The Mercy Seat of God

And when Moses went into 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; and it spoke to him. – Numbers‬ ‭7:89‬ ‭ESV‬‬

So the Jews said to him, “What sign do you show us for doing these things?” Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” The Jews then said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?” But he was speaking about the temple of his body. – John‬ ‭2:18-21‬ ‭ESV‬‬

And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.” – Acts‬ ‭1:10-11‬ ‭ESV‬‬

When I was in college I took two courses on the Bible as Literature. They were excellent and were a very robust introduction to the Bible, which is vital for understanding western literature, history, and culture. One motif that we discussed a lot was recapitulation. There are numerous examples of recapitulation both within the Old Testament itself and most especially between the Old and New Testaments, particularly the life of Jesus Christ.

I was reading some passages from Numbers yesterday evening and came across these lines quoted above. They struck me – “the mercy seat” – I had never noticed or seen that phrase or translation before, and I became curious about the specific construction of the ark of the covenant and what exactly does that mean. Of course there are apparently precise, specific measurements for this ark, but what was more interesting to me was the idea first that there was a covenant with God at all and secondly that a specific ark was constructed for this covenant with God. I think most people view it that God gave specific instructions to Moses and the Israelites for the ark because this pleased God, and I’m certain that we can find many passages to support such a claim. However it seems to me that perhaps more likely the ark and its dimensions were actually more for the people than for God. To build an ark with such great precision to honor your covenant with the one true God is truly an act of devotion. It would require much focus, skill, resources, and much sacrifice to build such a thing. Such a task would by its very nature make a man more holy and sanctified. And by all accounts the ark was truly that – a beautified, sacred, and valuable thing. And not only this but even God Himself communicated directly with Moses and later high priests through this ark. To be clear God was not the ark but rather used the ark as a clear vessel or channel to abide over and commune fully and directly with His people. A Holy place was prepared for Him, and He came and dwelt amongst His people. And so we can clearly see there is a direct relationship between the physical world we live in, work in, and suffer in and the presence of God and our direct and full communion with Him. Moses and the Israelites were called upon to do something for Him and in so doing they found greater communion and blessing with Him. It is from this ark then that Jerusalem was founded by King David, and the first temple to the Lord was built by his son Solomon. The Lord’s Word and blessings carrying themselves forth through time with His people, by His people, and for His people.

When Jesus Christ was born and walked amongst us the second temple was still standing, the first temple being destroyed centuries earlier by Nebuchadnezzar. The temple then functions as a larger and expanded construction for the ark of the covenant and the worship of the Lord Most High. We can see parallels between the temple construction, the original tabernacle, and the ark design, for example the Holy of Holies in the temple and the mercy seat upon the ark itself. It would appear there is a meaningful fractal element to the Judaic divine architecture.

So what is the mercy seat on the ark exactly? Exodus 25:10-22 explains the mercy seat. Here are the final lines from that passage:

And you shall put the mercy seat on the top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the testimony that I shall give you. There I will meet with you, and from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim that are on the ark of the testimony, I will speak with you about all that I will give you in commandment for the people of Israel. – ‭Exodus‬ ‭25:21-22‬ ‭ESV‬‬

The mercy seat rests on top of the ark and is surrounded by two winged cherubim. And note most especially that God meets “above the mercy seat,” which is to say that God does not materialize in any way, which is why there is no image of God allowed – He is beyond imagery and form and materiality. The mercy seat then is the material touchstone or landing platform for the Lord to communicate with man directly. It is also interesting that of all things it is called the “mercy seat,” for it is revealing that if we ever wish to commune fully and directly with the Lord it is essential and fundamental that mercy, Grace, and forgiveness are fully exercised. When God makes Himself known to us His nature is of a particular and specific tone and character. Just as the ark itself was to be built to specific codes, so too must our consciousness adhere to specific values, creeds, and characters – if we are to walk with the Lord we are called upon to be more like Him, to walk like Him, and to love as He so loves.

The mercy seat also played a vital role in the atoning of sins and the ritual sacrifices that were performed by the high priests. This is described in great detail in Leviticus. There is actually a lot to consider in this regard as well for during the first ritual sacrifice performed with Moses, Aaron, and Aaron’s two first sons Nadab and Abihu, problems already arose. Aaron’s sons did not follow the specifications given for the ritual sacrifice and as such the Lord consumed them in flame and they died. After that in Leviticus 16 it states the following:

The Lord spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they drew near before the Lord and died, and the Lord said to Moses, “Tell Aaron your brother not to come at any time into the Holy Place inside the veil, before the mercy seat that is on the ark, so that he may not die. For I will appear in the cloud over the mercy seat.” – Leviticus‬ ‭16:1-2‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Already, even at the very first ritual sacrifice upon the ark, did man’s inadequacy, failure, and sin sully the good work of the Lord. Moses apparently was upright but no one else could maintain the commands of the Lord in even this one task, let alone an entire life lived. In fact Moses himself was not allowed to enter into the promised land because of one sin he committed, and there has not been another prophet again the likes of Moses. We all need mercy. We all fail and stumble even perhaps most especially before our Good Lord Most High. And as such the mercy seat was used for the atonement of sins.

Aaron and all other high priests, unlike Moses, were not worthy to stand before God in His pure form at the mercy seat of the ark. And as such the Lord commanded them to perform further rituals and wear robes for protection, and to cloud over the mercy seat with incense so that God could not be seen by Aaron lest he die. We see then here in the book of Leviticus that the reason a high priesthood with various rituals was created was not for God’s sake per say, but more for man’s sake, in order that we may find some way to commune as fully and directly as we could with Him. The sacrifices, the robes, the incense are all for the priests, not because they are higher or better than everyone else in any way, but in fact because they are sinful and broken and unworthy to stand fully before God. These additional rituals assisted in some manner to be able to sanctify oneself further, to get closer to God without His direct emanation literally incinerating or killing them on the spot. In this way the mercy seat is also allowing man to bear witness as much as possible to the complete divinity of the Lord and stay alive. And indeed what a true blessing it is to be able to know God directly and live.

The ark of the covenant and in particular the mercy seat upon the ark, given unto the man Moses by God directly in order for the Lord to communicate fully with His people then becomes recapitulated thousands of years later in the man Jesus Christ. He then becomes that touchstone for God to reside and dwell amongst us physically. And He becomes the seat and physical focus in the world for mercy and Grace and the forgiveness of our sins. If Jesus Christ is the mercy seat upon the ark of the covenant, then the Holy of Holies, ripped open upon His death on the cross, is the ark of the covenant itself, and finally the second temple, destroyed by the Romans, is the tabernacle of the Lord. These are all recapitulations played out through the Old and New Testaments and is a fairly common Christian teaching.

But let us now look to ourselves today, another two thousand years later after Jesus Christ fulfilled the law of Moses and the prophets providing Living Grace to all who choose to be in His flock. What about now? How does the Lord work now? How does the ark of the covenant and the mercy seat apply to us today at all?

I quoted above from the Book of Acts where it states that Jesus will return in the same way He left. Well how did He leave? In a cloud of glory. What does that mean exactly? To me it means He left in a mysterious and mystical fashion. In a way that is subtle and immaterial. Did He vaporize Himself as He ascended into the heavens? I don’t know exactly, but to me it indicates that His “second coming” will be in a more mystical and mysterious way, at least that is how I see Him working with us now. And it is not just the Holy Spirit, as the Holy Spirit has been with us and is with us forever more and thank God indeed for that. But this I am speaking of is in regards to the second person of the Trinity – Jesus Christ Himself. His form appears to me now today in a mystical form. When he was physically walking among us as Jesus Christ, He was the mercy seat of the ark of the covenant. But now, as He stands with us etherically, that is to say mystically and spiritually, He is now the emanation of God that came present above the mercy seat, surrounded by a holy host of cherubim. This is the new age of man and the evolution of the Christ working and communing directly with all of mankind on earth. We then, that is to say our consciousness, our minds and hearts and bodies, are the mercy seat today of the ark of the covenant with the One True Living God. But for those of us today, we are not required to sacrifice our bodies to death the way Jesus Christ did – we are not saviors in that sense at all, and certainly the sacrifices that Jesus Christ made were more than enough for all of us. So instead what then does it mean for our consciousness, minds and hearts and bodies to be the mercy seat? We must keep sacrificing ourselves to forgiveness. We must keep humbling ourselves before Him and His Grace and Glory. We are the touchstone here on earth and in heaven for the Lord to be with us, to reside among us in His Name. We must forgive ourselves and each other. We are all the mercy seat of God, and as we extend mercy to all so too do we sanctify and purify our ark and temple and as such fulfill the commandments of the Lord, preparing the place for Him to reside over us, above us, around us, all through us, communing with us fully and directly. This is our covenant – it is a living covenant with our One True Living God. He is dynamic and alive and makes all things new again – and as such so must we start fresh again anew with all before ourselves, with each other and those around us. We must engage with the world and the people we encounter in the ways of the Lord, the ways of mercy and Grace. As we seek Him and His ways so too does He find residence and home with us, within us, and all around us. We become His mercy seat and our forms become a new ark of our great covenant with Him – a covenant that spans through the ages, over time and space, ascending like a cloud of glory the Light of the Son of God our Father in Heaven. Hallowed be thy Name.