And above it [the Ark of the Covenant] were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat.
And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.
The Lord has a throne in Heaven, but He did not let His people build Him a throne on Earth. Rather, He instructed Moses to build the Ark of the Covenant (the word “ark” meant “box”), where He would be present (Exodus 25:10). The lid of the box was called the mercy seat, because that’s where the Lord came to sit (Exodus 25:17). The Lord’s sitting on the mercy seat is much like a human father sitting on a cedar chest (the approximate dimensions of the ark). God came to sit on His box—the Ark of the Covenant. It’s ironic that the God of Heaven had to sit on a box and not on a throne. Blood was sprinkled on the mercy seat once each year, symbolic of God’s covering Israel’s sin. God wanted to sit where the blood was sprinkled. The mercy seat was symbolic of forgiven sins.
Lord Jesus, You are my Mercy Seat, for it was Your blood that redeemed me. I worship You for salvation completed.
The Shekinah glory cloud sat on the mercy seat. The glory of God— His presence—was in that cloud as it filled the holy of holies. That’s as close as anyone will see God sitting on anything on this earth. Today, invite Jesus’ presence to fill your world and influence you, just as God’s glory came to sit on the mercy seat in the Old Testament.
Jesus, You are the Propitiation—the Satisfaction—for my sins. When You died for me, it was Your blood that was sprinkled on the mercy seat. Amen.
Go Deeper: Hebrews 9:1-11
The Lord has a throne in Heaven, but He did not let His people build Him a throne on Earth. Rather, He instructed Moses to build the Ark of the Covenant (the word “ark” meant “box”), where He would be present (Exodus 25:10). The lid of the box was called the mercy seat because that’s where the Lord came to sit (Exodus 25:17). The Lord’s sitting on the mercy seat is much like a human father sitting on a cedar chest (the approximate dimensions of the ark). God came to sit on His box—the Ark of the Covenant. It’s ironic that the God of Heaven had to sit on a box and not on a throne. Blood was sprinkled on the mercy seat once each year, symbolic of God’s covering Israel’s sin. God wanted to sit where the blood was sprinkled. The mercy seat was symbolic of forgiven sins.
