The Mercy Seat
The Old Covenant
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 cherubims of gold, of beaten work shalt thou make them, in the two ends of the mercy seat. And make one cherub on the one end, and the other cherub on the other end: even of the mercy seat shall ye make the cherubims on the two ends thereof. And the cherubims shall stretch forth their wings on high, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and their faces shall look one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubims 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 I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel (Exodus 25:17-22).
The New Covenant
Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy,
and find grace to help in time of need (Hebrews 4:16).
The Mercy Seat
John Newton (1725-1807)
Approach, my soul, the mercy seat, where Jesus answers prayer;
There humbly fall before His feet, for none can perish there.
Thy promise is my only plea, with this I venture nigh;
Thou callest burdened souls to Thee, and such, O Lord, am I.
Bowed down beneath a load of sin, by Satan sorely pressed,
By war without and fears within, I come to Thee for rest.
Be Thou my Shield and hiding Place, that, sheltered by Thy side,
I may my fierce accuser face, and tell him Thou hast died!
O wondrous love! to bleed and die, to bear the cross and shame,
That guilty sinners, such as I, might plead Thy gracious Name.
“Poor tempest-tossčd soul, be still; my promised grace receive”;
’Tis Jesus speaks—I must, I will, I can, I do believe.
Meeting with God
J. C. Philpot (1802-1869)
And there I will meet with you, and I will commune with you from above the mercy seat (Exodus 25:22).
After a child of God has enjoyed something of the goodness and mercy of God revealed in the face of His dear Son, he may wander from His mercies, stray away from these choice gospel pastures, and get into a waste-howling wilderness, where there is neither food nor water; and yet, though half-starved for poverty, has in himself no power to return. But what has brought him for the most part into this state? Forgetfulness of the mercy seat; and as the Lord meets His people only there, a gradual estrangement from Him.
But in due time the Lord seeks out this wandering sheep, and the first place He brings him to is the mercy seat, confessing his sins and seeking mercy. Faithful to His own word, once more the Lord meets him there; and O what a meeting! A penitent backslider and a forgiving God! O what a meeting! A guilty wretch drowned in tears, and a loving Father falling upon His neck and kissing Him! O what a meeting for a poor, self-condemned wretch, who can never mourn too deeply over his sins, and yet finds grace super-abounding over all its aboundings, and the love of God bursting through the cloud, like the sun upon an April day, and melting his heart into contrition and love!
But this is not all. The Lord is pleased sometimes to show His dear people the evils of their heart, to remove by His Spirit and grace that veil of pride and self-righteousness which hides so much of sinful self from our eyes, and to discover what is really in us—the deep corruptions which lurk in our depraved nature, the filth and folly which is part and parcel of ourselves, the unutterable baseness and vileness so involved in our very being. Now this in itself would drive us from the throne of grace. "Can God dwell here?" is the sinner's feeling. "Can I be possessed of the fear of God when such thoughts and feelings overflow my mind, and seem to fill me as if with the very dregs of hell?" Yet still he is drawn from time to time to the throne of grace to confess these sins before the mercy seat, for he cannot, dare not, stay away from it; and again God is true to His word—"There will I meet with you." There once more He reveals a sense of His mercy and goodness, and once more shows that, whatever the sinner be in himself, He is faithful to His own promise.
Zion’s Wayfarers Devotions, Feb 17
How Charming Is the Place
Samuel Stennett
How charming is the place where my Redeemer, God,
Unveils the beauties of His face and sheds His love abroad.
Not the fair palaces to which the great resort,
Are once to be compared with this, where Jesus holds His court.
Here, on the mercy-seat, with radiant glory crowned,
Our joyful eyes behold Him sit, and smile on all around.
To Him their prayers and cries the humble saints present;
He listens to their broken sighs and grants them all their wants.
To them His sov'reign will, He graciously imparts;
And in return accepts with smiles, the tribute of their hearts.
Give me, O Lord, a place within Thy blest abode,
Among the children of Thy grace, the servants of my God.
Our Tabernacle Indwelt with Jesus
Leonard Davis
Then verily the first covenant had also ordinances of divine service, and a worldly sanctuary. For there was a tabernacle made; the first, wherein was the candlestick, and the table, and the shewbread; which is called the sanctuary. And after the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of all; Which had the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron's rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant; And over it the cherubims of glory shadowing the mercyseat; of which we cannot now speak particularly. Now when these things were thus ordained, the priests went always into the first tabernacle, accomplishing the service of God (Hebrews 9:1-6).
In the Book of Hebrews Paul laid the ground work for us to see that the gospel represents more than just a book, more than just preaching and more than just history. It encompasses the very essence of God. How else would we understand what and who God really is? History and life itself teach that man has always worshipped some sort of a supreme being even knowing about and seeing evidence of God’s existence but not really knowing Him. The Apostle Paul tells us that the very world around us leaves us without excuse. “For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse” (Rom. 1:20). To feel, hear, see and understand God’s essence is above all teachings this world can afford. We cannot appreciate the word of God without having God abide within us. Neither can we reflect the love and relationship that radiates from one to another that’s been given to us unless we experience His indwelling Spirit. We may talk about it all we want, but until we experience the need of it, we don’t know it. That is the joy reflected in the song, “I Need Thee.” We need Jesus Christ every hour of every day for that very reason. When we walk without Him, we are in misery and discomfort like a man groping in darkness. The Apostle Paul lets us know that we don’t want to be there; we don’t need to be there.” There is a reason for us to be totally euphoric in the knowledge of Jesus Christ. Joy should abounding in our heart with no worry because God first loved us and gave us life—spiritual life that grows in spiritual understanding, sight and hearing, but we must exercise what God has given us.
Paul tells the Hebrews they have had the law God gave Moses set before them and its ceremonies handed down in the manner God prescribed and the bounds within which to walk. They saw the emergence of God’s desires and His will upon mankind. Paul told them that it all led to the day that Jesus Christ appeared here as God manifested in the flesh. Our Creator, the God of heaven and earth—the entire universe—came down to earth and sojourned with us. Why would you want to turn from this new life of wisdom and understanding and fall back under the law? There’s no reason in that. Paul exposed them to the greatest learning this world ever encountered, God’s word.
Oh yes, men can seek and obtain all kinds of degrees, but what are they? They’re men’s wisdom; not God’s. But the wisdom of God that is herein addressed must be experienced and exercised, or it results in “babes in Christ.” As Paul said, “I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able” (1 Cor. 3:2). So, now that you’ve been given spiritual ability, exercise it. That’s what Paul is saying up to this point to which you have arrived concerning Jesus Christ as well as the very formalities and structure that God established for you as the nation Israel.
All of that seems ancient, but consider the word “tabernacle.” What comes to mind? Is it the big structure that was erected in Moses’ day? Rather than that let me bring it closer to home. How does Paul express the flesh and blood of regenerated man? Does he not say it is “the tabernacle” where our Lord abides in us? “For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle…” (2 Cor. 5:1.) “This tabernacle” referring to you as an individual. Is your heart a place where God makes His presence felt? Your heart is “the inner you”—the seat where God’s Spirit sits. That is what the mercy seat of this tabernacle was—not something in the history books, not just something in the Bible—but that which houses the mercy seat within you. Now how do you treat it, with reverence as something belonging to the Lord? Why is it His possession? First of all, because you are God’s handiwork, His creation. But even more, now that you are alive unto God as a new creation, He abides within your fleshly tabernacle. With that perspective, not only toward ourselves but also toward others, we have an understanding that only God is able to give us. God taught you this, not the world.
For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people (Heb. 8:10).
A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh” (Ezek. 36:26)
—a heart of flesh with feeling and that feeling is toward Him.
We cannot love and want to be with someone unless they love and want to be with us in return. Herein lies that principle: God loves us, so we ought to love Him. Why? because He’s the one that gave us the life and ability to love. If we don’t reciprocate, then we don’t love God. Is that contradictory? I don’t think so because God has said in the quote above about a heart of feeling, a heart of love fashioned after His love, therefore we love Him in turn. We are made in His likeness and He abides in this tabernacle.
“Then verily the first covenant had also ordinances of divine service.” Paul affirmed that the first covenant declared to be “old” passed away. See, it was made by man but according to God’s specifications and for a purpose whereby God provided a way by which the nation Israel had access to God. Before that where did man see God? Think on it. I’ll give you a couple of occasions:
· in Genesis after the creation but before the fall
· in Exodus in the burning bush on Mount Sinai.
These events were isolated, temporary to particular persons. But, declaring the tabernacle to be built, God said, “And I will set my tabernacle among you: and my soul shall not abhor you. And I will walk among you, and will be your God, and ye shall be my people” (Lev. 26:11-12).
Now, God has established a greater, more imminent “new” covenant through Jesus Christ. In this new covenant where does God meet with us today? He meets each and every one of us within this fleshly tabernacle—upon the mercy seat that He established in our hearts. If that be so, one might ask what is the church; what’s the meeting house? It’s just where our meeting with God is multiplied, expanded; symbolic of the totality of God’s unifying, abiding love to His people who in fact are the church itself—not only me here in this place but also you and you—all of His that’s here. So it’s multiplied, increased in size because it’s in all of us. We can say He meets individually or where His people meet together—even a gathering of two or three. That changes nothing; we are still the tabernacle wherein He abides.
In Paul’s comment of “a worldly sanctuary” he refers to the physical one. “For there was a tabernacle made.” Yes, it had specific heights, widths, furnishings, such as how God directed man to make it.
Now, consider the spiritual one, a different one Paul is now pointing out to the Hebrews: a new spiritual one contrasted to the old natural one. Who made it? How was it made? Who abides there? Who controls it? Need I say, the Lord! It wasn’t made by man. Paul continues by giving them the example. He’s showing them how this is going to transition from one to the other: “For there was a tabernacle made; the first, wherein was the candlestick, and the table, and the shewbread; which is called the sanctuary.”. Let’s look at these things, the actual item that God had the Israelites to make.
First, the candlestick. Do you know its purpose? The priests had to light it every night; every morning they had to put it out. Why? It depicted the guiding light of God which lit up the world. Though needful at night it was unnecessary during daytime.
Next, the table and the shewbread. On the table were twelve loaves of bread. The twelve loaves represented the twelve tribes of Israel, the embodiment of people that sustained Judaism. What does bread symbolize? The food needed to sustain life. Now in contrast, what is the Lord Jesus Christ? He himself said, “I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst” (Jn. 6:35). What did Jesus say about bread? “It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God” (Mt. 4:4 and see Deut. 8:3). He lifted that to the highest level ever attained.
Regarding the “worldly sanctuary” Paul said that it guided Israel all the way through its infancy to this point in time—from symbolisms and shadows unto the day the Lord Jesus Christ came to this earth. Are you beginning to see the relationships that existed in the symbols: the table and the shewbread in the sanctuary? The sanctuary was the inner part of the tabernacle which consisted of:
· an outer court where the people gathered,
· an inner court where the priests gathered and
· the “holy place” [to the Jews it was the Holy of Holies] into which only the high priest went only once a year.
Do we not see the same today: the world sitting outside of the sanctuary, we’re in the inner court and God’s Spirit sitting in the Holy of Holies upon the mercy seat? His Spirit sat upon the physical mercy seat in the physical tabernacle of the days of the nation of Israel. Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God now sits upon that mercy seat within our hearts abiding with His people wherever they may be.
“And after the second veil”—the one between the inner court and the Holiest Place—[We know of a truth: “And Jesus cried with a loud voice, and gave up the ghost. And the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom” (Mk. 15:38)]. Why is that important? The place where God dwells is no longer just approachable by the Jewish high priest, but now Jesus alone having opened the veil each and every child of God has access to the throne of God by Jesus Christ. He is evermore the High Priest “who liveth for ever and ever” (Rev. 4:9) and “who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens” (Heb. 8:1). Why would anyone want to go back under the law?
Paul says, “the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of all; Which had the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold” contained these articles made according to God’s specifications. God instructed the use of a coating of gold (most precious and highly esteemed by man) on the items where He indwells to exemplify even more precious things to come. The tabernacle of the old covenant, a place of God on earth, was not esteemed by God as precious but was a material thing used for His purposes.
“Which had the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron's rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant:” Although already being aware, the Apostle Paul is simply reiterating the arrangement and furnishings of the tabernacle as made according to God’s will and requirements. He said, “And over it the cherubims of glory shadowing the mercyseat.” They were made in a particular way by the highest skilled craftsmen (see Exodus 37:7-9). The “cherubims of glory” mounted on top of the mercy seat covered of the ark itself—one on each end facing each other, their wings outstretched overshadowing it with their heads facing downward. Under these wings over the mercy seat was the very place God manifested His presence to them.
And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel (Ex. 25:22).
“Of which we cannot now speak particularly:” by which Paul infers no need to elaborate on this for it should be very familiar to you.
To show how the mercy seat relates to Jesus Christ I offer these further comments. The blood of the sacrifice, the bullock, was sprinkled upon the mercy seat under the overshadowing wings of the cherubims.
And he shall take of the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it with his finger upon the mercy seat eastward; and before the mercy seat shall he sprinkle of the blood with his finger seven times. Then shall he kill the goat of the sin offering, that is for the people, and bring his blood within the vail, and do with that blood as he did with the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it upon the mercy seat, and before the mercy seat: (Lev. 16:14-15).
Once a year this sprinkling was required to represent God’s mercy being extended to man. God required blood to be shed and sprinkling on and before the mercy seat as a symbol of what was to come through Jesus Christ.
The table that held the twelve loaves (representing the twelve tribes) can be understood to be the table of our heart whereby Jesus Christ provides Himself, the Bread of Life, to His children. The Ark of the Covenant, holder of the tables of stone, can be surmised as the laws of God on our minds. It’s not hard to visualize that. “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them” (Heb.10:16). What did He do with the tables of stone? He wrote upon them. Where were they kept? In the ark, a safe place. What are our minds? They are as tablets upon which He writes giving us His laws.
The candlestick depicts Jesus, the Light of our spiritual life.
The altar of incense—is representative of us as we come before God in humility begging for forgiveness; presenting our bodies as living sacrifices unto the Lord Jesus Christ. The burning of the incense was a sweet smelling savor unto God much as the presenting of our bodies as living sacrifices when coming in lowliness before the altar of God.
All these things of the tabernacle and their uses meant something in the worship of God by the nation of Israel. Now, their significance is seen through Jesus Christ and what that shadow of Him represented.
Again I emphasize, God is telling us in this sense that we ourselves are the tabernacle of God. We must present ourselves as living sacrifices unto Him because He abides within our hearts and has imprinted upon our minds His laws and His commandments whereby enabling us to be obedient unto Him in purity of heart. Upon contemplating these things, do you see how God was guiding His people through time to the point that Paul addresses in relationship to Jesus Christ? This he relates to the Hebrews of old and to you and me right now this day.
Paul continues with the altar of the burnt offering symbolic of our Savior hanging upon the cross, shedding His blood as an offering in behalf of God’s children. The once-a-year sacrifice of the nation Israel was suppose to be a hallowed time, not just a habitual rite done once a year. This ceremony was a type and foreshadow signifying that Christ would died on the cross to fulfill all the requirements of God’s righteousness once and forever more. There will be no need of shedding or sprinkling of the blood of animals on and before the mercy seat. This was done on a yearly basis for the generations of Israel until the time of Jesus Christ. The law was a schoolmaster teaching until the day of Christ. “Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith” (Gal. 3:24). We learn through the experiences that the nation Israel lived. We benefit from their trials, error, wisdom, knowledge and understanding. You now see the very imminence of Jesus Christ and what God’s handiwork down through the generations of time revealed of His only begotten Son. The most beautiful thing of it all is that once for all time God’s righteous law is fulfilled, the price is paid; it is finished. Nothing else ever more is required for the forgiveness of sin. God took care of it. It’s done and we relish in that understanding. We live the fullness of life now because we have no load of guilt and no labor of trying to save ourselves from eternal damnation. We know that Jesus was the victorious expression of God in the flesh, the one pure Lamb with the pure blood that God required. We were failures; Jesus was successful in everything that God required, whereby you and I can live in hope, joy, peace and understanding of the finished work of Jesus Christ. We therefore look forward to that Eternal Day when we will see His face forever. May God bless and keep you is my prayer.
From a sermon preached at Faith P. B. Church, March 15, 2009
Come Ye Disconsolate
Thomas Moore (1779-1852)
Come ye disconsolate, where e'er ye languish;
Come to the mercy seat, fervently kneel;
Here bring your wounded hearts, here tell your anguish;
Earth has no sorrow that heav'n cannot heal.
Joy of the desolate, light of the straying,
Hope of the penitent, fadeless and pure.
Here speaks the Comforter, tenderly saying,
Earth has no sorrow that heav'n cannot cure.
Here see the bread of life; see waters flowing
Forth from the throne of God, pure from above;
Come to the feast of love; come ever knowing
Earth has no sorrow but heav'n can remove.
A Throne with a Mercy Seat
John Bunyan
Let us therefore come boldly unto
the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need (Heb. 4:16).
There is a Throne of Grace
This must be true, because the text saith it; also it is that of which the mercy-seat, so often made mention of in the Old Testament, was a type, shadow, or figure; nor is the terms of seat and throne of any strength to make this supposition void. For it is common for the antitype to be put forth in words unto us more glorious than is the figure or shadow of that thing... The heavenly things themselves are far more excellent than the shadow by which they are represented. What is a sheep, a bull, an ox, or calf, to Christ, or their blood to the blood of Christ? What is Jerusalem that stood in Canaan, to that new Jerusalem that shall come down from heaven? or the tabernacle made with corruptible things, to the body of Christ, or heaven itself?
What This Throne of Grace is
This throne of grace is the humanity, or heart and soul of Jesus Christ, in which God sits and resteth for ever in love towards them that believe in Him. Forasmuch as Christ did, by the body of His flesh, when here, reconcile them unto the Father...not imputing to them their trespasses and sins (2 Cor 5:19). Nor is it possible, that we lay aside the human nature of Christ...then nothing can be found to be the rest of God. “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased,” is God's own language; but there is none other of whom He hath so said (Mt. 3:17). Wherefore He resteth in Him towards us, and in Him only. Besides, grace cannot be extended towards us but in a way of justice; for that the law and our sin obstructeth another way (Gen 3:24). But, lay the human nature of Christ aside, and where will you find...such a sacrifice to justice for the sin of men, as that God...shall both forgive, and cause that grace for ever should reign towards us in such a way? It reigns through righteousness, or justice, by Jesus Christ, and no way else. Christ Jesus, therefore, is this throne of grace by which grace reigns towards the children of God (Rom 5:21).
That Scripture also gives us a little light herein, “And I beheld, and lo! in the midst of the throne...stood a Lamb, as it had been slain” (Rev 5:6). This is to show the cause why grace is so freely let out to us...for, as a slain lamb, He now lives in the midst of the throne, and is the meritorious cause of all the grace that we enjoy. And though it seems by this text that the throne is one thing and the Lamb another, yet the Lamb of God is the throne...The Son of God, Jesus Christ, is all; He is the throne, the altar, the priest, the sacrifice, and all… Yea, there is no throne of grace, no high priest, no propitiatory sacrifice...I conclude, then, that Christ Jesus, in His human nature, is this throne of grace. In His human nature, I say, He has by that completely accomplished all things necessary for the making way for grace to be extended to men...God's place of rest...His grace shall reign over devil, death, sin, hell and the grave, for ever.
This human nature of Christ is also called the tabernacle of God; for the fullness of the Godhead dwells in it bodily. It is God's habitation, His dwelling-place, His chair and throne of state. He doth all in and by it, and without it He doth not any thing. But to pass this, let us come to the next thing.
Where the Throne of Grace is Erected
This throne of grace...is called the mercy-seat; the which we find, not in the outward court, nor yet within the first veil (Heb 9:3-5); which signifies, not in the world, nor in the church on earth, but in the holy of the holies, or after the second veil, the flesh of Christ (Heb 10:20). There then is this throne of God, this throne of grace...He is said to be far above all heavens, and to have a name above every name. Wherefore he that will come to this throne of grace, must know what manner of coming it is by which he must approach it; and that is, not personally, but by runnings out of heart; not by himself, but by his Priest, his High Priest; for so it was in the type (Heb 9:7). Into the second, where the mercy-seat was, went the high priest alone, that is, personally, and the people by him, as he made intercession for them. This then must be done by those that will approach this throne of grace. They must go to God, as He is enthroned in Christ; by Christ, as He is the High Priest of His church….
This throne of grace is in the Holiest, not in the world, not in the church on earth...set up above the ark of the testimony...This ark in which was put this law was set up in the holiest, and the mercy-seat was set above it...The Holy Ghost, in my mind, thus signifying that grace sits upon a throne that is higher than the law, above the law; and that grace, therefore, is to rule before the law, and notwithstanding all the sentence of the law; for it sitteth, I say, upon a throne, but the law sits on none; a throne, I say, which the law, instead of accusing, justifieth and approveth. For although it condemneth all men, yet it excepteth Christ, who, in His manhood, is this throne of grace. Him, it approveth, and liketh well of all His doings; yea, it granteth Him, ...to be exalted above itself… because by wisdom and holiness itself, which is also the Lord of the law, it is appointed so to do. Here, then, is the throne of God, the throne of grace, namely, above the ark of the testimony; on this God and His grace sits, reigns, and gives leave to sinners to approach His presence for grace and mercy.
Why the Law and Mercy-Seat are so Near Together
1. That we that approach the throne of grace might, when we come there, be made still to remember that we are sinners—“for by the law is the knowledge of sin” (Rom 3:20)—and behold just before us is this ark in which are the two tables that condemn all flesh: yea, we must look that way, if we look at all; for just above it is the mercy-seat or throne of grace. So then here is a memento for them that come to God, and to His throne of grace, for mercy, to wit, the law, by which they are afresh put in remembrance of themselves, their sins, and what need they have of fresh supplies of grace.
2. This also tendeth to set an edge upon prayer, and to make us the more fervent in spirit when we come to the throne of grace…But, behold, the mercy-seat is set up above the ark and testimony. Though here is the law, yet above it is the mercy-seat triumphant, unto which we should look and direct our prayers. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, notwithstanding the ark and testimony is by; for the law cannot hurt us when grace is so nigh; besides, God is now not in the law, but upon the throne of grace that is above it, to give forth pardons, and grace, and helps at a time of need.
This, then, may serve to inform some where about they are, when they are in their closets, and at prayer. Art thou most dejected when thou art at prayer? Hear me, thou art not far from the throne of grace; for thy dejection proceedeth from thy looking into the ark, into which God hath ordained that whosoever looks shall die (1 Sam 6:19). Now if thou art indeed so near as to see thy sins, by thy reading of thyself by the tables in the ark, cast but up thine eyes a little higher, and behold, there is the mercy-seat and throne of grace to which thou wouldest come, and by which thou must be saved. [Editor’s note: Saved from the trial that currently brought you to the mercy seat.]
When David came to pray to God, he said he would direct his prayer to God, and would look up (Psa 5:3). As who should say, “When I pray, I will say to my prayers, O my prayers, mount up, stay not at the ark of the testimony, for there is the law and condemnation; but soar aloft to the throne that stands above, for there is God, and there is grace displayed, and there thou mayest obtain what is necessary to help in time of need.” Some, indeed, there be that know not what these things mean; they never read their sin nor condemnation for it; when they are upon their knees at their devotion, and so are neither dejected at the sight of what they are, nor driven with sense of things to look higher for help at need; for need, indeed, they see none. Of such I shall say, they are not concerned in our text, nor can they come hither before they have been prepared so to do, as may appear before we come to an end.
You have before the throne or mercy-seat, the high priest; for there it was that God appointed that the altar of incense, or that to burn incense on, should be placed (Ex. 30:1-7). This incense-altar in the type was to be overlaid with gold; but here the Holy Ghost implies, that it is all of gold. This throne then is the mercy-seat, or throne of grace, to which we are bid to come; and, as you see, here is the angel, the high priest with his golden censer, and his incense, ready to wait upon us. For so the text implies, for he is there to offer his incense with the prayers of all saints that are waiting without at his time of offering incense within (Lk. 1:10). So, then, at the throne of grace, or before it, stands the high priest of our propitiation, Christ Jesus, with His golden censer in His hand, full of incense, therewith to perfume the prayers of saints, that come thither for grace and mercy to help in time of need. And He stands there, as you see, under the name of an angel, for He is the angel of God's presence, and messenger of His covenant.
The high priest was not to go into the holiest, nor come near the mercy-seat; Yea, the priest was to take of the blood of his sacrifice, and sprinkle it seven times before the Lord, that is, before the mercy-seat and was to put some of the blood upon the horns of the altar of incense before the Lord (Lev 4:5-7, 16:13-15). So then the throne of grace is known by the blood that is sprinkled thereon, and by the atonement that by it is made there. There is our high-priest; and there is his sacrifice too; his sacrifice which he there presenteth as amends for the sins of all such as have a right to come with boldness to the throne of grace. There is said to be in the midst of the throne, “a lamb as it had been slain” (Rev 5:6) with the very marks of His death upon Him; showing to God that sitteth upon the throne, the holes of the thorns, of the nails, of the spear; and how He was disfigured with blows and blood when at His command He gave Himself a ransom for His people; for it cannot be imagined that either the exaltation or glorification of the body of Jesus Christ should make Him forget the day in which He died the death for our sins; specially since that which puts worth into His whole intercession is the death He died, and the blood He shed upon the cross, for our trespasses.
Besides, there is no sight more taketh the heart of God, than to see of the travail of the soul, and the bruisings of the body of His Son for our transgressions. Hence it is said, He “is in the midst of the throne” as He died, or as He had been slain (Rev 7:17). It is said again, “The Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them.” The Lamb, that is, the Son of God as a sacrifice, shall be always in the midst of the throne to feed and comfort His people. He is the throne, He is the priest, He is the sacrifice. But then how as a Lamb is He in the midst of the throne? Why, the meaning in mine opinion is, that Christ, as a dying and bleeding sacrifice, shall be chief in the reconciling of us to God; or that His being offered for our sins shall be of great virtue when pleaded by Him as priest, to the obtaining of grace, mercy, and glory for us (Heb 9:12). By His blood He entered into the holy place; by His blood He hath made an atonement for us before the mercy-seat. Also it is by His blood that we have bold admittance into the holiest (Heb 10:19). Wherefore no marvel if you find Him here a Lamb, as it had been slain, and that in the midst of the throne of grace.
An excerpt from Prayer
The Mercy Seat
Hugh Stowell (1799-1865)
From every stormy wind that blows, from every swelling tide of woes,
There is a calm, a sure retreat; ’tis found beneath the mercy seat.
There is a place where Jesus sheds the oil of gladness on our heads;
A place of all on earth more sweet; it is the blood bought mercy seat.
There is a scene where spirits blend, where friend holds fellowship with friend;
Though sundered far, by faith they meet around one common mercy seat.
Ah! Whither could we flee for aid, when tempted, desolate, dismayed?
Or how the hosts of hell defeat, had suffering saints no mercy seat?
There, there, on eagles’ wings we soar, and sin and sense seem all no more;
And heaven comes down, our souls to greet, and glory crowns the mercy seat.
Oh, let my hand forget her skill, my tongue be silent, cold, and still,
This bounding heart forget to beat, if I forget the mercy seat!