The Mercy-Seat, a significant element in the religious life of ancient Israel, is the gold cover placed atop the Ark of the Testimony, also known as the Ark of the Covenant. This sacred object is central to the worship practices described in the Old Testament, particularly within the context of the Tabernacle and later the Temple in Jerusalem.

Biblical Description and Construction

The instructions for the construction of the Mercy-Seat are found in the Book of Exodus. According to Exodus 25:17-22 , God commanded Moses: "And you are to make a mercy seat of pure gold, two and a half cubits long and a cubit and a half wide. Make two cherubim of hammered gold at the ends of the mercy seat. Make one cherub on one end and one on the other, all made from one piece of gold. The cherubim are to have wings spread upward, overshadowing the mercy seat, and they are to face each other, looking toward the mercy seat."

The Mercy-Seat served as the lid for the Ark, which contained the tablets of the Ten Commandments, Aaron's rod that budded, and a pot of manna. The cherubim, with their wings outstretched, symbolized the presence and majesty of God.

Theological Significance

The Mercy-Seat holds profound theological significance as the place where God would meet with Moses and communicate His will to the Israelites. In Exodus 25:22 , God declares, "I will meet with you there above the mercy seat, between the two cherubim that are over the ark of the testimony; I will speak with you about all that I command you regarding the Israelites."

This divine meeting point underscores the Mercy-Seat as a symbol of God's presence and His willingness to dwell among His people. It represents the intersection of divine justice and mercy, where God’s law, contained within the Ark, is covered by His mercy.

Role in Atonement

The Mercy-Seat plays a crucial role in the Day of Atonement rituals, as described in Leviticus 16. On this solemn day, the high priest would enter the Holy of Holies, the innermost part of the Tabernacle, and later the Temple, to make atonement for the sins of the people. He would sprinkle the blood of a sacrificial animal on and before the Mercy-Seat, symbolizing the covering of sins and the reconciliation between God and His people.

Leviticus 16:14-15 states, "He is to take some of the bull’s blood and sprinkle it with his finger on the front of the mercy seat; then he shall sprinkle some of it with his finger seven times before the mercy seat. He shall then slaughter the goat for the sin offering for the people and take its blood behind the veil. He is to do with this blood as he did with the bull’s blood: He shall sprinkle it against the mercy seat and in front of it."

Christological Fulfillment

In Christian theology, the Mercy-Seat is seen as a foreshadowing of Jesus Christ's atoning work. The Apostle Paul, in Romans 3:25 , refers to Christ as the "atonement cover" or "propitiation," drawing a parallel between the Mercy-Seat and the sacrificial death of Jesus. "God presented Him as an atoning sacrifice through faith in His blood, in order to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance He had passed over the sins committed beforehand."

Thus, the Mercy-Seat is not only a historical artifact of Israel's worship but also a profound symbol of God's redemptive plan through Christ, who provides the ultimate covering for sin and restores the relationship between God and humanity.Exodus 26:34
And you shall put the mercy seat on the ark of the testimony in the most holy place.
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Exodus 30:6
And you shall put it before the veil that is by the ark of the testimony, before the mercy seat that is over the testimony, where I will meet with you.
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Exodus 31:7
The tabernacle of the congregation, and the ark of the testimony, and the mercy seat that is thereupon, and all the furniture of the tabernacle,
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Exodus 40:20
And he took and put the testimony into the ark, and set the staves on the ark, and put the mercy seat above on the ark:
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Hebrews 9:5
And over it the cherubim of glory shadowing the mercy seat; of which we cannot now speak particularly.
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The First Part
... was a throne of this kind, which John saw placed in the ... and most holy part of the
temple, where the ark of the covenant was enclosed with the mercy-seat. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/mede/a key to the apocalypse/the first part .htm

Scriptural Types.
... In the ark beneath the mercy-seat were placed, by God's ... of the ark: "And thou shalt
put the mercy-seat above upon the ark; and in the ark thou shalt put ...
/.../barrows/companion to the bible/chapter xxxvii scriptural types.htm

What is the Sanctuary?
... Above the ark, and forming the cover to the sacred chest, was the mercy-seat, a
magnificent ... God placed His Spirit upon the builders of the earthly sanctuary ...
/.../the great controversy between christ and satan /23 what is the sanctuary.htm

First and Second Appearances of the Risen Christ. The Resurrection ...
... The angels were placed like cherubim upon the ark, as though the grave of Christ
was a new mercy seat, which indeed it was.] 13 And they say ...
/.../mcgarvey/the four-fold gospel/cxxxv first and second appearances.htm

What is the Sanctuary?
... Above the ark, and forming the cover to the sacred chest, was the mercy seat, a
magnificent ... God placed His Spirit upon the builders of the earthly sanctuary ...
//christianbookshelf.org/white/the great controversy/chapter 23 what is the.htm

"Not by Might, nor by Power"
... Before the demand of faith, the obstacles placed by Satan across the pathway ... between
the cherubim in the most holy place; the ark, the mercy seat, and the ...
/.../white/the story of prophets and kings/chapter 48 not by might.htm

Solomon's Temple Spiritualized
... of holies, all the utensils, and the ark, were types ... &c., and of the place for the
mercy-seat; which pattern ... 2. This altar seems to be placed about the middle ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/solomons temple spiritualized.htm

On Repentance and Remission of Sins, and Concerning the Adversary.
... which were over the mercy-seat of the Ark." Besides the two Cherubim of solid gold
which Moses placed on the two ends of the Mercy-seat (Exodus 37:7 ff ...
/.../cyril/lectures of s cyril of jerusalem/lecture ii on repentance and.htm

The Saints' Privilege and Profit;
... my prayers, mount up, stay not at the ark of the ... the throne, that is, the throne
or mercy-seat, the high ... or that to burn incense on, should be placed (Exodus 30 ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/the saints privilege and profit.htm

The Destruction of Jerusalem.
... longer abode between the cherubim in the most holy place; the ark, the mercy-seat,
and the ... By a life of sin, they have placed themselves so out of harmony ...
/.../1 the destruction of jerusalem.htm

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