What's so Incredible about the Mercy Seat?

TODAY'S BIBLE READING:

Exodus 26:1–27:21 

Matthew 25:1-30 

Psalm 31:1-8 

Proverbs 8: 1-11

BIBLE VERSE(S) FOR TODAY:

Matthew 25:21 "The master was full of praise. 'Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!'"

REFLECTIONS ON TODAY'S BIBLE VERSE(S):

In any Read-Through-The-Bible plan, you will inevitably come to Exodus with all of its meticulous laws, details regarding the tabernacle, and many other items. If we aren't careful, we will get bogged down because we aren't convinced that it is relevant and certainly not interesting.

Yet, God's Word (every word in Scripture) is inspired and profitable for us (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Regardless of the text, if we have the right study tools and are willing to prayerfully dig deep into the text, we will see some absolutely wonderful truths in what would seem like the least likely of places.

In today's text, I came across one verse that is incredibly rich in it's implications. I want to share a little bit of it's wonder with you.

In Exodus 26, God instructed Moses regarding the tabernacle, specifically the Ark of the Covenant.

"Then put the Ark’s cover—the place of atonement—on top of the Ark of the Covenant inside the Most Holy Place." (Exodus 26:34)

On it's face, this may not seem significant until we consider a few more details. Let me present them in the form of questions.

What was in the Ark?

"In that room were a gold incense altar and a wooden chest called the Ark of the Covenant, which was covered with gold on all sides. Inside the Ark were a gold jar containing manna, Aaron’s staff that sprouted leaves, and the stone tablets of the covenant." (Hebrews 9:4)

Note the contents that were mentioned last - "the stone tablets of the covenant." Do you know what that was? It was the 10 Commandments. It's what Moses held in his hands as he came down from Mt. Sinai. He dashed the first set against the rocks in his anger (see Exodus 32:19). The tablets in the Ark were the second set of tablets with the same contents engraved on them - The Law of God!

Friends, while God's Law is good because it calls for nothing short of holiness and perfection, it also shows every one of us how utterly sinful we are. So, while it is good, it is intended to make us feel bad, to realize our guilt before a holy Judge.

Have you ever lied? Then, you've broken the 9th Commandment. You, friend, are a lawbreaker.

Have you ever dishonored your parents in any way? Then, you've broken the 5th Commandment. You are a lawbreaker.

Have you ever been angry at someone? Then you've broken the 6th Commandment (see Matthew 5:21-22).

Have you ever looked at someone while entertaining lustful thoughts? Then you've broken the 7th Commandment (see Matthew 5:27-28).

We see that while the Law is good, is condemns each and every one of us because we have all broken most (if not all) of the laws many, many times. So, in God's eyes, not one single person is considered righteous (see Romans 3:10).

The problem is compounded when we realize that a holy God cannot be indifferent to lawbreakers. A good judge cannot let guilty criminals go free. He must demand that the one who does the crime does the time (see Exodus 34:7; Numbers 14:18; Nahum 1:3; etc.).

So, condemned by the Law as a lawbreaker, we stand before God, our Judge, awaiting our punishment. 

What resided above the Ark?

"I will meet with you there and talk to you from above the atonement cover between the gold cherubim that hover over the Ark of the Covenant. From there I will give you my commands for the people of Israel." (Exodus 25:22)

God's visible presence appeared above the Ark of the Covenant. The Law was inside the Ark as God's presence hovered above it.

This presents a powerful picture! God hovered over the Law that stood against us. As He looked into the Ark, it testified loud and clear that we were lawbreakers deserving of whatever punishment He deemed fitting.

Let's not forget that God is a holy God who cannot tolerate sin and must punish sinners anywhere he sees them.

What separated God from the Law in the Ark?

This question is answered in the verse given above. Exodus 25:22 tells us that God's presence was above the Atonement Cover. This Cover is what rested on top of the Ark.

"Then put the Ark’s cover—the place of atonement—on top of the Ark of the Covenant inside the Most Holy Place." (Exodus 26:34)

So, the Law that condemned everyone was inside the Ark, God's presence hovered above the Ark and these two were separated by the lid on top of the Ark, "the place of atonement." (It's also called the Mercy Seat.)

The definition of "atonement" can be easily determined by simply dividing the word by it's syllables - "at-one-ment". Atonement was the way in which God could be made "at one" with us in spite of our unquestioned guilt.

How did the Place of Atonement (Mercy Seat) spare us from an angry, just God?

Leviticus 16 is a chapter that is dedicated solely to the Day of Atonement. It describes in detail what happened on that special day on the Jewish calendar.

The greatest act that occurred on that day was when the High Priest took innocent animals, killed them, and entered the Holy of Holies with their blood. Leviticus 16:14-16 tells us that he sprinkled their blood around and on the Mercy Seat.

Yes, this was gory! Yes, this was vile. Yes, it was messy. A bloody sacrifice was never meant to be a thing that warmed the heart. 

It was intended to show how offensive our sin was to a holy God. It was intended to show us that in order for our sin to be forgiven, something must die. To be acquitted, capital punishment must be administered. But, the animal in the Old Testament could serve as a substitute for the lawbreaking worshiper.

So, (get this!), when God (who was hovering over the Mercy Seat) looked into the Ark of the Covenant and saw the law that convicted us, He had to look through the Mercy Seat and the blood to see it. The blood changed the way He saw the Law. Instead of the Law condemning us, the blood showed that the demands of the Law were met, something died for the sin, and God's justice was satisfied.

As if that isn't enough, it gets better! The New Testament tells us that Jesus is the One Who Ultimately and Finally Remedied Our Sin Problem.

In Hebrews 9, it tells us that the Old Testament sacrifices could not permanently remedy the worshipers' legal guilt. It only pushed their sins forward. It was like a snowball that is rolled on the ground. It gets pushed forward but that only causes it to get bigger and bigger. 

The Old Testament sacrifices only temporarily remedied the sin problem but pushing it forward. But in reality, the worshiper's sin debt only got bigger and bigger. It was an inferior, temporary fix.

In Hebrews 9, we realize that those massive "snowballs" of sin were rolled to the cross. At that place, they were once and forever dealt with!

When Jesus died on the cross, we are told that he took his blood into the heavenly Holy of Holies and offered His own blood on the Mercy Seat.

"So Christ has now become the High Priest over all the good things that have come. He has entered that greater, more perfect Tabernacle in heaven, which was not made by human hands and is not part of this created world. With his own blood—not the blood of goats and calves—he entered the Most Holy Place once for all time and secured our redemption forever." (Hebrews 9:11-12)

Did you get that? Jesus offered His own blood on our behalf. He sprinkled His own blood on the heavenly Mercy Seat. So, when God looks into the Ark and sees the Law that condemns us, He has to look through Jesus' blood before He sees the Law. 

If you have reached a point in your life when you have turned from your sin and trusted wholly in Jesus and His work on the cross on your behalf, then He has forgiven you and saved you. His death on the cross became the payment for your sin. His death is the capital punishment that you deserved. And when God looks at the Law that once condemned you, it is Jesus' blood that makes it clear that we have been permanently cleaned and cleared of all guilt. Our fine was paid on the cross. The Law no longer hangs over our heads. Jesus paid it all!

"Then put the Ark’s cover—the place of atonement—on top of the Ark of the Covenant inside the Most Holy Place." (Exodus 26:34)

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The Day of Atonement

At sundown this evening, the holiest day of the Jewish year begins. It's called Yom Kippur. In Bible times, it was called "The Day of Atonement" and is explained in Leviticus 16.

In a nutshell, this day was the only day of the year in which the High Priest was able to enter the Holy of Holies (where God's glory was visibly present) in the tabernacle/temple. On this day, he would enter with the blood of an animal that had been killed and sprinkle that blood upon the Mercy Seat (the lid over the Ark of the Covenant). This act did not forgive the sins of the people so much as it pushed the sins forward one more year until these sins were forever atoned for by Jesus on the cross as our ultimate Passover Lamb.

Why blood and why on the Mercy Seat?...

In my Bible reading this morning, I read how Solomon brought the Ark of the Covenant into the newly constructed temple in Jerusalem. It was noted that one item still remained in the Ark of the Covenant hidden by the Mercy Seat...

"There was nothing in the ark except the two tablets that Moses put there at Horeb, where the LORD made a covenant with the people of Israel, when they came out of Egypt." (2 Chronicles 5:10).

On those "two tablets" were written the Ten Commandments. Those ten laws condemned everyone of us!

Don't think so?

Have you ever told a lie? Then you've broken the 9th commandment.
Have you ever been angry at someone? Then you've broken the 6th commandment (Jesus equated anger with murder in Matthew 5:21-22).
Have you ever lusted? Then you've broken the 7th commandment (Jesus equated lust with adultery in Matthew 5:28).

We could keep going but you get the point.

As God's presence rested over the Ark of the Covenant in the Holy of Holies and He looked into the Ark, He saw the Ten Commandments. Those were a reminder that all of humanity had violated His most holy laws. The offense was so great that it demanded a death sentence. Someone/something had to die for our grievous offenses against a holy God!

So, resting between God's presence and the laws that condemned us was the Mercy Seat. And on that Mercy Seat was sprinkled the blood of an innocent animal once each year. The blood of that animal was shed as a substitute. The animal's life was taken in place of the guilty people.

The ultimate Lamb that was slain that did away with all other sacrifices was Jesus. It was in

this way that we could come into right relationship with God. He couldn't do away with His holy laws. But, He found a way to uphold His laws while making us right with Him.

That is the beauty of the Day of Atonement and of the Cross. In these two, God maintained His holy standard and upheld His laws while at the same time made it possible for us to be completely forgiven and brought into relationship with Him because a substitute took our death sentence.