WATERVILLE

J oe Clavette went for the gold.

The Oakland man unveiled a dazzling creation during the weekly men’s meeting at Notre Dame Church on Sept. 20. Following months of study and 40 hours of actual labor, Clavette presented a scale model of The Ark of The Covenant.

Clavette’s glittering recreation, spray-painted gold, is one-fifth the size of the original Ark of The Covenant, the holy container carried by four Jewish priests across the desert, as documented in the Book of Exodus. As he began a Bible-based introduction, Clavette read slowly.

“I want to read it slowly to be in the right frame of mind for 3,500 years ago,” said Clavette, a retired engineer. “There was a lot of gold. It was very heavy.”

Clavette used a table saw to cut the wood. He purchased the trim ready-made.

Inside Clavette’s recreation, he had replicas of the two unbroken stone tablets that represented the Ten Commandments as written by Moses, the rod of Aaron, the first high priest of Israel, and a golden pot containing manna — the “bread of heaven” that fell daily to sustain the Israelites as they wandered in the wilderness. Clavette lifted the ornate cover, the top representing God’s mercy seat flanked by cherubim facing each other with wings tip to tip.

“The mercy seat is the throne of God,” he said. “That’s where God’s presence was — a cloud covering it. God said he would meet Moses on the mercy seat. The crown of gold on top speaks of Jesus Christ as the King of Kings. The pot of manna speaks of Jesus as the bread of life. It all points to Jesus.

“The cherubim are angels. They’ve often been depicted as lions, eagles or men. I had a hard time carving those things, I really did. They don’t have faces because I don’t really know what they looked like.”

Biblical references in Exodus call for the ark to be made of acacia wood with the box measuring 45 inches long, 27 inches wide and 27 inches high. The box was to be overlayed with pure gold. The top cover — the mercy seat — was to be made of pure gold.

Clavette estimates the ark would have weighed about 1,500 pounds.

Two poles slide through rings in order for the priests to carry the ark. Clavette placed his poles near the top, rather than the bottom, since he figured that would have made the ark easier to carry.

Clavette spent much time translating measurements from the Old Testament.

“Those are things that made the project more than I had bargained for,” he said. “One thing leads to the other.”

The Rev. Chris Piscelli praised Clavette’s work.

“To me,” said Piscelli, “it helps to visualize this wonderful story about the ark. It’s a wonderful replica. You did a very beautiful job. I like to visualize the Bible by looking at it.

“There was no temple in Jerusalem until Solomon. The Jews had lived in tents. The ark was put in the temple during his reign.”

Solomon, the nation’s third king, reigned from about 970 to 930 BC and dedicated the temple in 959 BC.

The last mention of the ark was made around 587 BC, when the Babylonians destroyed the temple.

The Rev. Piscelli added more Biblical perspective.

“Joshua had used (the ark) to conquer other nations,” he said. “King David made it revered with a liturgical dance and then his son, Solomon, put it in the temple. The Jews could never be a great nation until they followed the commandments of God.”

Clavette explained earlier to the men’s group that he had some time on his hands, and decided to give the project a go. Clavette joked that he had an ulterior motive.

“I have it on display in my living room,” he said. “It’s on display to create discussion among people who don’t believe as I do.”

Clavette began chuckling.

“They’ll walk by it and look at it out of the corner of their eyes and not say anything,” he continued. “Some of them might think of it as a box for my ashes when I die, I don’t know.”

As it is, Clavette said, he’s not quite sure what to do with it.

Parishioner Gerry Poissonnier conveyed an idea, and Clavette seemed amenable to it. Poissonnier suggested that he show the replica to students at St. John’s Regional Catholic School in Winslow.

“I think it might stir their imaginations,” Clavette said. “I mean, not many kids read Exodus.”

lgrard@timesrecord.com