We have His conversations with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, the Burning Bush at the foot of Mount Horeb in the Wilderness of Sinai and numerous other incidences right down to the appearance of the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove, descending upon Jesus at His baptism. The Ark of the Covenant, of course is a case on its own. Exodus 25 tells us that it was a small chest or coffer, two and a half cubits in length and one and a half cubits in width and depth. Most of it was made of wood and overlaid with gold both inside and out. On the top was the Mercy Seat, made of solid gold.
Jewish tradition claims that it was made from one solid mass, without any soldering of parts.
At opposite ends of the Mercy Seat were two cherubim, looking inwards towards each other and with their wings extended, so that they covered the whole of the Mercy Seat and met in the middle on both sides. Here it was that the Shekinah or Divine Presence rested and was visible in the form of a cloud over the Mercy Seat. This was the seat or throne of His Divine presence amongst them. Leviticus 16 lays down a complicated procedure, whereby the Jewish High Priest would enter the Holy of Holies once a year, to make propitiation for the sins of the people and to pray that God would be pleased to grant peace and prosperity to the Jewish nation during the year to come. That first Temple was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon and the Ark of the Covenant was never seen again.