Topical Bible: Mercy-Seat: Sprinkled With Blood

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The Mercy-Seat, known in Hebrew as the "kapporet," is a significant element in the Old Testament, particularly in the context of the Tabernacle and the Temple. It is the gold cover placed on the Ark of the Covenant, which housed the tablets of the Ten Commandments, Aaron's rod, and a pot of manna. The Mercy-Seat is described in detail in the book of Exodus: "Make an atonement cover of pure gold, two and a half cubits long and a cubit and a half wide" (Exodus 25:17).

The Mercy-Seat is flanked by two cherubim, also made of gold, with their wings spread upward, overshadowing the cover. The cherubim face each other, looking toward the Mercy-Seat, symbolizing the presence and majesty of God. It is here, between the cherubim, that God promised to meet with Moses and communicate His commands for the Israelites: "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 command you regarding the Israelites" (Exodus 25:22).

The Mercy-Seat holds profound theological significance as it represents the throne of God and His presence among His people. It is also the focal point of the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) rituals, as described in Leviticus 16. On this solemn day, the high priest would enter the Holy of Holies, the innermost sanctuary of the Tabernacle, where the Ark and the Mercy-Seat were located. The high priest would sprinkle the blood of a sacrificed bull and goat on and before the Mercy-Seat to atone for his sins and the sins of the people: "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 blood of the bull: He is to sprinkle it against the mercy seat and in front of it" (Leviticus 16:15).

The act of sprinkling blood on the Mercy-Seat signifies the covering and forgiveness of sins, highlighting the necessity of a blood sacrifice for atonement. This ritual underscores the holiness of God and the seriousness of sin, as well as the need for mediation between God and humanity. The Mercy-Seat thus becomes a symbol of divine mercy and grace, where God's justice and mercy meet.

In the New Testament, the Mercy-Seat is seen as a foreshadowing of the ultimate atonement made by Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul refers to Christ as a "propitiation" or "atoning sacrifice" in Romans 3:25: "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" . Here, the term "atoning sacrifice" is often understood to be analogous to the Mercy-Seat, where Christ's sacrificial death fulfills the requirements of the law and provides a means for reconciliation with God.

The Mercy-Seat, therefore, is not only a critical component of the Old Covenant worship but also a profound symbol pointing to the redemptive work of Christ, who, through His blood, offers eternal atonement and access to the presence of God for all who believe.

Nave's Topical Index

Leviticus 16:14,15
And he shall take of the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it with his finger on the mercy seat eastward; and before the mercy seat shall he sprinkle of the blood with his finger seven times.
Nave's Topical Index

Greek

2435. hilasterion -- propitiatory
... of propitiation, (b) the covering of the ark, which was sprinkled with the ... mercy
seat. ... specially) the lid of the Ark (in the Temple) -- mercyseat, propitiation. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/2435.htm - 7k

Library

The Blood of Sprinkling (Second Sermon. )
... Lord God. We may now with holy boldness speak with God in prayer, for the
mercy-seat is sprinkled with the blood. O pardoned one ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 32 1886/the blood of sprinkling second.htm

A Soul Gazing on God
... could stand, unshrinking and unharmed, before that piercing light, because he bore
in his hand the blood of sacrifice and sprinkled it on the mercy-seat. ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture h/a soul gazing on god.htm

The Blood of the Testament
... blood was then sprinkled upon the mercy-seat itself ... the cherubims of glory shadowing
the mercyseat; of which ... Moreover he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 58 1912/the blood of the testament.htm

The Day of Atonement
... of the bullock) was offered before the Lord, and was not brought into the most holy
place; but this goat's blood was sprinkled on the mercy seat, and before ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 2 1856/the day of atonement.htm

The Fact of the Redeemer's Return was Foreshadowed in the Ritual ...
... (vs.15). The mercy-seat was God's "throne" in Israel. Observe that the blood was
sprinkled but once upon the mercy-seat and seven times before it (vss.14, 15). ...
//christianbookshelf.org/pink/the redeemers return/5 the fact of the.htm

The Voice of the Blood of Christ
... with his mouth; the drops of blood as they fall upon the mercy-seat, each seemeth ...
if thou canst put thy trust alone in Jesus, in his sprinkled blood, it shall ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 4 1858/the voice of the blood.htm

The Day of Atonement
... priestly order. Once the blood was sprinkled on the mercy-seat, and seven
times, apparently, on the ground in front of it. The former ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture k/the day of atonement.htm

Perfection in Faith
... because being sprinkled with the blood, God does not look on us as unholy and unclean,
otherwise he could not allow us to come to his mercy seat; but he looks ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 5 1859/perfection in faith.htm

The Effort.
... 10,10,10,10. The effort. Cheer up, my soul, there is a mercy-seat. Sprinkled with
blood, where JESUS answers prayer; There humbly cast thyself, beneath his feet ...
//christianbookshelf.org/newton/olney hymns/hymn 11 the effort.htm

Thirtieth Lesson. An Holy Priesthood;'
... And so, when the believer, who had been content to think chiefly of the blood sprinkled
on the mercy-seat as what he needs for pardon, is led to seek full ...
/.../with christ in the school of prayer/thirtieth lesson an holy priesthood.htm