Exodus 25:17 – “You shall make a mercy seat of pure gold; two and a half cubits shall be its length and a cubit and a half its width.”
The “mercy seat” was a slab of gold fitting over the top of the ark chest. Once a year the High Priest would enter into the Most Holy Place and make atonement for the sins of the people of Israel by sprinkling blood of bulls and goats on the mercy seat. The ark symbolizing the presence of God with His people was holy and was placed in the Holy of Holies and separated from the rest of the Tabernacle by a heavy veil.
No sinful person could look upon the glory of God above the ark and live. The full significance and fulfillment of the meaning of the Ark of the Covenant and its mercy seat is found in the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. When God sent His perfect lamb to make atonement for the sins of the people, the blood of goats and bulls was no longer needed on the Day of Atonement.
The sprinkling of the blood of the perfect Lamb of God secured eternal redemption for sinners. We are always welcome because of the perfect sacrifice Christ made for our sins. When God became man and dwelt among us, the presence of God was made perfect. The Ark of the Covenant was a shadow of the perfect dwelling of God with men in the incarnation of Jesus Christ. We now long for the perfect day of fulfillment in the new heaven and new earth.
It’s a brand new day! Keep enjoying Kharis!
Pastor Josh Laryea