The ark of the covenant was the sacred gold-covered chest that held the tablets of the law and rested in the holiest place of the tabernacle. Above it, God promised, there I will meet with thee — it symbolised his very presence.
The ark shows both God's nearness and his holiness. It could not be treated casually, yet it was the place of mercy — its lid, the mercy seat, sprinkled with atoning blood.
The Ark of the Covenant in Scripture
And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel.