Exodus 25:17-22

THE MERCY-SEAT

"And thou shalt make a mercy-seat of pure gold: two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof And thou shalt make two cherubim of gold; of beaten work shalt thou make them, at the two ends of the mercy-seat. And make one cherub at the one end, and one cherub at the other end: of one piece with the mercy-seat shall ye make the cherubim on the two ends thereof. And the cherubim shall spread out their wings on high, covering the mercy-seat with their wings, with their faces one to another; toward the mercy-seat shall the faces of the cherubim be. And thou shalt put the mercy-seat above upon the ark; and in the ark thou shalt put the testimony that I shall give thee. And there will I meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy-seat, from between the two cherubim which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel"

In addition to the elaborate figures of the cherubim with outspread wings arching over the mercy-seat, and the costliness of it, the marvelous glory of it appeared in God's placement of it above and on top of the Ark of the Covenant. Note that another name is given the ark here, "the ark of the testimony." The symbolism of the mercy-seat without question is that of the mercy of God; and therefore the placement of it above and on top of the ark constituted a dramatic pronouncement within the very heart of the Divine Sanctuary itself that "God's mercy ranks higher than God's law," which must be hailed as the most marvelous revelation of the whole Law of Moses. Who was ever born whose heart cannot thrill with gratitude for the holy truth that God's mercy ranks higher than His law?

Here in the location of that mercy-seat is revealed the key to all of God's dealings with the sinful race of Adam. By God's grace and by His eternal will, His mercy stands enthroned higher than His law, a no more significant truth was ever revealed under the types and shadows of the First Covenant. For uncounted generations, men beheld this figure of the mercy-seat above the Law; but neither men nor angels understood it. The very attitude of the cherubim "facing downward toward the mercy-seat" suggests their curiosity and wonder at what could have been the meaning of such a thing. We believe Peter referred to this, speaking of the marvelous salvation in Christ, and adding, "Which things angels desire to look into!" (1 Peter 1:12).

Every mortal man, prone to sin, mired in the inevitable guilt associated with all human life, and pitifully conscious of his own helplessness to save himself - every man should thank God for his mercy, forever elevated even above his own law, and for the salvation provided in that mercy through the blood of the Saviour.