6 Minute Read
Prepare Your Heart
To the best of your ability, get rid of all distractions. Take a few minutes to breathe deeply and quiet yourself in the Lord’s presence. Then, ask the Lord to speak to you in this time. Let Him know that you will listen and make whatever adjustments He will reveal to you.
Read God’s Word
A Verse for Today
Slowly and reflectively read the following verse(s) and listen to what God will say to you through His written Word. Consider writing down any insights He reveals to you.
Numbers 7:89 (CSB): “When Moses entered the tent of meeting to speak with the LORD, he heard the voice speaking to him from above the mercy seat that was on the ark of the testimony, from between the two cherubim. He spoke to him that way.”
Reflecting on God’s Word
Today’s verse invites us into the Holy of Holies. This area was in the back one-third of the Tabernacle, divided from the front two-thirds by the thick veil. Only Moses and then only the High Priests could enter that special place, and only if they did so in God’s prescribed way. If not, God would kill them. Just like those who handle uranium must do so in a very careful, meticulous fashion, so those entering God’s presence must be careful.
Number 7:89 tells us where God’s voice originated as He spoke to Moses. It tells us that Moses “heard the voice speaking to him from above the mercy seat that was on the ark of the testimony, from between the two cherubim.” So, God’s voice came from above the Mercy Seat. Hold that thought.
This is as beautiful as it is theologically rich. Let me unpack it a bit for you.
The word that is translated “mercy seat” is a word that also means “propitiation.” You’ve probably seen that word in some translations of the Bible. That word was used by pagan religions and referred to how worshippers had to offer a sacrifice to a deity to appease their wrath. While Judaism and Christianity are distinct from pagan religions, they sometimes took words from those pagan religions and infused them with even more meaning.
The Mercy Seat was the lid on top of the Ark of the Covenant. This lid was made of pure gold (Exodus 25:17-18).
The Ark of the Covenant was the box under the Mercy Seat. It was made of acacia wood and pure gold (Exodus 25:10-11).
The Ark of the Covenant contained a few items during its lifetime. One item was the Ten Commandments that Moses received from the Lord. According to Deuteronomy 10:1-5, Moses may have put the tablets of the Law in the Ark as soon as he brought them down from the mountain.
Those Ten Commandments, in the Ark of the Covenant, stood against humanity and proclaimed its guilt:
- Have you ever disrespected your parents? You’ve broken the 5th commandment.
- Have you ever hated someone? You’ve broken the 6th commandment.
- Have you ever looked at someone and lusted? You’ve broken the 7th commandment.
- Have you ever taken anything that wasn’t yours? You’ve broken the 8th commandment.
- Have you ever told a lie? You’ve broken the 9th commandment.
- Have you ever wanted something that didn’t belong to you? You’ve broken the 10th commandment.
So, when God, who took His position above the Mercy Seat, looked into the Ark of the Covenant and saw the Ten Commandments, His righteous anger and justice demanded that He do something about each lawbreaker.
But He had to look through something before He could see the Ten Commandments in the Ark. He had to look through the Mercy Seat. Remember, that was the lid on top of the Ark that would appease God’s anger, who would be righteously angry when He saw the laws that humanity was breaking.
What was it about that lid that would appease His anger?
In Leviticus 16 (esp. v. 14-15), we learn that the High Priest would sprinkle the blood of a bull on the Mercy Seat once a year on the Day of Atonement. That blood was not wiped off. It stayed there. So, when God, who resided above the Mercy Seat, looked into the Ark at the laws that His people had broken, He had to look through the blood to see the law.
You see, sin is so horrific in God’s eyes that it requires a death sentence. Have you ever read those passages in the Old Testament that basically say that if you sneeze, it’s a death sentence (Exodus 21:12-17; Leviticus 20)? One of the primary things we learn from passages like these is that God takes sin very seriously. It requires a death sentence. In the New Testament, God’s Holy Spirit led Paul to write: “For the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23).
So, when God, who resided above the Mercy Seat, looked through the blood of the Mercy Seat at the Laws his people had broken, His wrath was appeased. And this points us to Jesus. He shed His blood on the cross so that all who look to Him and trust in Him to make them right in God’s eyes are forgiven and made righteous. When God looks at the laws that we have broken, He must look through the blood of Jesus first – and He is appeased.
One final thought…
The New Testament writers noticed the truth I have shared with you. In the original language, they actually used the word translated as “mercy seat” or “propitiation” to refer to Jesus. He IS our Mercy Seat!
1 John 4:10 (CSB): “Love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice (lit. “mercy seat” “propitiation”) for our sins.”
Spend Time in Prayer
- Ask God to help you see the sinfulness of your sin, to realize what it required of Him to forgive you.
- Ask God to help you cultivate an even greater gratitude for what He has done for you in Jesus.
Going Deeper
If you want to dig a little deeper into the Mercy Seat, consider reading the following GotQuestions article:
Sharing
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Matt Ellis is the pastor of First Baptist Church in Polk City, Florida (fbcpolkcity.com)
Matt’s Musings 