THEOSISCyrill of Alexandria
The ark served as a foreshadowing of Him. He led the Israelites through the wilderness, assuming the position of God, for He was the guide of the people. The Psalmist affirms this when he states, ‘O God, when Thou didst precede Thy people, when Thou didst pass through the wilderness, the earth was shaken, for the heavens also were melted’ (Psalm 67:8). Even though the ark consistently followed and led the way, it is explicitly mentioned here that God was the one who went before them. You can see this more clearly by considering another incident. God instructed the Israelites, through Moses, to advance confidently to Mount Seir and confront the Amorites (Deuteronomy 1:7, 19).
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However, those who received this command succumbed to fear, wrongly believing they must act on their own strength rather than trusting in divine assistance, and ‘sat down weeping’ by the mountain, as written (Deuteronomy 1:45). This enraged the Lawgiver, who ultimately warned that he would not lead them into the promised land. Ignoring this warning and exhibiting a misguided sense of remorse, they attempted to ascend the mountain, defying the Lord once more and preparing to fight the Amorites. Yet God, through Moses, prophesied their future, saying, ‘Do not go up, and do not fall in the sight of your enemies, for I am not with you’ (Deuteronomy 1:42). Despite their persistent disobedience, they forcibly set out to climb the mountain, as noted. However, the ark of God did not accompany them and remained in the camp (Deuteronomy 1:43). This clearly illustrates that although God declared, ‘I am not with you,’ the ark did not go with the disobedient, which unmistakably shows that it occupied the role of God's guidance.