“You shall make a mercy seat of pure gold. Two cubits and a half shall be its length, and a cubit and a half its breadth…And there I will meet you….” Exodus 25:17,22
May 2, 2023
When God called the nation of Israel into being, the center of attention was the tabernacle. It was to be in the midst of the the twelve tribes to serve as a dwelling place for God, and a meeting place for the people as a visible reminder of the uniqueness of God and a protection against idolatry (Ex. 29:43,45). Most significantly it served as a prophetic prefigurement of the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. No less than fifty chapters in the Bible are given to its construction, furniture, and function. The first piece of furniture described is a 3’9” long and 2’3” deep and wide wooden box covered with gold. The lid of the ark was called the mercy seat. On each end of the lid were two cherubim with extended wings. These were the honor guard at the throne of God communicating His holiness. In this box were the two tablets of the Ten Commandments. On the Day of Atonement blood was sprinkled on the mercy seat. There is no other way to approach a holy God than by the shedding of the blood of an innocent animal. Israel and the whole world was to know that sin must be atoned for.
The ark of the covenant was transformed from a throne of judgment to a throne of grace by atoning blood sprinkled upon the mercy seat. So the cross of Christ is that place where we meet God. It is under His blood that we must come for escape from judgment, for forgiveness and eternal fellowship with God. Rejoice, dear friend, that God has provided for us a way into His eternal presence through Jesus Christ.
H
“But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God.” Hebrews 10:12