The Ark of the Covenant

Ark of the Covenant, in Judaism is a sacred repository. Mentioned frequently in the Bible, the ark is described in Exodus 25 as a chest of acacia wood. It was known also as the Ark of the Law, the Ark of the Testimony, or the Ark of God. The chest was 2.5 cubits (1.15m/3 ft 9 in) in length and 1.5 cubits (0.69m/2 ft 3 in) in breadth and height; it could be carried by poles at the long sides. The ark lay in the Holy of Holies, the sacrosanct enclosure of the tabernacle and of the Temple in Jerusalem. The chest contained, according to various sources, Aaron's rod, a pot of manna, and the stone tablets of the Decalogue, Ten Commandments. In the synagogues today, the term ark designates the repository for the scrolls of the Law used in the sacred service.
Covenant in law is a promise signed in the presence of a witness that a certain act shall be performed or shall not be performed, or a solemn declaration that certain facts are true. Covenants are used most often in deeds. An express covenant is an express declaration of intention by the parties to the deed. An implied covenant is inferred by the law from certain words in a deed; for example, the law holds that implied in a lease is a covenant that the lessee shall quietly enjoy possession of the premises as long as the terms of the lease are honored. A similar covenant is implied in absolute transfer of property. A covenant may be collateral, that is, purely personal to the original parties; or it may run with the land, so that it can be enforced upon subsequent owners of the property, although they were not parties to the original covenant or agreement. Covenants also fall into many other classifications.
Covenant in Old Testament is also a compact between God and his worshippers. Exodus 24:7 relates that Moses took “the book of the covenant, and read it in the hearing of the people; and they said, ‘All that the Lord has spoken we will do and we will be obedient.'!” Contemporary scholars believe that “the book of the covenant” includes the section in Exodus from 20:23 to 23:33. From this and other passages in the Pentateuch has arisen the conception of a covenant between Yahweh and the people of Israel, whereby the Israelites were to enjoy the blessing and protection of Yahweh in return for remaining obedient and faithful to him. After the Jews were driven out of Palestine and scattered over the Earth, the covenant between the Jews and Yahweh was interpreted by them to include an eventual restoration of their ancient homeland. According to Christian theology, Jesus Christ, by his death on the cross, made a covenant for the redemption of humanity. Theologians differ about the precise meaning of this covenant, sometimes called the New Covenant or the Covenant of the New Testament. Some believe that Christ's voluntary sacrifice redeemed all; others contend that only those who earn their redemption by faith alone, or by faith and good works, can or will be saved. A notable example of the use of the term covenant in later Christian theology is contained in the writings of the 17th-century Dutch Protestant theologian Johannes Cocceius, who taught that the entire relationship between God and the human race is a continuing covenant.