandments a testimony. I always thought of it as the ark of the covenant. I had to ponder on this. I thought about being in court and having to give a testimony of something I witnessed. While I am speaking it is being recorded and written down. It can be referred to later. Pondering on this I can see how God's word was written down in those stone tablets. It was his testimony. Those laws hold the covenant that God has made with Israel. I think of all the thou shalt nots, but really they are promises that God will protect us if we live by them. We will be able to be in His presence.

Day 3771