Exodus 16:34 As the Lord commanded Moses, so Aaron placed it before the testimony to be kept.

When I study the bible I look for evidence of intent in the first usage of words. The Ark was referred to as the testimony. It was their evidence of God’s presence in Israel.

Hebrews 9:4 having the golden altar of incense and the ark of the covenant covered on all sides with gold, in which was a golden urn holding the manna, and Aaron’s staff that budded, and the tablets of the covenant.

This is a witness of those things that were placed in the Ark.

1 Kings 8:9 There was nothing in the ark except the two tablets of stone that Moses put there at Horeb, where the Lord made a covenant with the people of Israel, when they came out of the land of Egypt.

At the time that the Ark was brought into Solomon’s temple, the manna and the shepherd’s staff were no longer in the Ark. But why?

1 Kings 8:10-11 And when the priests came out of the Holy Place, a cloud filled the house of the Lord, so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord.

John 6:35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.

John 10:11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

1 Corinthians 3:16 Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?

The Ark is God’s Testimony that Jesus is the Christ.

The background of a covenant meal is deeply rooted in the culture of the ancient Near East and serves as a vital thread throughout the biblical narrative, symbolizing peace, fellowship, and the formal ratification of a binding agreement. In ancient times, sharing food was a profound act; only parties who were at peace would sit down to dine together. Source:BibleHub

Luke 15:2 And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.”

The Pharisees and scribes would never allow sinners into their homes, nor would they enter the homes of sinners. They believed it was a sign of an agreement between themselves and sinners thereby making peace. They saw themselves as above all that.

Isaiah 52:13  Behold, my servant shall act wisely; he shall be high and lifted up, and shall be exalted.

When one adopts an attitude that they are “the servant” of God they exalt themselves. They ignore everything that does not fit that narrative.

Isaiah 57:15 For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite.”

Romans 12:16, Philippians 2:3, Romans 12:3, 1 Corinthians 4:7 – Scripture instructs believers to avoid haughtiness, selfish ambition, and overestimating themselves, reminding us not to boast about what we have received. Source: Crosswalk

Those instructions come from a covenant relationship with our Lord. The Pharisees and scribes did not partake of a covenant meal with Jesus because sinners were at His table.

“This is my body, take, eat.” Nope, wasn’t gonna happen with those two groups.