The last article of the Ark of the Covenant that I want to discuss is the mercy seat. The mercy seat is the top covering of the Ark of the Covenant, where two carved angels spread their wings over the cover of the Ark of the Covenant (Exodus 25:17-22). Ark of the Covenant was where the very presence of God resided. Once a year during Yom Kippur or the Day of Atonement, the high priest would enter the Holy of Holies to sprinkle the blood of animals on the mercy seat for the forgiveness of sin of the entire nation of Israel. The Ten Commandments that were in the Ark of the Covenant showed how the nation of Israel should live their lives, but the Israelites couldn't obey them consistently. As a result, they were guilty of their sins before God. The high priest then would sprinkle the blood of the animal on the mercy seat that covers the Ten Commandments so that they would be clean and forgiven before God and entered His presence. The reason that the covering of the Ark of the Covenant was called the mercy seat was that when the high priest sprinkled the blood on the top of it, God did not give the nation of Israel what they deserved, which was death because of their sins. Instead, they received forgiveness.
Jesus became our mercy seat. Hebrews 4:16 says, "So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most." Through the shedding of the blood of our Lord Jesus on the cross, our sins have been washed away before our God. We received mercy from God because of what Jesus had done on the cross. Whatever problems that we have today, we can enter into the presence of God through our prayers and ask Him to help us. He hears our prayers in His very presence because we have been forgiven of our sins. God did not give us what we deserved, but He forgave our sins so that we could find grace to help us in times of need. Our past sins have been forgiven, and we don't have to live in guilt and shame.
We find mercy before God because of the shedding of the blood of our Lord Jesus. He sacrificed His life for us on the cross so that we can be forgiven of our sins and enter the presence of God.
Questions for application: (Think through these questions carefully, meditate on them while answering them, and let the Spirit of God speak to you.) How did I find mercy before God? How did Jesus wash away my past sins? What is God speaking into my heart as I read the devotion for today?
Take a moment to write down all your worries today. Then, lift them up to God in prayer, surrendering them to His will and trusting in His guidance.
Prayer:
Dear Father in Heaven, thank you for being a merciful God. I am forgiven of my sins because my Lord Jesus washed them away with His blood on the cross. I can now enter your throne with confidence and ask you to help me with my needs because I am clean and forgiven. In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.
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