Christ in the Old Testament

Exodus 25:22

There, above the cover between the two cherubim that are over the ark of the covenant law, I will meet with you and give you all my commands for the Israelites.

Today’s Reading: Exodus 25:10-22, John 20:1-18 and Romans 3:21-26

Today we will finish our study of God’s instructions to Moses regarding the Ark of the Covenant. We have studied the word ark a few times already. The Hebrew word for this ark is ǎrôn which is not the same word that was used for Noah’s ark. This word usually means chest or box but it also was used in Genesis 50:26 for Joseph’s coffin. We will come back to that shortly.

God instructs Moses to place the tablets of the covenant law in the ark. We also saw back in Exodus 16 that God told Moses to preserve an omer of manna and Aaron put it in a jar and placed it before the Lord with the tablets. Then in Hebrews 9 we see that Aaron’s budding staff (Numbers 17) was also in the ark. All of these contents point to different aspects of Jesus.

The tablets of the covenant law inside the ark pictured Jesus with the Law of God in his heart, living in perfect obedience to it. We covered the symbology of manna on February 11. The pot of manna points to Jesus as the Bread of Life. Finally, Aaron’s rod that budded prophesied the resurrection of Jesus with him becoming our High Priest.

In Exodus 25:17-21, God gives Moses instructions of how to make the atonement cover (NIV) or mercy seat (KJV). The Hebrew word used here for mercy seat is best defined as “propitiatory” which is best understood as the removal of wrath by the offering of a gift. It also means “to pacify” or “to cover over.” God tells Moses, “There I will meet with you, and I will speak with you from above the mercy seat” (Ex 25:22).

The significance of the atonement cover is found in the ceremony performed on the Day of Atonement. Once a year, the High Priest would enter the Holy of Holies and sprinkle blood on the mercy seat to make atonement for the sins of the people of Israel. Because the Israelites fell short of their covenant obligations by sinning against God and breaking his commands, the blood of the goat sacrificed as a sin offering would be sprinkled on the mercy seat to make atonement for their sin and reconciled them with God.

The mercy seat clearly points to Jesus. It points to the death of Jesus on the cross that would cover the Law of God with His mercy, making it possible for those who put their faith in Jesus to be reconciled to God. Paul tells us, “God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith” (Romans 3:25). The atonement cover is an illustration of how God’s throne was transformed from a throne of judgment into a throne of grace by the atoning blood of Jesus that was sprinkled on it.

The mercy seat not only points to Jesus spiritually but I believe it also points to Jesus physically – or maybe better to say the lack of Jesus physically. There were two cherubim (angelic beings) on the mercy seat of the ark “one cherub at one end, and the other cherub at the other end” (Ex 25:19). Their wings were to stretch out toward each other covering the mercy seat. Their faces were to look toward the mercy seat. “And there I will meet with you, and I will speak with you from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are on the ark” (Ex 25:22).

So now read the verses in John 20 carefully. John saw the undisturbed empty tomb and we get a very detailed picture of it from him. When he looked into the tomb, he saw the bloody strips of linen that were wrapped around Jesus lying in the place where Jesus was laid. When Mary looked into the tomb, she saw the same strips of linen but she also “saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot” (John 20:12). The mercy seat of the ark sure looks a lot like the empty tomb!

Today’s Prayer: Thank you Jesus for taking your rightful place on the mercy seat and providing me with your abundant grace and mercy.