Exodus 25:17, commentary and pictures

The mercy seat is the solid pure gold cover of the ark standing in the most holy place beyond the inner veil, two and a half cubits long and a cubit and a half wide, wrought as costly and magnificent workmanship. Two golden cherubim stand one at each end facing one another and looking down with wings raised above and spread over it in reverence and humility, while above is the Shekinah glory of God's dwelling presence between the cherubim and beneath in the sacred chest lie the two tables of the Ten Commandments. The bowed cherubim show the awe with which the heavenly host regard God's law as the foundation of His government, and the cover above the law is where mercy and truth meet in atonement and intercession. There Jesus ministers in the heavenly sanctuary, presenting the prayers, praise, confession, obedience, and thanksgiving of true believers with sweet incense and His own spotless righteousness, purifying what is defiled in passing through humanity until gracious answers return in glory. When Christ died the veil was torn from top to bottom and God's presence no longer rested over the earthly mercy seat, ending its service of animal blood and opening a new and living way for Jew and Gentile through the Saviour officiating as Priest and Advocate in the heaven of heavens.

Form and Setting

The mercy seat is the covering placed above the ark containing the stone tablets of God's law, standing in the most holy place beyond the inner veil. It was made of pure gold wrought in one solid piece, a costly and magnificent work, two and a half cubits long and a cubit and a half wide, with its top and sides of purest gold. Beneath it the ark is a sacred chest holding the two tables of stone inscribed with the ten commandments.

At each end of the mercy seat stands a golden cherub, the two facing one another and looking downward toward the ark. Their wings are raised and touch above and are spread out over the mercy seat, with one wing of each stretched forth on high while the other is folded over the body in reverence and humility. Above the mercy seat is the Shekinah, the manifestation of the divine presence in exceeding bright glory like a throne where God dwells, revealed in the cloud of glory between the cherubim. From between the cherubim God makes known His will, and the token and sign of His presence rested upon the ark day and night.

The law kept beneath represents God, and the ark was regarded as Israel's glory and strength, before which priests ministered. The specifications for this work were given by Christ to Moses for building the tabernacle, part of the instructions for Israel's service received during the forty days and nights Moses spent on the mountain. The earthly ark and its mercy seat are a pattern of the true ark in heaven, where living angels stand beside it in reverence and humility.

What It Signifies

The covering of pure gold placed above the ark holding the stone tablets is looked upon with reverent awe by the heavenly host, for the law beneath it is the foundation of God's government. The cherubim standing one at each end, facing one another and looking downward toward the ark with one wing stretched on high and the other folded over the body, show in their posture the reverence and humility with which holy angels regard that law. Their gaze toward the ark expresses both awe before God's law and deep interest in the plan of redemption. The earthly ark and its cover are a pattern of the true ark in heaven, where living angels stand beside it in the same reverence and humility.

The mercy seat belongs to the symbolic service of atonement and intercession, where mercy and truth meet. It is the cover above the law where Jesus stands to mediate for humanity. There He ministers in the heavenly sanctuary before the ark.

In the most holy place of the heavenly sanctuary Jesus stands by the ark, whose top and sides are of purest gold, two and a half cubits long and a cubit and a half wide, with a lovely cherub on each end whose wings are raised and touch above and whose faces look down toward the ark. Between the cherubim stands a golden censer, and as the prayers of the saints come up to Jesus in faith He offers them with sweet incense to the Father. What He presents is the prayers, praise, penitent confession, obedience, and thanksgiving of true believers, which ascend like incense yet passing through corrupt humanity are defiled and can never be of value unless purified by blood. Christ the Intercessor holds the censer of His own merits with no taint of earthly corruption, gathers into it the prayers, praise, and confessions of His people, and puts with them His own spotless righteousness, so that perfumed with the merits of His propitiation the incense comes up before God wholly and entirely acceptable. Everything in obedience, penitence, praise, and thanksgiving must be placed upon the glowing fire of His righteousness, whose fragrance ascends like a cloud around the mercy seat. Directly above is an exceeding bright glory like a throne where God dwells, and as the incense ascends light and glory come from the Father to Jesus and from Jesus to praying saints, pouring upon Him in rich abundance and overshadowing the mercy seat until gracious answers are returned and the train of glory fills the temple.

The mercy seat is a cover that can be raised, and Jesus raises it to display beneath it the tables of stone bearing the ten commandments. When lifted there is seen a halo of glory around the fourth commandment, standing in the very center encircled by a soft halo of light, because it alone of the ten points out the living God as the maker of heaven and earth and all things therein. The ark, its cover, and the angels at either end are thus connected with the heavenly sanctuary and the great day of atonement.

History and Application

At the moment Christ died the veil separating the holy from the most holy place was torn in two from top to bottom by the hand of God, laying open to common gaze the most holy place that human feet had sacredly entered only once a year. From that time the presence of God no longer rested over the earthly mercy seat overshadowed by Him in the most holy place of the temple, and the light of His glory no longer flashed upon the precious stones in the breastplate of the high priest nor did the cloud of His disapproval shadow them. Its sacred mysteries were exposed to curious eyes and its service ended, for the blood of beasts offered for sin became valueless when the Lamb of God died for the sins of the world. A new and living way was opened to both Jew and Gentile through the Saviour officiating henceforth as Priest and Advocate in the heaven of heavens.

The mercy seat stands in the most holy place of the sanctuary and temple as the earthly symbols of God's dwelling place sacred to His presence. Above the mercy seat and the bowed, worshiping cherubim dwelt the glory of the Holiest, glory upon which no man might look and live. The veil inwrought with cherubim at its entrance was not to be lifted by any hand save one, and to intrude unbidden into the sacred mystery was death. On the one day of the year appointed for ministry there the high priest with trembling entered God's presence while clouds of incense veiled the glory from his sight, while every sound throughout the courts was hushed and no priests ministered at the altars, and the hosts of worshipers bowed in silent awe sent up petitions for God's mercy. These things happened by way of example and were written for admonition upon whom the ends of the ages are come.

The specifications for the mercy seat were among those given by Christ to Moses for building the tabernacle, and repeated by Paul with the rest of Exodus 24-27 to his fellow workers while making tents with his hands. The skill, genius, and wisdom put into the tabernacle work were given by God to be used for His glory, teaching that supreme honor is to be given to God. Quick, skillful, diligent, thorough hand labor is thereby held up as preaching the gospel.

The mercy seat is the place to become acquainted with God's ministry of healing and grace and everlasting love and His care for the necessities of even the feeblest of His flock. Its light of grace is to shine forth from many places through small gospel medical missionary plants and sanitariums reaching high and low, rich and poor. This is to call attention to God's message and bring deliverance from both physical and spiritual ills to a world filled with sin-sick souls in the last days.