[Illustration: The Ark of the Covenant. And thou shalt make a mercy seat of pure gold: ... 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. Ex. 25:17, 21. And He gave unto Moses ... two tables of testimony, written with the finger of God. Ex. 31:18] Aaron confessed his sin in making the golden calf, and was forgiven. The calf was ground to powder and scattered in the waters of the brook from which they drank. At the command of God, Moses hewed out two more tables of stone, and took them up to Sinai. On these God again wrote His law. When the sanctuary was completed, these tables were placed in a beautiful ark, overlaid with gold. For this reason it was called "The Ark of the Covenant." This ark was the most sacred thing in all the earthly sanctuary. It was sacred because it contained the tables on which God had written His law. It was deposited in the most holy place, into which none but the high priest ever entered. On the top of the ark was the mercy seat, and here was where the glory of God rested, and from this place He spake to His people. When the children of Israel were taken captive by the Babylonians, the ark disappeared, and the Bible makes no mention of it since that time. [Illustration: Moses Breaking the Tables of the Law.] [Illustration: The Return of the Spies.] [Illustration] The Twelve Spies. AFTER all the work on the tabernacle was done, the Israelites again took up their march toward the promised land. In eleven days they reached Kadesh, near the borders of Canaan. Here twelve spies--one from each tribe--were sent to view the land. They were gone forty days, and on their return brought samples of the fruit of Canaan. They brought one cluster of grapes, so large that it was carried on a pole between two of the men. In their report to Moses they said, "We came unto the land whither thou sentest us, and surely it floweth with milk and honey; and this is the fruit of it." Numbers 13:17. Oh, if they had only been willing to stop there in their report! But they went on to tell that the land was filled with strong nations. There were walled cities that could not be broken down, and there were giants, the sons of Anak. Then Israel lost all hope and courage, "And all the congregation ... cried; and the people wept that night." And they murmured against Moses and Aaron, and said, "Would God we had died in Egypt! or ... in the wilderness.... Let us return to Egypt." Numbers 14:2, 4. Where now was their faith and trust in God? They had forgotten the wonders and plagues and the deliverance from Egypt. They had forgotten the many times God had done wonderful things for them on their journey. Surely a God who could do such things could give them the victory over their enemies in Canaan.