The Ark of the Covenant & The Mercy Seat

The Ark of the Covenant

Exodus 25:10And they shall make an ark of shittim wood: two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof. 11 And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, within and without shalt thou overlay it, and shalt make upon it a crown of gold round about. 12 And thou shalt cast four rings of gold for it, and put them in the four corners thereof; and two rings shall be in the one side of it, and two rings in the other side of it. 13 And thou shalt make staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold. 14 And thou shalt put the staves into the rings by the sides of the ark, that the ark may be borne with them. 15 The staves shall be in the rings of the ark: they shall not be taken from it. 16 And thou shalt put into the ark the testimony which I shall give thee.

The Ark of the Covenant is made “through shittim wood” in the New Covenant since it is an image of the wood that made the cross and replaces God’s people’s hearts of stone with His hearts of flesh that are able to receive His blood atonement and pump the blood of redemption throughout their bodies. Gold was the finest material they had to work with in their time, but this new heart is purer and of much greater value than any material on earth. The two rings that are on each side of the ark are God’s people’s hip and shoulder sockets and their legs and arms are the staves that carry them through this world, and the testimony that God has placed in His people’s new hearts are what leads and guides them into all truth while they still walk on the earth.

The Mercy Seat

17 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. 18 And thou shalt make two cherubims of gold, of beaten work shalt thou make them, in the two ends of the mercy seat. 19 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. 20 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. 21 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. 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.

The mercy seat is where God stretches out His hand to his children offering forgiveness and they meet Him because they have approached Him boldly with confidence knowing He is their Father that loves them. The mercy seat is larger than the children’s hearts and well able to have them sit in front of His glory for eternity. The mercy seat has cherubims stretched out over them always watching over His children as they require intercession for their lives because they live in a broken world and need to stay focused on the calling of God.