The ark, which was made of acacia wood covered with gold, was a type of Christ as the embodiment of the moving and working God. The ark was placed in the inner chamber of the tabernacle, the Holy of Holies, and thus became the center of the tabernacle. On the lid of the ark God came to contact His people. There God's righteousness was appeased, and God and man could have peace and harmony with each other. This was also God's oracle, where God spoke to man.
The ark was respected to the uttermost by the Jewish people because they considered that the ark was God's presence. To go to the ark was to go to God. Thus, to remove the ark to David's stronghold was to move God from the heavens to the earth, to the holy land, and to Zion, where He could have His residence.
The ark was made by Moses (Exo. 25:10-22) according to God's design in order to contain the law on the two tables as the testimony of God. The law was according to God and was a "photograph" of God. The law regulated man's relationship with God and with other men. Because the law as the testimony of God was placed in the ark, the ark was called the ark of the testimony (vv. 16, 22; 26:33). The ark was also for God to meet with His people and to speak to them (25:22).
According to Exodus 40:20-21 the ark was placed in the Holy of Holies within the tabernacle.
The ark traveled through the wilderness with the children of Israel for about forty years (Num. 10:33-36). This means that God traveled with His people. In a sense, the priests carried Him, but in actuality God took the lead to travel, bringing all the congregation of the children of Israel onward.
After the children of Israel entered into the good land, the ark stayed in Shiloh (Josh. 18:1).
At a certain point in its history, the ark was captured by the Philistines (1 Sam. 4:4, 11a, 21-22).
The ark stayed in the country of the Philistines for seven months (6:1).
Eventually, the ark was returned from the land of the Philistines to Beth-shemesh (6:11-15).
The ark was removed from Beth-shemesh to Kiriath-jearim and was put into the house of Abinadab and stayed there for twenty years (6:20—7:2). At that time God was homeless. He was a "guest" and Abinadab was the host.