Exodus 25:9-22
~14 min read
💭 Consider this: Christians have the privilege of meeting with God directly through Christ as our “Mercy Seat”. Are you meeting with God daily? How does this bring you joy and blessing?
TRANSCRIPT
Our text for tonight's message is taken from Exodus 25:9-22. Throughout history, human beings have constructed many amazing buildings like the Great Pyramids in Egypt, the Taj Mahal in India, the Colosseum in Rome, and so forth. But the most remarkable structure ever constructed was the Tabernacle of God. The reason is because it was the only building designed by God, and it was constructed according to His plan. The pattern, the specifications were all designed by God. God Himself was the architect.
But there is something else very important about the Tabernacle, and that was the Ark of the Covenant, because the Ark of the Covenant represented the presence of God. It was the place where God would meet His people. This is what we want to learn from today's passage in Exodus 25:9-22. I have titled the message by using the phrase from verse 22, ‘There I Will Meet You’.
I. The Tabernacle
The first thing we want to learn about is the Tabernacle. Let us begin with verse 9, “According to all that I shew thee, after the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall ye make it”.
A building always begins with a plan, and the Tabernacle was no different. God showed Moses the pattern of how he ought to build it, down to the last detail. The reason why God was so particular about the details was because this building was designed to teach something about His character – what it means to have a relationship with Him, and how He ought to be worshipped in the Tabernacle.
The Tabernacle was a huge tent, approximately 15 feet by 45 feet. It was surrounded by a tall fence, with an area of about 10,000 square feet. In the courtyard outside the Tabernacle, stood a bronze altar for making sacrifices and a large basin for ceremonial cleansing. The Tabernacle was divided into two rooms. The outer room was called the Holy Place. It was furnished with the golden lampstand, an altar for incense, and a table of bread. The inner room was called the Most Holy Place, or the Holy of Holies. This was the sacred place that housed the Ark of the Covenant.
At that time, the children of Israel were still in the wilderness, and they were living in tents. In the middle of all the tents, there was the Tabernacle, and it represented the presence of God in the midst of His people. Whenever the children of Israel moved, the Tabernacle moved with them. As the people wandered through the wilderness, they knew they were not alone. God was with them all the way until they reached the Promised Land. If the people ever doubted whether God was still with them, all they needed to do was to look to the Tabernacle – that huge tent in the centre of all their tents.
Today, we do not have any buildings or structures to represent the presence of God. The church building is a place where we worship God; it does not represent the presence of God like the way the Tabernacle represented it. Today, our Tabernacle is not in a building but in a person. God has come to live with us in the person of His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. That is why John 1:14 says, “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us”. The original Greek word for “dwelt” is the same word for “tabernacle”. In other words, it can be translated as: and the Word, which is Jesus Christ, was made flesh, and tabernacled with us.
God gave us His Son, just as He gave Israel His Tabernacle, so that He could come and live with us. Only this time, it was not in the form of a tent or a building, but it was in the form of a person. Jesus took on flesh and blood. Romans 8:9 says, “Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his”. The Spirit of Christ, the Holy Spirit, dwells in our hearts. Like the Israelites wandering through the wilderness, you and I are strangers and wanderers in this world, which is not our home. Our real home is in heaven; heaven is our Promised Land.
As we live our days on this earth, we will face trials and adversities of all sorts. In times of trouble, we do not need to look to a building to know that God is with us. He is always with us. All we need to do is to cry out to Him, and He will hear us. And He who hears us will answer our prayers. Isn't that comforting? But it is not only comforting; it also comes with an awesome responsibility. If God is always with us, then we must be mindful of how we live our lives – the thoughts we think, the words we speak, the things we do. We cannot be living in sin.
Remember 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 says, “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's”. When we say the Holy Spirit indwells in us, it means the Spirit of God has taken residence in us. Our bodies become the holy sanctuary – the Tabernacle of God.
So, to use our body for any sinful purpose is to desecrate God's holy presence within us. As one theologian said, ‘Will you walk into adultery with your wife standing beside you?’ Most certainly not. Dear friend, when we surf the internet and we accidentally click on a link and something immoral or obscene pops up, what should we do? Should we continue to watch? Remember, our body is the Tabernacle of God. When we join our colleagues in the office pantry and the conversation turns to dirty jokes, or the name of God is blasphemed, what should we do? Should we continue in the conversation?
Remember, our body is the Tabernacle of God. God is always with us. It is both comforting, as well as it comes with an awesome responsibility to live our lives with the awareness of His holy presence. That is how you and I should live our lives.
II. The Ark Of The Covenant
Let us move on to consider the Ark of the Covenant. Out of all the furniture in the Tabernacle, God told Moses to build the Ark of the Covenant. Why did God begin with the Ark? The answer is because the Ark was the most important thing in the whole Tabernacle. It was the exact place where God descended to meet His people. It was the very purpose for which the whole Tabernacle was built. The very centre of God's presence was the Ark of the Covenant, and it was located in the Holy of Holies.
According to verses 10-17, the Ark of the Covenant was a wooden box which measured two and a half cubits by one and a half cubits, and by one and a half cubits. A cubit is the standard measurement used in the ancient world. It was the distance from the elbow to the tip of the fingers, so it would be about 20 inches, perhaps. So, it was a rectangular box – about 4 feet by 3 feet. The Ark was overlaid with gold from within and without. Gold symbolises purity as well as royalty. It is fit for a king.
There were four rings of gold on the four corners of the Ark. These were meant for the poles to carry the Ark, one on each side. Some of the other furniture also had poles to carry them, but only the poles on the Ark were permanently fixed. The reason was simple: to touch the Ark was to die. Remember, the Ark represented the holy presence of God, so it was sacred; it could not be touched. When the Ark needed to be moved, the priests were supposed to use the poles, and they had to be very careful not to touch the Ark itself. That was why the poles needed to stay in place all the time.
We understand how serious it was to touch the Ark when we consider the tragic death of Uzzah, the man who touched the Ark. At that time, King David decided to bring the Ark up to Jerusalem. Instead of carrying the Ark on their shoulders, the priests loaded it onto an ox cart. When they came to the threshing floor, the oxen shook, and Uzzah put forth his hand to hold the Ark. The anger of the Lord was kindled against him because of that grave mistake, and he was struck dead. You can read about that in 2 Samuel 6.
What does that teach us? You and I must never play the fool or be careless with the holy things of God. Everything connected with God is holy – His name, His Word, His worship, His services, His church. We must never treat such things or activities carelessly. Was Uzzah sincere when he put forth his hand to hold the Ark? Surely. The problem is not about sincerity; it is about the truth. It is about obeying what God has commanded. Sometimes people will say, ‘Well, it doesn't matter what we do or how we do it, as long as we are sincere.’ We can be sincere, and yet be sincerely wrong.
Can you imagine the pastor, if he were to preach a message contrary to the Bible, or he says things the Bible does not say, or he twists what the Bible says? And then people say, ‘Well, he is sincere, does it really matter?’ Most certainly. Our sincerity must be based on the truth. That is why when it comes to the holy things of God – whether it be God's name, His Word, His worship, His services, His church – we must always look to the Bible. What does the Word of God say in regard to this matter? What principles can we draw from the Word of God in regard to this matter? And then we must obey. We must never play the fool with the holy things of God.
III. The Mercy Seat
Our third point is the Mercy Seat. God proceeded to instruct Moses on what to put into the Ark and how to make the cover for the Ark. You can read about that in verses 18-21. Firstly, there were two cherubims with their wings spread forth to cover the lid, which was known as the Mercy Seat. Today, cherubims are often pictured as cute, chubby little creatures with happy faces, but that was not the cherubim of the Bible.
The cherubims were special creatures mentioned almost 100 times in the Old Testament. They were first mentioned in Genesis 3, where they were charged to guard the way to the Tree of Life. That seems to be their primary duty. Unlike the other angels, the cherubims were not messengers, but they remained in God's presence to deny and reject anything that is unholy. In a sense, they were like the palace guards of the King of kings.
In Isaiah 1, the prophet Isaiah described the cherubim as having the form of a man. Each one has four faces on each side: the face of a man, a lion, an ox, and an eagle. Four wings, straight legs, feet like the calves, and sparkled like shining brass. Under their wings, they had the hands of a man. Several times, the Bible describes God as sitting on the throne between the cherubims. Let me just quote two examples for you.
Psalm 99:1 says, “The LORD reigneth; let the people tremble: he sitteth between the cherubims; let the earth be moved”. In 2 Kings 19:15, King Hezekiah prayed, “O LORD God of Israel, which dwellest between the cherubims, thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; thou hast made heaven and earth”.
So, the cherubims had their wings spread protectively over the Ark. The space between the cherubims was empty. This is where God says in Exodus 25:22, “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”.
God did not tell Moses to make any representation of His divine being. Any representation would be a violation of the second commandment, “Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image” (Exodus 20:4). The space between the two cherubims was left empty, only to be filled with the presence of God.
Inside the Ark, Moses was instructed to place the testimony, referring to the two tablets containing the words of the Ten Commandments. That was why it was called the Ark of the Covenant or the Ark of the Testimony. So, the top of the Ark was God's throne, and beneath was His law.
But there was one problem. If God was enthroned between the cherubims above the Ark, and the law was under His feet, so to speak, how could the people who had broken the law approach Him? Here we have the picture of a Judge sitting upon His throne with the law open under His feet. How could the people approach Him? Every man has broken His law, and no one could keep His law perfectly. Therefore, the law inside the Ark could not save the people; it could only condemn them, and God, the Judge, was right on top. This is an awesome picture.
That was why the Mercy Seat was so important. The Mercy Seat was used only once each year on the Day of Atonement. On that day, the high priest, Aaron, had to first offer an animal sacrifice for his own sins. He had to take some of the blood with his fingers and sprinkle it on the front of the Mercy Seat, and seven times before the Mercy Seat. Then, he had to offer an animal sacrifice for the nation of Israel for their sins and do the same thing he did for himself – sprinkle the blood on and before the Mercy Seat.
When the blood was sprinkled on the Mercy Seat, it signified that atonement was made and their sins were forgiven. In other words, they were covered by the blood. Above the Ark was God, beneath was the law that condemned them, and in between was the blood of the atoning sacrifice that covered their sins and turned away God's wrath, reconciling them to Him. So, when God came down to commune with His people, He would not see the law that they had broken, but the saving blood of the atoning sacrifice.
William Tyndale had an interesting way to describe the atonement. He divided the word into three parts: at-one-ment. The only way to be one with God, the only way to come into His presence and commune with Him, was through the blood of the atoning sacrifice. Dear friend, there's no mercy unless there's blood on the Mercy Seat. God is up above, sitting on His throne in majesty. You and I are here below, breaking His law. The only way we can come to Him, the only way we can be safe, is something must come in between God's perfect holiness and our unholiness. It is through the blood sacrifice.
That is why Hebrews 9:22 says, “without shedding of blood is no remission” of sins. Nothing can wash away our sins, nothing can cover us when we come before the presence of the Almighty God, only the blood. That was precisely what Jesus did for us on the cross of Calvary. He offered Himself as a sacrifice acceptable unto God. It was a sacrifice in blood. His precious blood was poured out for sinners. In those days, all the animal sacrifices and the blood sprinkled on the Mercy Seat pointed to the one ultimate Lamb that would come – Jesus Christ.
When Jesus died on the cross and shed His precious blood, it was poured out on the Mercy Seat once and for all, never to be repeated. And all who believe in Him shall obtain mercy, the forgiveness of sins. That was why when Jesus died, the veil that separated the Holy of Holies from the Holy Place was torn in two, signifying that Jesus was the only way to go to the Father. There's no other way.
In the gospel of Luke, chapter 18, Jesus gave a wonderful story of a man who received mercy. He was a tax collector. He had cheated many people out of their money. He knew about his sins, and he knew he could not approach the throne of God. He dared not even come near the temple, and he stood far away. At that time, the temple was in Jerusalem, and in the temple was the Holy of Holies, where the Ark of the Covenant was located.
Obviously, he knew what the Ark of the Covenant symbolised. If there was any hope he could ever receive forgiveness of sins, something must come in between him and God. If there was any hope for him to ever come near to the presence of God, something must come in between him and God. And that something was the Mercy Seat, and it could only be granted on the basis of an atoning sacrifice. That was why he prayed, “God be merciful to me a sinner” (Luke 18:13). And Jesus said he was granted mercy; he was justified.
He did not trust in himself like the Pharisee who prayed, “I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess” (Luke 18:11-12). Basically, he was saying: I am a good person. Instead, the tax collector humbled himself and trusted in the mercy of God.
Dear friend, if we are true believers, this is our relationship with God. God is perfectly holy. There's no way you and I can ever approach His throne. Something must come in between His perfect holiness and our unholiness, and that is the Mercy Seat where the blood of Jesus Christ was poured out. Once we believe in Jesus, then God says: There I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee.
The only reason we are able to meet God, the only reason we are able to pray and call upon Him, “Abba, Father”, to render our voices to praise Him, to worship and serve Him, is because we have obtained mercy through our Lord Jesus Christ. One day, we will commune with God and be with Him in perfect fellowship forever and ever in heaven. So, every day of our lives, the moment we wake up each morning, we still pray, “God be merciful to me a sinner”, not because we are not saved, but it is a reminder that we are all sinners under His mercy.
May the Lord continue to remind us and help us to always remember it is by the mercy of God through our Lord Jesus Christ and His blood that was shed on Calvary's cross that we can ever meet our God and commune with Him. Without which, we would be eternally lost. Let us pray.
Our Father in heaven, we thank Thee for how Thou hast reminded us, even as we consider this portion of Scripture. Indeed, there are so many wonderful lessons we can learn about the Tabernacle, the Ark of the Covenant, and the Mercy Seat. We pray that even as we learn and draw spiritual lessons that we can apply in our lives, help us always to consider Thy perfect holiness and how we, who are unholy and sinners, are able to approach Thy throne to meet with Thee, to commune with Thee. It is all because of Thy mercy – the mercy that we have obtained through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, without which we would be outside Thy kingdom.
O Lord, as we continue to meet with Thee and commune with Thee as we live our days on this earth, we look forward to the day when we will see Thee face to face, when we will commune with Thee in perfect fellowship in heaven. Oh, what a wonderful day that will be! We give Thee thanks, and we pray all this in Jesus' name. Amen.
THE BOOK OF EXODUSGod’s Prophecy and Promise Had Come To PassGod’s Prophecy and Promise Had Come To PassExodus 1:1-7
From Prosperity to PersecutionFrom Prosperity to PersecutionExodus 1:8-14
God’s Protection in the Midst of AdversitiesGod’s Protection in the Midst of AdversitiesExodus 1:15-21
The Faith of JochebedThe Faith of JochebedExodus 1:22-2:10
Moses in EgyptMoses in EgyptExodus 2:11-15
Moses in the Desert of MidianMoses in the Desert of MidianExodus 2:16-25
Moses and the Burning BushMoses and the Burning BushExodus 3:1-9
Who Are You?Who Are You?Exodus 3:10-15
Who Am I?Who Am I?Exodus 3:10-15
God’s Message to Israel and EgyptGod’s Message to Israel and EgyptExodus 3:16-22
What If They Still Don’t Believe?What If They Still Don’t Believe?Exodus 4:1-9
Send Someone ElseSend Someone ElseExodus 4:10-17
Moses’ Return to EgyptMoses’ Return to EgyptExodus 4:18-20
When Things Seemed to Get Better, They Got WorseWhen Things Seemed to Get Better, They Got WorseExodus 5:10-21
When We Have Done Everything Right, and Yet Trouble ComesWhen We Have Done Everything Right, and Yet Trouble ComesExodus 5:22-6:5
Having to Learn the Same Lesson TwiceHaving to Learn the Same Lesson TwiceExodus 6:6-12
Faithful or UnfaithfulFaithful or UnfaithfulExodus 6:13-27
What God Wants Is Our Faithfulness and ObedienceWhat God Wants Is Our Faithfulness and ObedienceExodus 6:28-7:7
The First Plague - The River of BloodThe First Plague - The River of BloodExodus 7:14-25
The Second Plague - The FrogsThe Second Plague - The FrogsExodus 8:1-15
The Third PlagueThe Third PlagueExodus 8:16-19
The Fourth PlagueThe Fourth PlagueExodus 8:20-32
The Fifth PlagueThe Fifth PlagueExodus 9:1-7
The Sixth PlagueThe Sixth PlagueExodus 9:8-12
The Seventh PlagueThe Seventh PlagueExodus 9:13-35
The Eighth PlagueThe Eighth PlagueExodus 10:1-20
The Tenth PlagueThe Tenth PlagueExodus 11:1-10
The First PassoverThe First PassoverExodus 12:1-13
The Feast of the Unleavened BreadThe Feast of the Unleavened BreadExodus 12:14-28
Departure From EgyptDeparture From EgyptExodus 12:29-42
This Do In Remembrance of MeThis Do In Remembrance of MeExodus 12:43-51; 1 Corinthians 11:23-32
Message 2: What is Church to you? My Covenantal Family!Message 2: What is Church to you? My Covenantal Family!Exodus 12:48-49, Colossians 2:11-12
Redemption and ConsecrationRedemption and ConsecrationExodus 13:1-2, 11-16
Precious Lord, Take My HandPrecious Lord, Take My HandExodus 13:17-22
Between the Desert and the Red SeaBetween the Desert and the Red SeaExodus 14:1-14
Crossing the Red SeaCrossing the Red SeaExodus 14:15-31
The Song of PraiseThe Song of PraiseExodus 15:1-21
Will You Obey Or Not?Will You Obey Or Not?Exodus 15:22-27
The Danger of a Complaining SpiritThe Danger of a Complaining SpiritExodus 16:1-3
God’s Response to Israel’s ComplaintsGod’s Response to Israel’s ComplaintsExodus 16:1-10
The Test of FaithThe Test of FaithExodus 16:11-20
Lessons About the SabbathLessons About the SabbathExodus 16:21-36
Do Not Test GodDo Not Test GodExodus 17:1-17
Lift Up Your HandsLift Up Your HandsExodus 17:8-16
The Blessedness of ReunionThe Blessedness of ReunionExodus 18:1-12
Why Do We Have Leaders?Why Do We Have Leaders?Exodus 18:13-27
I Will Carry You On Eagles’ WingsI Will Carry You On Eagles’ WingsExodus 19:1-6
Approach God Fearlessly or FearfullyApproach God Fearlessly or FearfullyExodus 19:7-15
God Reached Out And SpokeGod Reached Out And SpokeExodus 19:16-25
Thou Shalt Have No Other GodsThou Shalt Have No Other GodsExodus 20:1-3
Thou Shalt Not Make Graven ImagesThou Shalt Not Make Graven ImagesExodus 20:4-6
Thou Shalt Not Dishonour God’s NameThou Shalt Not Dishonour God’s NameExodus 20:7
Thou Shalt Keep The Sabbath DayThou Shalt Keep The Sabbath DayExodus 20:8-11
Honour Thy Father And Thy MotherHonour Thy Father And Thy MotherExodus 20:12
Thou Shalt Not KillThou Shalt Not KillExodus 20:13
Thou Shalt Not Commit AdulteryThou Shalt Not Commit AdulteryExodus 20:14
Thou Shalt Not StealThou Shalt Not StealExodus 20:15
Thou Shalt Not LieThou Shalt Not LieExodus 20:16
Thou Shalt Not CovetThou Shalt Not CovetExodus 20:17
The Response To The Ten CommandmentsThe Response To The Ten CommandmentsExodus 20:18-21
How God Wants Us To Worship HimHow God Wants Us To Worship HimExodus 20:22-26
Why Would God Allow Slavery?Why Would God Allow Slavery?Exodus 21:1-11
The Punishment Fits The Crime — a life for a lifeThe Punishment Fits The Crime — a life for a lifeExodus 21:12-17
The Punishment Fits The Crime — an eye for an eyeThe Punishment Fits The Crime — an eye for an eyeExodus 21:18-36
The Punishment Deters The Crime — property lawsThe Punishment Deters The Crime — property lawsExodus 22:1-15
The Character Of GodThe Character Of GodExodus 22:16-20
Reaching Out To The Down-And-OutReaching Out To The Down-And-OutExodus 22:21-24
The Compassion, Authority & Holiness Of GodThe Compassion, Authority & Holiness Of GodExodus 22:25-31
Truth Cannot Be Subjected To Anything But TruthTruth Cannot Be Subjected To Anything But TruthExodus 23:1-9
Remember Who God IsRemember Who God IsExodus 23:10-19
What Must We Do To Have VictoryWhat Must We Do To Have VictoryExodus 23:20-33
How We Ought To Worship GodHow We Ought To Worship GodExodus 24:1-4, 7
On What Basis Can We Approach His Majesty?On What Basis Can We Approach His Majesty?Exodus 24:4-8
Responding To God’s InvitationResponding To God’s InvitationExodus 24:9-18
The Right Attitude Of GivingThe Right Attitude Of GivingExodus 25:1-8
There I Will Meet YouThere I Will Meet YouExodus 25:9-22
Physical Or Spiritual Bread, Which Is More Important?Physical Or Spiritual Bread, Which Is More Important?Exodus 25:23-30
Let Your Light So Shine Before MenLet Your Light So Shine Before MenExodus 25:31-40
If Thy Presence Go Not with Me, Carry Us Not Up HenceIf Thy Presence Go Not with Me, Carry Us Not Up HenceExodus 33:12-23
